The 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring is a full featured car, offering plenty of space. Unfortunately, that space came at a premium price: weight. Tipping the scales at nearly 3100 pounds might cause some automakers to consider introducing a beefy 4 cylinder or even a lightweight 6 cylinder engine to the mix. Unfortunately, these options in turn increase overall weight, which is why Hyundai tapped their tried and true 2.0L DOHC inline-4 cylinder for the job.

Some call it the little engine that could, but Hyundai officially refers to it as the Beta II. Hyundai's Beta II engine can deliver 132 hp in PZEV tune or 138 in its general arrangement, both at 6000 rpm. Horsepower comes on strong at approximately 3200 rpm and pulls strong almost all the way to the red line. Torque figures produced by Beta II-powered Hyundai Elantra Touring editions are even more impressive, with the full 136 foot pounds available to the front wheels at 4600 rpm, but nearly 80 percent of that torque available well before the 3000 rpm line is crossed on the tachometer.

It might be easy to conclude that the engine is all about brawns, but the opposite is actually true. Instead of being all about raw power, the engine is actually an incredibly refined engine, featuring smooth variable valve timing, and computer-adjust manifolds. Additionally, the 2.0L engine that sits under the hood of the new Elantra Touring is also very frugal with its use of fuel and produces very low emissions. Hyundai did not see fit to make any updates to the engine found in the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring, but that as mostly because they hit the nail on the head the first time and did not need to make significant refinements. After all, the old express tells the wise not to fix what is not broken.

There are many advantages to owning a Honda Accord over the Hyundai Sonata. Reliability and frequency of servicing is an extremely important factor to consider when comparing vehicles. With a 73 percent larger amount of Honda dealers than Hyundai dealers, service needs are more easily met by Honda than Hyundai.

J.D. Power and Associates' surveys the long-term dependability statistics, which shows that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles.

The fuel economy, braking capabilities and suspension are all ranked higher in the Accord. The Accord stops much shorter than the Sonata. The Honda Accord's V6 turns off part of the engine's cylinders to conserve gas, a feature the Hyundai Sonata does not have.

According to Car and Driver, the Accord stopped at 169 feet and the Sonata did not stop until 181 feet, which could make the difference in possible collisions.

Advantastar statistics reveal that the Accord has 2.2 cubic feet more passenger space than the Hyundai Sonata.

The Accord Sedan's front power windows have one-touch switches, making rolling the windows down care-free and easy. This automatic one touch window feature makes it more convenient at drive-up windows and banking, toll booths and all other instances. The Sonata's passenger windows do not open or close automatically.

Lastly, the Honda Accord comes in a variety of body styles ranging from coupe, sedan and station wagon body styles unlike the Hyundai Sonata, which only has one body style.

The overall choice recommended by both Consumer Reports and Kiplinger's Awards is the Honda Accord Sedan.

"The Accord was chosen as one of Car and Driver's "Top Ten" for 15 of the last 18 years. The Sonata has never been a Car and Driver "Top Ten" pick." (Advantastar)