New Hyundai Sonata is not quite ready to give up on sedan market just yet
2020 Hyundai Sonata SEOUL, Korea—The eighth generation Hyundai Sonata isn’t quite ready for market just yet – it won’t come to Canada until the end of 2019 – but for a taste of what’s to come, we had the chance to drive it here in Korea, at a special preview event exclusively for World Car Awards jurors. The sedan segment may be shrinking in North America against SUV and crossover competition, but the Sonata has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to keep drivers behind its wheel. ▲
New platform This is the first model to be built on Hyundai’s newest platform, called the i-GMP (for innovative-Global Modular architecture Platform). It lets the Sonata be 45 mm longer, 25 mm wider and 30 mm lower than the previous generation. Its designers are very proud of the swoop of chrome around the windows, leading off from the hood, that outlines its fastback style. ▲
Sensuous sportiness Now that sedans lose out so often to more practical SUVs and crossovers on the showroom floor, Hyundai is positioning its cars to have “sensuous sportiness.” According to design chief Luc Donckerwolke, “The sedan market is shrinking. Should we just kill the sedan, or should we do something else? We decided to do something else.” ▲
Signature look Part of that sportier look comes from pulling the front of the hood down to the “digital pulse cascading” grille (while reinforcing the front bumper) and setting off the curvature with illuminated chrome signature lighting around the headlights. Hyundai calls this “Hidden Lighting Lamp,” and it looks like a regular chrome strip until the lights are turned on. In fact, there are tiny holes in the chrome coating that allow light to shine through, gaining intensity closer to the headlight. It makes the Sonata immediately distinctive on the road. ▲
Designer humour The design stands out from behind, too. An LED light strip runs the full width of the rear, combining with the semicircular tail lights that swoop back toward the centre. At the top of the rear window is the third brake light, designed to look like it’s been cut from the light strip to be placed higher on the car. “This is our little designer joke,” says head designer SangYup Lee. “It’s how we get to show our sense of humour.” ▲
No key needed In fact, the Sonata is distinctive before you even start the car. Like the new Lincoln Aviator, you don’t need to carry the key with you – you can program the vehicle into your smartphone, so your phone can be used as the key fob. Just hold the phone next to the door handle and the Sonata will unlock; place your phone on the wireless charging (and cooling) pad and you can start the Sonata with a push of the ignition button. You can even allow somebody else’s phone to open the trunk remotely, to deliver a parcel. ▲
Personal touch The Sonata will know from your phone who you are, so it will set the driver’s seat and steering wheel to your preference. It will even change the sound of the welcome chime and the colour of the interior lighting, for fewer arguments between partners who both drive the same car. ▲
Remote driving If you do have the key fob with you, though, you can move the Sonata back and forth remotely, without being in the car. This is intended for squeezing in and out of tight parking spaces. You’ll need to straighten the steering before you begin – it doesn’t line itself up against other vehicles in the same way as it might if it were parking autonomously, which is not offered as a feature. ▲
Driver’s assistance There are three radar units, 12 electronic sensors and five cameras in the Sonata, all designed to keep its passengers safe. The car will feature all the latest driver’s assistance, including forward and rear collision avoidance, active cruise control and highway driving assistance – if the lane markings aren’t visible, it will simply follow the vehicle ahead at a reasonable distance. ▲
Blind spot camera One particularly clever feature is the blind-spot monitoring camera. When you signal to change lanes, or turn off the road, either the left or the right digital gauge becomes a camera image of the road behind on that side. Since it’s right there behind the steering wheel, replacing the speedometer or tachometer for the duration of the signal, it’s very obvious and eliminates blind spots. ▲
Automatic locks In fact, the Sonata goes another step further in avoiding rear collisions. If the car is parked and it senses that a vehicle or even a bicycle is approaching from behind, it will lock the doors on that side and not allow them to be opened until the way is clear. And when you do leave the car, it will automatically lock itself behind you. ▲
Two new engines The push-button gear selector controls an 8-speed automatic transmission. There will be a number of engines available, but in Canada, we’ll get a choice of an all-new 2.5-litre inline-4 or 1.6-litre turbocharged inline-4. The larger engine is good for 191 hp and 182 lb-ft of torque, while the turbo creates 178 hp and 195 lb-ft. ▲
Lower fuel consumption It’s a good thing we’re getting those engines. The Sonata we drove here was powered by the 2.0-litre engine intended for the domestic market, and it felt underpowered and strained a bit on hills. We drove the 1.6 later on a closed handling course and it was significantly sprightlier. Fuel economy is estimated to be a significant improvement, with a projected average in the US of 7.1 L/100 km for the 2.5 and 7.6 for the 1.6. ▲
Roomy rear There’s plenty of space inside for five people. Rear-seat passengers have comfortable leg room and space for taller heads despite the lower roof, thanks to scoops in the headliner to accommodate them. ▲
Screen time The interior of the Sonata is well laid out, with a 12.3-inch digital screen for the gauge cluster beyond the wheel, and a 10.3-inch high-definition touchscreen in the centre of the instrument panel for pretty much everything else. ▲
Comfy ride It was a comfortable ride inside, though our Sonata was tuned for Korean highways. There are frequent speedbumps here on country roads, as well as far too much stop-and-go-traffic. Despite the new platform, the suspension is similar to the previous generation, with struts at the front and a multilink setup at the rear. ▲
Show debut During our visit, Hyundai debuted a sportier version of the Sonata at the Seoul Motor Show, and that version is likely to come to Canada, either as the only model or as an alternative trim level. It has different bumpers, air vents, and a unique rear spoiler, and comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission for the 1.6-litre engine. Hyundai also showed a hybrid version but gave no details about it. The platform can accommodate an AWD version, but apparently there are no plans for it. ▲
Value for money No prices have yet been announced for the new Sonata, which is unlikely to come to Canada before November 2019. However, the basic trim level is not expected to be much more costly than the $24,899 starting price of the basic seventh-generation Sonata, and which rises to $37,199 for the top-end edition. ▲
Market change In the US, the mid-sized sedan market has dropped from 2.4 million vehicles in 2013 to 1.5 million in 2018, and Hyundai predicts it could drop to just a million by 2023. Canada is experiencing the same decline. Despite the drop, Hyundai says the sedan market is something worth fighting for – especially in Asia, where the style is still popular. ▲
Sedan fight The new Sonata shows that Hyundai is serious about fighting for its share of the sedan market – and for taking more of a share from its competitors, too. ▲
Keyword: FIRST DRIVE: 19 reasons to look forward to 2020 Hyundai Sonata