Features

Women who get more fibre from fruits and cereals may be less like to develop diverticulitis, a common and painful bowel problem, though vegetable sources of fibre don’t make much difference, a US study suggests. 

A low fibre diet has long been linked to an increased risk of diverticulitis, which occurs when small pockets or bulges lining the intestines become inflamed. But research to date hasn’t offered a clear picture of whether some forms of fibre might be better than others for minimising the risk, researchers note in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. 

For the current study, researchers followed 50,019 women who were 43 to 70 years old at the outset, and didn’t have a history of diverticulitis, cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. Over 24 years, 4,343 women developed diverticulitis. 

Compared to those with the lowest amounts of fibre in their diet — around 13 grammes a day — women who consumed the most fibre — closer to 27 grammes a day — were 14 per cent less likely to develop diverticulitis. 

“People concerned about developing diverticulitis, particularly those with a history of the disease [who] are worried about another episode, might want to consider increasing their intake of fibre, particularly from fruits,” said Dr Andrew Chan, senior author of the study and a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. 

Women who consumed the most fruit fibre — around 1.7 grammes a day — were 17 per cent less likely to develop the condition than their counterparts who ate the least, at around 1.4 grammes daily. 

Every additional daily serving of whole fruits and specific fruits like apples, pears and prunes was associated with a 5 per cent lower risk of diverticulitis, the study also found. Some other fruits, including bananas, peaches, plums and apricots, didn’t appear to help reduce the risk. 

Women who had the most cereal fibre each day — around 9.8 grammes — were 10 per cent less likely to develop diverticulitis than those who ate the least, at about 2.9 grammes. 

While consuming more vegetable fibre also seemed connected to a lower risk of diverticulitis, the difference between low and high amounts of this fibre in the diet was small and could have been due to chance. 

Overall, the study participants consumed an average of 18 grams of fibre a day, less than the 25 daily grammes recommended for optimal health in adult women. 

Women who did get at least 25 grammes of fibre a day were 13 per cent less likely to develop diverticulitis than women who consumed less than 18 grammes a day. 

The study wasn’t designed to prove whether or how fibre intake might directly impact whether women developed diverticulitis. 

One limitation of the study is that researchers relied on women to report their own eating habits and diverticulitis diagnosis. Another drawback is that researchers lacked data on the duration or severity of diverticulitis episodes. 

Even so, the results offer fresh evidence of the importance of dietary fibre for optimal health, Chan said. 

“When we eat fibre, our bodies, in collaboration with naturally occurring bacteria in our intestines, breaks it down into specific proteins that in turn might reduce inflammation which could predispose us to diverticulitis,” Chan said. “Fibre in our diets may also influence the natural movement or motility of our colon which affects the risk of diverticulitis.”

Love munching on apples? You could be missing out on the best part of the fruit, according to a new report.

Researchers from Graz University of Technology in Austria recently conducted a study, published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal, to explore how the food’s bacteria, much of which promotes gut health, affects the human body.

To do so, they assessed the bacterial content of the different components of an apple, including the stem, peel, fruit pulp, seeds, and calyx. They examined both organic and conventional store-bought apples.

After analysing the results, they found a typical 240g organic or conventional apple contains around 100 million bacteria, and much of it is located in the fruit’s core, particularly the seeds. Only 10 million bacterial cells live in the flesh.

“To the heroes among you who eat the whole apple: besides extra fibre, flavonoids and flavour, you’re also quaffing 10 times as many bacteria per fruit as your core-discarding counterparts,” the authors said in a statement.

But organic apples have an edge over the conventional ones, because they “harbour a more diverse and balanced bacterial community — which could make them healthier and tastier than conventional apples, as well as better for the environment”, the team said.

For example, escherichia-shigella, which includes known pathogens, was found in most of the conventional apples but not the organic ones. Lactobacilli, which is a type of probiotic, was found in most organic apples but not conventional ones. And methylobacterium, known to enhance the biosynthesis of strawberry flavour compounds, was more prominent in organic apples.

