2020 Hyundai SONATA - New Hyundai Sonata Experience

2020 Hyundai SONATA - New Hyundai Sonata Experience https://youtu.be/xlRc0EPVv9Y

The 2020 Hyundai Sonata ushers in the eighth generation of Hyundai’s mid-size sedan, and this latest redesign from the Korean brand is the model’s most extensive yet. While crossovers and SUVs are steadily biting away at the mighty midsize sedan segment, Hyundai believes sedans are still worth building and selling. We spent a full day driving the next-gen Sonata from Seoul to the Korean countryside, as well as logging a brief stint on Hyundai’s Namyang high-speed test track to see that the company’s extensive efforts improve every facet of the car.
Lee is aware that some buyers may shun the bold design, but he and Hyundai believe that if there’s any hope for the segment, mid-size sedans have to attract a younger buyer; or at least catch the gaze of those that might not ordinarily look at a car like the Sonata. In practice and on the road, the car looks far more premium than anything in the class, save for the Mazda6. Step inside and you’ll find a cohesive, clean, and modern interior. Our model featured an upper-end, Mercedes-esque 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system in a curved, driver-centric cockpit, as well as a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. The infotainment is straight-forward and user-friendly.

There’s a new steering wheel design, slim air vents, lots of piano-black finishes, as well as chrome and faux-leather, which complements the Nappa leather seats. The center console is made of hard plastic and doesn’t look as premium as the rest of the cabin. There are small details, too, that give a more premium feel than one expects of a car that will likely start at just below $24,000, and top out around $35,000 with all the bells and whistles. The headliner is cushy – your fingers sink into it – and there’s attractive stitching on the rear seats that we’re used to seeing on top-end luxury cars.
Console-mounted push buttons replace the current shift lever and affords additional space for large storage nooks, which house a wireless charging pad (though we noticed our phone was warm after 30 minutes of resting on the charger), a 12-volt 180-watt plug, and two USB ports. Temperature is controlled via tactile Audi-like knobs. The rear gets some love, too. There’s ample knee and leg room, sufficient headroom for normal-sized adults, a middle console that folds down with two cupholders, chrome-trimmed door handles that match the exterior, and a thin, slim gap to slide your hand in to close the door shut – it doesn’t sound that cool, but it is.

The models we drove were Korean-spec production cars, fitted with an anemic 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The setup is good for 158 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. To put it mildly, this engine lacks power, and there’s a noticeable lag between accelerator application and when the engine actually starts to deliver power. Thankfully, the U.S. gets a host of more powerful engines. A naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four serves as the base powerplant and it’s good for 191 hp and 181 lb-ft, while a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder boasts 180 hp and 195 lb-ft of twist. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-pot will eventually come – likely sporting an N or N-line badge. Albert Biermann, head of research and development for Hyundai and former head of BMW M, indicated a definite and significant power bump is sure to come soon, but he couldn’t speak further on it at the time.