{"id":33034,"date":"2024-07-19T08:51:19","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T12:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33034"},"modified":"2024-07-19T08:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T12:51:19","slug":"payne-stylish-hyundai-sonata-punches-above-its-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/payne-stylish-hyundai-sonata-punches-above-its-class","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Stylish Hyundai Sonata punches above its class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pontiac<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I\u2019m old enough to remember the tin cans with roll-up windows that Hyundai displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. You\u2019ve come a long way, baby.<\/p>\n

The Hyundai Sonata has been one of the most stylish mainstream sedans in the U.S. market since its breakout, sixth-generation 2010 model \u2014 alongside the most stylish mainstream compact in the market, the Elantra. For the 2024 model year, Sonata has turned up the volume again. The 2019 model strutted down the runway with big front headlights and accompanying LED extensions that ran dramatically up the side of the hood.\u00a0 For 2024, Sonata changes spectacles for a more sci-fi look \u2014 think Cyclops from the X-Men superhero movies.<\/p>\n

The LEDs run horizontally across a big black grille anchored by twin flying buttresses. Almost lost in the design are the small, mid-mounted headlights that recede into the dark corners of the fascia. It\u2019s quite a piece of work and a real departure, not only from the last-gen Sonata but from sedans in general with their anthropomorphic front ends. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve seen a car mimic the mid-fascia headlights of bigger, more upright vehicles like GM SUVs and pickups.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Hyundai Sonata features a sleek shape and new, sci-fi front fascia and taillamps.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The visual drama continues rearward across deeply scalloped side sheet metal that sweeps to a lovely rear deck wrapped in horizontal, red LED taillamps. The rear facia, too, has been updated with hip light graphics that made a nice light show as I walked up to my upper-trim N-line tester after dark.<\/p>\n

My N-line adds to that drama with a 100-horsepower steroid shot \u2014 a boost from the base SEL\u2019s 190-horsepower turbo-4.<\/p>\n

On slick roads leading south of Pontiac, I floored the throttle and the front wheels spun like tops trying to channel the extra grunt. Strange, the Sonata offers all-wheel drive on the base 190-horse model \u2014 but not the 290 horsepower N-line, where it\u2019s really needed. Product planning ain\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

Into the twisties I toggled SPORT mode on the console and the Sonata labored through S-turns \u2014 a B student compared to class leader Honda Accord and its tight chassis. Here, all-wheel drive would also help the Sonata, especially since the Accord has ditched its high-horsepower model \u2014 optioning only a turbo-4 and hybrid in order to meet onerous fuel economy rules.<\/p>\n

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You’ll know the sporty 2024 Hyundai Sonata N Line by its quad exhaust. <\/em>Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Sonata, on the other hand, gives you more choice with turbo-4, hybrid and my N-line on \u2018roids. But without AWD, the N-line falls shy of its potential.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the case for the interior, which gets major upgrades to match that of some luxury vehicles. How premium? The dash looks like BMW 3-series with its twin 12-inch gauge and infotainment displays housed under one piece of curved glass that arches across the dashboard. It\u2019s a Hyundai signature and is repeated on models from Elantra up to the luxurious Genesis GV60 electric model that I recently had in my driveway.<\/p>\n