The scientists now hope to continue their investigations to better understand the bacteria makeup of other fruits.

“The microbiome and antioxidant profiles of fresh produce may one day become standard nutritional information, displayed alongside macronutrients, vitamins and minerals to guide consumers,” the scientists concluded. “Here, a key step will be to confirm to what extent diversity in the food microbiome translates to gut microbial diversity and improved health outcomes.”

By Najja Parker

Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish and Missy Elliott were the big winners at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, which aired from the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday night.

Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” was named Video of the Year. Song of the Year went to Lil Nas X’s record-breaking remix of his breakout hit “Old Town Road”. Eilish and Ariana Grande, both of whom were absent from Monday’s show due to tour commitments, won Best New Artist and Artist of the Year, respectively.

However, the biggest victor might have been MTV, which managed to pull off a telecast that not only offered frothy spectacle but showed the network still had something to say, by booking a show that celebrated the diverse talents currently changing the look of pop music.

For much of the past 30 years, the VMAs were must-see TV, both a celebration of the music video as commercial art form and a brash, youthful celebrity gawkfest. This was where Kanye West became a lifetime meme for crashing the stage, and where Britney Spears reigned supreme (and fell apart). The VMA stage is where Beyoncé tested her ambitions as a performer and where Lady Gaga became a superstar. For years, audiences watched with bated breath to see what their favourite pop star would do next.

Over the past decade, though, the network’s fortunes have fallen, and like many award shows, the VMAs haemorrhaged viewers in an era of peak TV and streaming.

But despite a cringe-worthy hosting performance by popular comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, the 2019 VMAs felt more assured and purposeful than any in recent memory.

Swift opened with the queer-empowerment anthem “You Need to Calm Down”, transforming the stage into a literal meme, equipped with bubble letters that popped from a video wall. While collecting the trophy for Video for Good (given to clips that promote a message), Swift surprisingly ceded the stage to the queer artists she featured in the vibrant visual for “You Need to Calm Down”.

Rosalía, J Balvin and Lizzo had adventurous, scene stealing performances (the last of which was flanked by an voluptuous, inflatable rump) that showed the payoff of paying attention to what’s powering the charts and, more importantly, Spotify playlists.

Normani performed a nearly frame-for-frame re-creation of her viral, star-making “Motivation” music video. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello milked their relationship with a G-rated take of their steamy duet, “Senorita” — sealing things off with a nose kiss. And Lil Nas X kept his massive year going with a heavily choreographed performance of “Panini” that showed the rapper could also lip-sync and dance like a 2000s boy-band member going solo.

After being feted by Ciara, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake via video, Elliott was awarded the Video Vanguard Award for the innovative and eccentric visuals that disrupted hip-hop when she emerged over 20 years ago.

Elliott’s honour came after years of online petitioning from fans asking the network to consider the eye-popping and vibrant work that defines the Virginia-born rapper-singer-producer’s artistry.

During her seven-minute performance, Elliott — who dropped her first collection of music in 14 years last week — offered a reminder of her genius with a hits-filled medley in which she danced amid mirrors and special effects, recreated the fisheye lens look of her debut single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” and changed costumes numerous times.

“I’ve worked diligently for over two decades and I never thought I would be standing here receiving this award,” Elliott said.

Other winners included Cardi B, Normani, Rosalía and J Balvin, the Jonas Brothers, Cabello and Mendes, and fashion designer Marc Jacobs, who was the first recipient of the MTV Fashion Trailblazer award.

By Gerrick D. Kennedy

For most of us — not just in Seattle, but worldwide — the accepted norm for an elevator ride is this: Get in and position yourself as far from others as possible, face forward, be still, stand up straight and stare silently at the door, or your cellphone, until you get to your floor.

Is that really how it should be?

The maker of the world’s first sideways elevator thinks not, theyssenkrupp Elevator, has issued a challenge to us all: Start talking.

Seven billion elevator trips happen every day, according to a survey by the company, and two-thirds of the people riding do so in complete silence. Many of the 2,000 people surveyed said they preferred that over talking to a stranger.

