Holy crap; how is this the 2024 Hyundai Sonata? Oh wait, the answer is simple: Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis have arguably the most impressive exterior-design team in all of automobile-dom, and this mid-cycle refresh of the Sonata sedan that launched in 2019 is just another victory for a design team that has been on an absolute roll for the past five-ish years.
Let’s get straight to the new “curved display” that “combines both 12.3-inch driver information clusters and 12.3-inch AVN infotainment system.”
Now let’s look at the face. That big bar across the front edge of the hood, and the aggressive lower fascia (especially on the N Line) — they just work. The car looks a bit alien, but I’m into it. Here’s what Hyundai says about the Sonata’s new nose:
SONATA’s low-slung exterior exemplifies progressive automotive design and embodies ‘The Sportiness’ with a horizontal front-end layout that integrates Hyundai’s signature Seamless Horizon Lamp, hidden headlamps, wide grille and air intake for a more dynamic and aggressive appearance. The Seamless Horizon Lamp and wide-set, hidden headlamps create a dramatic lighting effect, emphasizing the vehicle’s wide stance while adding a futuristic touch.
As a reminder, the outgoing Sonata looks good, too — but I think this new face just looks cooler. You decide:
The rear end also works quite well — again, thanks to a horizontal light bar. Here’s what Hyundai has to say about the new tail end:
At the rear, the new H-lights further emphasize SONATA’s high-tech image and wide stance. The swooping spoiler-shaped trunk lid and muffler-shaped rear garnish on the standard model reinforce the impression of a high-performance sports sedan while the addition of a rear spoiler and dual twin-tip mufflers along with exclusive 19-inch wheels on the N Line further amplify that image.
Here’s the outgoing rear:
The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry should be worried.
if the kia cousins could start over and fully redo their dealer network they might attract higher level clients and really leave their cheap shitbox rep behind. Im not high level and Ill never again consider a kia based off our experience with our local dealers. Its a huge pain in the ass to the point where I take the telluride to a competitor for everything but recall work.
typed on mobil and STILL no edit buttons so excuse and typos
This does improve upon the current Sonota’s “sad catfish face”.
In person, these (and the current Elantra) look like they were made by Fisher Price. Just the cheapest plastic available to man. Hopefully that changes in this refresh.
“Muffler-shaped rear garnish” is quite a phrase. Garnish?
The front looks like a modernized 2nd or 3rd generation Toyota Supra, with fixed headlights instead of pop-ups.
Not exactly the same, but that’s my first impression.
Considering that what I liked least about those Supras were the pop-up headlights, I like this front end design a lot. But it’s still really fussy for no apparent reason. A cleaner design would be even better.
I will go out on a limb and say it won’t actually be this lowered and also the rear wheels will not be that far spaced out in relation to the body.
Right? They’re basically poking
I’m going to miss those up-the-hood DRLs, but yeah, this looks good….
Wagon version please?
If it doesn’t make you question your most recent vehicle purchase, it is not incredible enough.
Can we do the Mazda/Ferrari meme for this and a Lucid Air?
No joke, I had to read the headline and image text a couple of times to try to figure out why they were making a Sonata joke around a photo of a Lucid Air, until I finally understood that I was in fact looking at a Hyundai Sonata.
Loved my ’21 Sonata Limited, and love what they’re doing with this newer styling.
Just needs some pop-up headlamps.
I like the current version and this new version looks good, at least in photos. Hyundai/Kia appears to have a design team who likes to hang it out there on the edge a little bit. Will be interested to see how this does in the marketplace.
I appreciate that the Sonata is no longer a freaky fish guy.
The exterior looks nice to me. I’d drive that. I’ve had a few Sonatas over the years, and I’ve never been disappointed. They weren’t incredible, but they were solid and priced well. That being said, I really despise the trend of the infotainment/instrument cluster screens looking like docked tablets. Is there an actual functional reason for this design trend that has been kicking around for several years now? Nothing looks “integrated” now. The dash doesn’t wrap around the screens at all. Is this done so that the manufacturer can swap to a new screen in a year or two without dash redesigns? On a related note, why AREN’T these screens detachable? Why not just sell these cars with iPads and be done with it? Dock your iPad and it launches the manufacturer’s infotainment app which plays everything through the car speakers? I mean, if you’re already going to half-ass the dash and make it look like a tablet dock, just full-ass it and make it an actual dock.
I think it looks better than the pre-facelift version. That said, I’m of the (likely unpopular) opinion that thinks the current crop of most Hyundai/Kia vehicles, while bold in design, actually look pretty cheap or awkward in person. I’m glad to see “out there” design, but most of the designs they’re coming out with look dated right off the bat. When I see an Ionic 5 being used in the real world, with a normal amount of grime on it from doing mundane tasks, it just looks like a gimmick that is already pasts its expiration date.