ON the V6 manual, acceleration and response is improved with lower second to fifth gears and a slightly higher first gear placed closer to second, plus a lower final drive. Gearing for the V6 automatic is unchanged. With both engines, the automatic transmission option now also brings Selectronic (formerly named H-matic) clutchless sequential manual gear selection mode. The HIVEC (Hyundai Intelligent Vehicle Electronic Control) automatic uses fuzzy logic control technology to refine shift quality and frequency, while neural network programming enables it to adapt to driving style and employ a skip-shift facility where it can skip a gear if necessary to deliver extra power or engine braking as demanded by the driver. Sonata's five-speed manual transmission has improved shift action thanks to triple cone synchronisers replacing the double cone type between first, second and third gears. Reverse gear engages more easily now with synchromesh and new helical cut gear teeth, which also eliminate gear whine.