If each journey lasts an average of 30 seconds, that adds up to 38,499,999 hours in silence each day, theyssenkrupp’s research suggests.

But, according to numerous research projects and studies on interconnection, happiness and altruism, even small and seemingly superficial friendly encounters among strangers, can have significant emotional and physical health benefits for the people involved.

A landmark study of Chicago commuters by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder found that people were overwhelmingly mistaken when they believed they preferred silence and isolation to an interaction with a stranger.

“To examine the experience of connecting to strangers, we instructed commuters on trains and buses to connect with a stranger near them, to remain disconnected, or to commute as normal,” the authors wrote in a paper. “In both contexts, participants reported a more positive [and no less productive] experience when they connected than when they did not. Separate participants in each context, however, expected precisely the opposite outcome, predicting a more positive experience in solitude. This mistaken preference for solitude stems partly from underestimating others’ interest in connecting, which in turn keeps people from learning the actual consequences of social interaction.”

Shawn Horn, a Spokane-based psychologist who specialises in shame, said some of the reasons behind our closed and wary behavioural norms around elevator use may have biological and neurological roots.

“We are bio-neurologically hard-wired to survive,” she said. “The elevator is an intimate, closed container with no escape, and if you are stuck with someone you don’t want to talk to and you can’t leave, it does not feel safe. We’re vulnerable and may go into a protective position, standing face-forward, waiting.”

It’s one thing to enjoy a moment of quiet mindfulness on an elevator, she says, but if you’re shutting down because you’re worried people might judge you for talking to them, that limits your opportunities to connect with people.

An elevator ride can “create shared experiences that go some way to eliminating this loneliness that people may feel in a built-up environment”, theyssenkrupp said in a statement.

But not every elevator manufacturer wants their product to become a venue for chitchat. Mowrey Elevator offers a guide to personal space on elevators and advice on when it’s OK to talk.

“While exchanging quick pleasantries with other passengers is considered well within the range of good elevator etiquette, striking up awkward conversations with strangers or carrying on conversations with your friends in a loud manner is not OK,” the company writes.

And if you’re having a conversation with someone before you get on the elevator? Put it on pause until you’re out of “the sanctity of an elevator car,” Mowrey advises: When the doors shut, so should your mouths.

Renée Gilbert, a Bellevue-based clinical psychologist and member of the Washington State Psychological Association who teaches courses on shyness, anxiety and social skills, said that while it’s true that casual, friendly encounters on an elevator can have benefits for the participants, elevators can be tricky.

“Elevators are a different kind of animal. It’s not a one-size fits all situation,” she said. The atmosphere in an elevator may depend on the building it’s serving. Is it an office, a restaurant, a sports stadium, a hospital? The mood in each may be different, she said.

In each case, it’s important to “read your environment”, Gilbert said.

It’s ultimately the awareness of others, and their needs, that contributes the most to the well-being of both the person who is willing to strike up a conversation in a small space and the person they talk to.

Cortney Anderson-Sanford, an etiquette expert who splits her time between Seattle and Baltimore County, Maryland, warns us not to let our protective bubbles get too big.

“When I teach my classes, I really get into the fact that we are an isolated society and have lost the ability for polite and meaningful conversation,” Anderson-Sanford said.

She tells people who are willing to open up to the world to make eye contact, smile, hold their head and shoulders up and to put their devices away.

“You don’t have to have a big, cheesy, Joker look on your face,” she said, “But you never know who you will smile at that needs an uplift.”

The underlying principles of good manners are not about just using the proper forks, she said, but rather and more importantly, the idea that it is not all about us.

“We need to look outward and be aware of our fellow humans,” she said. “We can be fed by each other. It can get us through the day.”

By Christine Clarridge

LOS ANGELES — Performing above expectations, Lionsgate and Millennium’s “Angel Has Fallen” opened in first place with $21.3 million, according to measurement firm Comscore.

