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We’ll concede Hyundai a sip of champagne and a puff on a stogie for a job well done on the new 1995 Sonata.

But keep the noise down and don’t let the celebration get out of hand, because, though the ’95 Sonata is a heck of a lot better than the ’94 of the same name, you still aren’t in the same league as the big boys.

Hyundai’s boasting that the new Sonata’s competition is the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Pontiac Grand Am and Mazda 626 is like the Cubs printing World Series tickets after winning two consecutive games.

Is the Sonata good? Sure is. Would we stroll past a Camry or Grand Am to get our hands on one? If you think the answer to that one is yes, we have a couple of World Series tickets we’d like to sell you.

Hyundai made lots of changes for 1995, largely because it needed to make lots of changes.

There’s a new platform with wheelbase extended to 106.3 inches from 104.3 inches, and length to 185 inches from 184.3 inches, along with a slightly lower center of gravity. The added length puts occupants a bit farther from the point of harshness over the wheels to provide a smoother ride, and the lower center of gravity gives the car a squatter stance for improved handling.

Sonata still doesn’t handle as well as a Camry or Accord EX, and we’d rather grip the steering wheel on a Grand Am when it comes to driving aggressively, but Sonata’s road manners are a lot better than they used to be.

Our test car came with the base 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine that has been beefed up for 1995 to develop 137 horsepower from 116 h.p. for 1994. The 2-liter was teamed with optional 4-speed automatic with overdrive. The 4 is surprisingly peppy, almost like a V-6 in its get up and go, while getting decent mileage-21 miles per gallon city/28 m.p.g. highway. An even more powerful 3-liter, 142-h.p., V-6 is available but only with automatic.

Though we’ve voiced concern over Hyundai’s Third-World-South Korean-automotive heritage, it was refreshing to see that dual air bags, air conditioning, power steering, body-colored bumpers, tilt steering, tinted glass, full wheel covers, dual remote mirrors (unfortunately manual not power), center console with storage tray, AM-FM stereo with cassette and all-season radial tires were standard, though ride and handling might improve a tad if those 14-inch treads were replaced by 15 inches.

That’s a nice package of features in the base Sonata four-door sedan we tested. The uplevel GL adds automatic transmission, power windows, power door locks and heated power mirrors. Though automatic is standard in the GL, the 3-liter, V-6 remains an option. Move up to the GLS and you get the V-6, automatic, dual body-colored power remote mirrors, deluxe grille, gas shock absorbers, 15-inch, high-performance radials with alloy wheels, cruise control, upgraded radio and six-way adjustable driver’s seat.

The base Sonata we drove starts at $14,079 with automatic transmission. The test car added optional carpeted floor mats at $72 but left out anti-lock brakes. Freight runs $405.

ABS is an expensive option because it is available only as part of a package, the cheapest of which runs $1,710, and includes cruise control and power sunroof, along with ABS. The highest-priced package runs $2,880 on the GLS, and, along with ABS, has compact disc player, power sunroof and leather seats.

Packaging ABS like that serves two purposes: It allows Hyundai to keep the base price of its cars low by not offering ABS as standard, and it allows Hyundai to make even more money by teaming ABS with items you might not want, such as cruise control or leather seats. We’d sacrifice such items as center console with storage tray, heated mirrors, deluxe grille and cruise control for ABS as standard.

Other than the price of ABS, the Sonata offered a couple other annoyances, one being the multi-colored cloth seats, which appeared to be lifted from the Honda Accord design book. The seats looked like someone spilled a variety of paint on them; they’re more faddish than fashionable.

Those cloth seats are also the source of the main complaint. To be blunt, they stink. The car interior carries a pungent odor, a cross between rancid and musty. The reason, a Hyundai official confided to us, is that the smell from the rustproofing spray applied to inner body panels tends to permeate the cloth seats. Someone should reformulate the rustproofing material or form a barrier between the inner panels and the cloth seats to prevent the smell from soaking the cabin.

In summary, the Sonata offers decent ride, acceptable handling, respectable acceleration, spacious interior, excellent visibility, as well as recognition of the buyer’s desire for dual air bags. But it’s not a Camry or a Grand Am.

Rather than promote Sonata alongside some top-notch competition, we suggest Hyundai promote the car as a much-improved Sonata-a signal that the South Korean automaker recognizes that its early cars didn’t have much to offer other than low price-at the expense of quality.

Sonata must prove to be reliable and dependable before Hyundai sends out the party invites. One car isn’t reason to celebrate. Olds brings out a new Aurora luxury sedan in a few weeks, but one good car isn’t going to make that division become the standard bearer at GM. Olds understands, and, therefore, plans to follow Aurora with a revamped Cutlass, 88 and Achieva so consumers will have more than one reason to visit their showrooms.

Having brought out a very nice Sonata, Hyundai’s challenge now is to bring out a very nice replacement for the Excel, called the Accent, after the first of the year; the next generation Elantra sedan for the 1996 model year; and a new sport coupe modeled after the HCDII concept car for 1997 to take the place of the Scoupe coupe, which will be dropped after the 1995 model year.

>> 1995 Hyundai Sonata. Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Length: 185 inches Engine: 2 liter, 137 h.p. four cylinder. Transmission: 4-speed automatic. Fuel economy: 21 m.p.g. city/28 m.p.g. highway. Base price: $14,079. Strong point: Vastly improved from old model. Dual bags for safety. Larger dimensions for better room. Excellent visibility. Peppy four cylinder. Weak point: ABS optional and only as one item in a costly package. Rustproofing material smells. Cloth seat design too odd.

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