As one of the few manufacturers still choosing to play in the midsize family sedan segment, Hyundai continues to update and improve its four-door Sonata. For the upcoming model year, its new price will not be as alarming as its new styling.
All-wheel drive shows up for the first time on Sonata, likely thanks to customer (and dealer) feedback. After all, its corporate cousin, the Kia K5 has been firing power at all four corners for some time now, so it isn’t a total stretch making this technology appear on the Sonata. It will be available as an option paired with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a mill good for 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque working in tandem with an 8-speed automatic. Naturally aspirated 2.5L Sonata sedans will be SEL trims this year, starting at $27,500 for front-wheel drive, $29,000 for all-wheel drive, and $30,550 for one with the Convenience package.
We specify ‘naturally aspirated’ since Hyundai has chosen to affix a turbocharger to the 2.5L engine in N Line trim, boosting output to a much more entertaining 290 horses and 311 lb-ft of twist. That one gets an eight-speed wet dual clutch transmission, front-wheel drive, and is priced at $34,950. Rounding out the 2024 assembly are SEL and Limited trims of the 192hp hybrid model, priced at $30,800 and $37,200 respectively. All those prices have a $1,115 delivery charge tacked onto them, by the way.
Like other Hyundai models this year, the Sonata gains the brand’s so-called Seamless Horizon lamp on its schnoz, tucking its actual headlights into a relatively invisible pair of buckets. A new grille and larger air intakes create a visage that’s probably a lot more palatable to many customers, since this author seems to have been one of the only people on this green planet who didn’t mind the styling of last year’s car.
Inside, the Sonata gains a column-mounted shift lever, albeit one like the stalk in an Ioniq 5 and not yer grandfather’s 1985 GMC truck. The 2024 model also introduces an available 12.3-inch gauge cluster integrated with an available equally sized navigation unit. Together they form a single panoramic curved-type display that looks far more expensive than the car’s price implies. Hey, that’s Hyundai’s M.O., after all.
Look for these sedans on dealer lots in the first quarter of 2024.
[Image: Hyundai]
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