The third film in the action franchise, it stars Gerard Butler as a Secret Service agent who is falsely accused of attempting to assassinate the US president, played by Morgan Freeman. It was directed by Rick Roman Waugh and also stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Piper Perabo and Nick Nolte.

Analysts anticipated it would earn $13 million to $15 million, less than previous series installments “London Has Fallen” ($21.6 million opening in 2016) and “Olympus Has Fallen” ($30.4 million debut in 2013). The movie received a mixed reception, with an A-minus CinemaScore but a 40 per cent “rotten” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

At No. 2, Universal’s “Good Boys” added $11.8 million in its second weekend.

At No. 3, Sony and Affirm’s “Overcomer” opened with $8.2 million. Written and directed by and starring Alex Kendrick, the movie is about a coach whose faith is tested as he mentors a troubled teen. Audiences approved with an A-plus CinemaScore, but critics responded with a 33 per cent “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At No. 4, Disney’s “The Lion King” added $8.2 million. Rounding out the top five, Universal’s “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” added $8.1 million.

Fox Searchlight’s “Ready or Not” opened at No. 6, taking in $7.6 million over the weekend and $10.6 million since its debut on Wednesday.

At No. 7, Sony’s “The Angry Birds Movie 2” added $6.4 million in its second weekend. In eighth place, Lionsgate’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” added $6 million in its third weekend. At No. 9, Paramount’s “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” added $5.2 million. Rounding out the top 10, Sony’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” added $5 million in its fifth weekend.

Among indie releases, Amazon Studios’ “Brittany Runs a Marathon” picked up $175,969 from five theatres, averaging $35,194 per location. Paul Downs Colaizzo directed from his own script. In the crowd-pleasing comedy, Jillian Bell portrays an overweight woman who signs up for a lengthy race to get her life on track. The studio is slowly expanding the movie and expects to take it nationwide after four or five weeks. Amazon bought the movie for $14 million at Sundance.

“This weekend is a great start, and we are feeling very positive going into next weekend and the weeks to follow,” said Julie Rapaport, co-head of movies at Amazon Studios. “Audiences have laughed, cried and connected with Brittany’s inspirational story — and we’re confident the positive word-of-mouth will organically grow and reach theatre-goers. We’re in it for the long run and excited as more audiences discover the film.”

People who eat more plant-based protein may live longer than those who get more protein from meat, a Japanese study suggests. 

Researchers followed almost 71,000 middle-aged Japanese adults for an average of almost two decades. Compared to people who consumed the smallest amount of plant protein, participants who consumed the largest amount were 13 per cent less likely to die during the study and 16 per cent less likely to die of cardiovascular causes.

“Previous studies have found higher consumption of animal protein is associated with increased chronic diseases and mortality, whereas higher consumption of plant protein is associated with lower risk, but most of these studies were conducted in Western populations, in which consumption of animal protein is much higher than plant protein,” said Frank Hu, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

“In this Japanese study, consumption of plant protein is quite high, whereas the consumption of animal protein is quite low compared to that in Western populations,” Hu, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by e-mail.” 

Animal protein didn’t appear to influence longevity in the study, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Overall in the study, 12,381 people died, including 5,055 fatalities from cancer, 3,025 from cardiovascular disease, 1,528 from heart disease, and 1,198 due to cerebrovascular disease.

People who replaced just 3 per cent of red meat with plant protein were 34 per cent less likely to die of any cause, 39 per cent less likely to die of cancer, and 42 per cent less likely to die of heart disease during the study.

And, people who replaced just 4 per cent of processed meat in their diet with plant protein were 46 per cent less likely to die of any cause and 50 per cent less likely to die of cancer.

“When individuals eat more plant protein foods such as nuts, soy, and lentils, there is a significant improvement in cardiovascular risk factors such as blood lipids, blood pressure, and body weight,” Hu said.

“It is worth noting that these plant foods contain not just protein, but also other beneficial nutrients such as healthy fats, anti-oxidant vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals,” Hu added. 

“On the other hand, diets high in red and processed meats have been associated with a wide range of health consequences such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.”

The current study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how the amount or type of protein people consume might directly impact their longevity.

One limitation of the research is that participants’ diets were only assessed once, at the start of the study, and it’s possible their eating habits changed over time, study coauthor Dr Norie Sawada of the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo and colleagues write in their report. Sawada didn’t respond to requests for comment.

“The take-home message is that to live longer, one should swap red and processed meat with healthy, plant proteins like nuts, beans, lentils, and whole grains,” Hu advised. “Such a dietary pattern is not only beneficial for human health but also more environmentally sustainable.”

By Lisa Rapaport

AMMAN — The 11th edition of Abu Dhabi Art will take place at Manarat Al Saadiyat (MAS) in the UAE capital November 21-23, with multidisciplinary artist and writer Ebtisam Abdulaziz selected for the fair’s visual campaign, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the fair will present a programme of exhibitions, art installations, talks, workshops and performances delivered by leading international artists, curators and creative professionals, in addition to a rich roster of public programming over its three-day run. On view through January 25, 2020, the fair will offer a series of extended exhibitions and events. 

Commissioned artist and writer Ebtisam Abdulaziz will expand on her ongoing initiative titled “Life in a Bag” in which she documents the various bags of fair-goers.

On her participation this year, Ebtisam Abdulaziz stated: “Working with Abu Dhabi Art is a unique opportunity, and the event itself has inspired my new series; it documents visitors’ bags from Abu Dhabi Art 2018, reflecting the diverse cultures and personalities it brings together. I think of them as portraits; through these items, culture, personality, social life, and different tastes are captured. I am very grateful to Abu Dhabi Art for their support and consider it an honour that my artwork will serve as the advertising and artistic visual campaign for the upcoming fair.”

Dyala Nusseibeh, Abu Dhabi art director, added: “Ebtisam is a key voice in the regional artist community and we are honoured that she has agreed to provide works for the new visual campaign. I love her “Life in a Bag” series, and it is really special that she chose to extend this project by creating new portraits of fair-goers at Abu Dhabi Art. She is a wonderful artist to collaborate with.” 

Abu Dhabi Art 2019 will soon be announcing details for other key components in its programming, including the “Beyond” series with its “Artists Commissions” and “Emerging Artists” categories. 

“Beyond: Artist Commissions” sees established contemporary artists commissioned by Abu Dhabi Art to make site-specific works in Al Ain. “Beyond: Emerging Artists” is the annual initiative that gives three emerging artists in the UAE a platform to develop their practice and realise ambitious art projects. The artists are invited to undertake a year-long programme under the mentorship and supervision of a guest curator, ahead of their projects being displayed in November. The annual “Gateway” exhibition will also return this year, highlighting local and international artists through a unique curatorial approach with a guest curator. 

Abu Dhabi Art will also offer talks, workshops, community driven projects and performances that cater to a wide audience ranging from arts professionals through families and the general public seeking cultural entertainment. The “Talks Programme” offers a series of stimulating cultural talks, conversations and book launches featuring some of the art world’s leading figures, which aim to engage audiences in a dialogue about the complex history and contemporary art practice in the UAE and around the world. 

Collaborative community projects with key universities will once again form a significant component of the event. Khalifa University has recently concluded the Abu Dhabi Art artist-in-residence programme for the collaborative initiative “Art + Technology”, while a nationwide architecture competition for students, the “Pavilion Prize”, is under way and will culminate in displaying the winning project at the fair. 

Abu Dhabi Art “Community Partners” and non-profit cultural organisations will also be offered spaces within the fair to highlight their initiatives, presenting displays that respond to the theme of “Year of Tolerance”, as designated for 2019 by the UAE government. These partnerships encourage new ideas and inspiration from upcoming artists, designers and architects, as well as making connections with new audiences.

GENEVA — Microplastics contained in drinking water pose a “low” risk to human health at current levels, but more research is needed to reassure consumers, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.

Studies over the past year on plastic particles detected in tap and bottled water have sparked public concerns but the limited data appears reassuring, the UN agency said its first report on potential health risks associated with ingestion.

Microplastics enter drinking water sources mainly through run-off and wastewater effluent, the WHO said. Evidence shows that microplastics found in some bottled water seem to be at least partly due to the bottling process and/or packaging such as plastic caps, it said.

“The headline message is to reassure drinking water consumers around the world, that based on this assessment, our assessment of the risk is that it is low,” Bruce Gordon of the WHO’s department of public health, environmental and social determinants of health, told a briefing.

The WHO did not recommended routine monitoring for microplastics in drinking water. But research should focus on issues including what happens to chemical additives in the particles once they enter the gastrointestinal tract, it said.

The majority of plastic particles in water are larger than 150 micrometres in diameter and are excreted from the body, while “smaller particles are more likely to cross the gut wall and reach other tissues”, it said. 

Health concerns have centred around smaller particles, said Jennifer De France, a WHO technical expert and one of the report’s authors.

“For these smallest size particles, where there is really limited evidence, we need know more about what is being absorbed, the distribution and their impacts,” she said.

More research is needed into risks from microplastics exposure throughout the environment — “in our drinking water, air and food”, she added.

Alice Horton, a microplastics researcher at Britain’s National Oceanography Centre, said in a statement on the WHO’s findings: “There are no data available to show that microplastics pose a hazard to human health, however, this does not necessarily mean that they are harmless.”

 “It is important to put concerns about exposure to microplastics from drinking water into context: we are widely exposed to microplastics in our daily lives via a wide number of sources, of which drinking water is just one.”

Plastic pollution is so widespread in the environment that you may be ingesting five grams a week, the equivalent of eating a credit card, a study commissioned by the environmental charity WWF International said in June. That study said the largest source of plastic ingestion was drinking water, but another major source was shellfish.

The biggest overall health threat in water is from microbial pathogens — including from human and livestock waste entering water sources — that cause deadly diarrhoeal disease, especially in poor countries lacking water treatment systems, the WHO said.

Some 2 billion people drink water contaminated with faeces, causing nearly 1 million deaths annually, Gordon said, adding: “That has got to be the focus of regulators around the world.”

A far more dramatic and stylised car than the somewhat conservative model it replaces, the new eight generation Hyundai Sonata takes a distinctly sportier and edgier design direction.

Launched early this summer as a 2020 model and part the Korean brand’s more loosely and individualistic “Hyundai look” approach, the latest Sonata harks back to the eye-catching if somewhat controversial sixth generation model in the way it makes a statement.

However, the new Sonata backs this up with subtly yet meaningfully improved driving dynamics, new technologies and improved cabin design, comfort and materials.

Dramatic design

A design-led car very much informed by trendy so-called “four-door coupe” designs like the Audi A7, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and Volkswagen Arteon, Hyundai’s stated and ambitious goal for the new Sonata is to produce “the most beautiful sedan on the road”. 

Whether they have achieved this is a matter of personal taste, but it is indeed an attractive, low-slung and viscerally dramatic design. Longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, the new Sonata is built on a new platform with repositioned front strut towers for a lower bonnet, shorter front overhang and longer wheelbase.

A front-driven car with a similarly sporty profile as an upmarket rear-drive saloon in its overhang ratios and distance between wheel centre and A-pillar base, the new Sonata seemingly taking inspiration from marine life. At first sight it somewhat resembles a stingray, with its broad shoulders, wide stance, sharply creased lined and heavily ridged surfacing. 

However, its wide, almost frowning “cascading grille” design, protruding lower lip, prominent sills and long low and arcing — almost fastback — roofline and discrete rear light cluster fins instead lend it an almost barracuda-like sense of menace and drama.

Confident delivery

Available at launch with either 2- and 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated multipoint injection (MPI) engines mated to 6-speed automatic gearboxes for the Middle East, other Sonata versions available or expected for various markets include 8-speed gearboxes, and all four-cylinder direct injection, hybrid and more performance-oriented turbocharged “N” sub-brand variants.

Driven in 2.5-litre MPI guise and with similar output as its 2.4-litre predecessor, the Sonata develops 177BHP at 6,000rpm and 171lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm. Undisclosed, the Sonata’s estimated 1.5-tonnes or less weight is expected to be reasonably quick with around 9.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration and 210km/h top speed.

Responsive from standstill and smoothly progressive in delivery, the driven 2.5 MPI proved well suited to the Sonata’s size, segment and weight as driven in various routes in South Korea at launch. Well-refined and insulated, it pulled with confident versatility in mid-range and when cruising, while venturing towards the redline, it was willing and eager. 

Driving the front wheels through a standard 6-speed automatic gearbox, shifts had the right compromise between speed, response and smoothness for a medium to big comfortable family saloon, and feature push-button gear selection and manual mode steering-mounted paddle-shifters.

Dynamic improvements

Built on Hyundai’s new N3 platform with improved structural design for improved ride, handling and safety, and incorporating more sophisticated collision safety multiload paths, the new Sonata better reconciles its assertively sporty looks with improved dynamic capabilities. 

Stable and reassuring on highway and smooth and refined in its ride quality, the new Sonata is comfortable and well absorbs road imperfections, but can feel slightly firm over small jagged bumps, as driven with 235/45R18 optional low profile tyres. Through corners, lateral and roll control is improved and it feels more settled than before.

Similarly, it seems to have acquired firmer dampers and improved vertical body and rebound control on dips and crests, and feels more settled and buttoned down than its predecessor. 

Turning tidily into corners with light, quick and direct electric-assisted steering, the Sonata grips well front and rear, but is weighted with a slight bias for more predictable under-steer if entering a tight and narrow too aggressively, which can be controlled through its electronic stability controls or by easing slightly off the throttle. Meanwhile, a larger brake booster improves braking response and effectiveness.

Comfortably equipped

A significant improvement on the outgoing model in most respects, the new Sonata also receives a plusher and more pleasant interior, in addition to more advanced convenience and safety equipment. 

Said by Hyundai to be inspired by stealth aircraft the low-slung new Sonata’s cabin features a cleaner, less cluttered design with an emphasis on horizontal lines and creating a sense of width and space. 

This includes a narrower dash, unobstructive push-button shift-by-wire gear selector and a reduced button count, with most features accessed through a large and wide 12.3-inch touchscreen.

Classier looking and incorporating better materials and softer textures and touch points, the new Sonata is also well-equipped and includes numerous standard and optional features including Android Auto, text-to-speech Bluetooth, heated and ventilated seats and wireless phone charging.

It also has driver assistance features like lane keeping and following, blind spot, forward and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assists and more.

Comfortable inside, it also features good cabin width, legroom and generous luggage volume. However, given its rakish new roofline, the Sonata could have done with slightly lower seat mounting points for taller occupants, especially in sunroof-equipped models.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 2.5-litre, aluminium block/head, transverse 4-cylinders
• Bore x stroke: 88.5 x 101.5mm
• Valve-train: DOHC, 16-valve, continuously variable valve timing
• Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 177.5 (180) [132.4] @6,000rpm
• Specific power: 71BHP/litre
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 171 (232) @4,000rpm
• Specific torque: 92.9Nm/litre
• 0-100km/h: 9.5-seconds (est.)
• Top speed: 210km/h (est.)
• Length: 4,900mm
• Width: 1,859mm
• Height: 1,445mm
• Wheelbase: 2,840mm
• Headroom, F/R: 975/950mm
• Leg room, F/R: 1,171/884mm
• Shoulder room, F/R: 1,470/1,425mm
• Hip room, F/R: 1,386/1,381mm
• Doors/seats: 4/5
• Luggage volume: 453-litres
• Kerb weight: 1,450-1,500kg (est.)
• Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion
• Lock-to-lock: 2.6-turns
• Turning circle: 10.9-metres
• Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/multi-link
• Brakes F/R: Ventilated discs, 305mm/discs, 300mm 
• Tyres: 235/45R18