New York 2019: 2020 Hyundai Sonata: Comments

[Drew Dowdell]

Hyundai has released pictures of the next generation 2020 Hyundai Sonata about a month ahead of the cars formal debut at the New York International Auto Show.  This eighth generation Sonata is an all-new design that is much bolder than the rather conservative model currently on sale.   The new design theme is called Sensuous Sportiness.

The new car is larger than the outgoing model by 1 inch in width, 1.4 inches in wheelbase, and 1.8 inches in length. Hyundai has made efforts to improve the premium feel of the cabin.  The dash has a minimalist feel to it while the dash cluster and infotainment system are fully digital. 

One notable feature is the daytime running lamps.  When illuminated, the lights run on a strip up the outer seams of the hood, but when switched off they appear as pieces of chrome trims. Hyundai calls them Hidden Lighting Lamps.  The Sonata will also feature a digital key that will allow drivers to use their smartphone to unlock and start the car.

No word yet on powertrains.

The 2020 Sonata will debut at the New York Auto Show in April and will go on sale later this year.

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[Drew Dowdell]

Dare I say... this looks just as good as the Arteon

[Robert Hall]

Noice...greenhouse reminds me of the LaCrosse.  Interesting lighting details front and rear.  Nice interior. 

[A Horse With No Name]

9 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Noice...greenhouse reminds me of the LaCrosse.  Interesting lighting details front and rear.  Nice interior. 

My first reaction was strongly negative....but the more I look at it the more I like it.

[ykX]

I am not crazy about exterior design, seems all over the place.  But LED looks cool and the interior looks very nice.  At least they are still going to make a sedan.

[ccap41]

17 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Dare I say... this looks just as good as the Arteon

It really does. This is a pretty dang good looking vehicle. They didn't try and do too much and they didn't pull a typical VW and make it bland.

[G. David Felt]

VW started the Fight, then Hyundai won the war.

Exterior looks good for both, but once you move inside, Hyundai has a superior looking interior IMHO.

[Robert Hall]

Two new midsize sedans in a shrinking market, nice to see.  I wonder when the next gen Mondeo will be seen...

[Paolino]

Wow, Hyundai has been desperately trying to get me into a new vehicle and I kept saying there's nothing I really want and I wanted to lower my payments off the Genesis if I was going to stay in a lease... if this comes out in time, I'd lease a limited trim of this.

[frogger]

I prefer the VW front and rear end and steering wheel, but other than that the Hyundai seems just as nice, that dash looks class leading.  Powertrain will will be the weak point.

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by frogger

[ccap41]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

VW started the Fight, then Hyundai won the war.

Exterior looks good for both, but once you move inside, Hyundai has a superior looking interior IMHO.

The steering wheel itself is the only thing that sticks out as a negative for the Hyundai. Everything else looks way better. 

28 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Two new midsize sedans in a shrinking market, nice to see.  I wonder when the next gen Mondeo will be seen...

Isn't the Arteon larger? I thought the Passat was the mid-size car. 

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

The steering wheel itself is the only thing that sticks out as a negative for the Hyundai. Everything else looks way better. 

Isn't the Arteon larger? I thought the Passat was the mid-size car. 

Passat and Arteon are pretty close in size. Not enough difference to be significant.  Passat is a big mid-size.

[Robert Hall]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

The steering wheel itself is the only thing that sticks out as a negative for the Hyundai. Everything else looks way better. 

Isn't the Arteon larger? I thought the Passat was the mid-size car. 

Arteon is a bit smaller than the US Passat but a bit larger than the Euro Passat. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

19 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Arteon is a bit smaller than the US Passat but a bit larger than the Euro Passat. 

Talk about a confusing mess. Bigger but smaller so does that mean it is just right?  

[Drew Dowdell]

Just now, dfelt said:

Talk about a confusing mess. Bigger but smaller so does that mean it is just right?  

Euro and US Passats are different sizes. 

[Frisky Dingo]

This is daring design done right. Bravo, Hyundai. Almost makes up for the wretched new Elantra. Almost.

 

As for comparisons to the Arteon, I don't think there will be a tremendous amount of cross-shopping the 2, but I could be wrong. I think the Arteon looks better. Hyundai could have usurped it in the interior department however. Refinement and performance is typically where Hyundais lose out big, and I would expect it to be no different here. I don't foresee a Sonata model that will approach the top  spec Arteon performance wise. Plus the Arteon will offer AWD.

Still, nice to see Hyundai doing this. If the popularity of CUV's means more sedans like this- ones willing to take some risks and really separate themselves, it might not be so bad.

[frogger]

Arteon also has the "hatchback" thing going for it.

On VW Canada's site you can build and price the Arteon, as long as it is the Execline AWD model for 48 grand... Or about what a Stinger GT or base A5 Sportback go for.

 

 

[Frisky Dingo]

10 minutes ago, frogger said:

Arteon also has the "hatchback" thing going for it.

On VW Canada's site you can build and price the Arteon, as long as it is the Execline AWD model for 48 grand... Or about what a Stinger GT or base A5 Sportback go for.

 

 

The Arteon will top out right around 44-45K in the US market.

[smk4565]

This new Sonata looks amazing inside and out.  Total home run here.  The styling is great, and it isn't just some rip off of other peoples styling cues like a lot of past Hyundai/Genesis cars have done.  Yes it looks a bit like an Arteon, but it looks way better in my opinion, VW's mostly look bland, even when they try to be bold.   Interior of the new Sonata looks best in class.  

The 2011 Sonata was a game changer when it came out, it was a standout in the marketplace, then the current generation really dropped the ball and looked like a bland rental car, this is a total 180 from that, well done to Hyundai here.  This to me looks like the best car under $40k and I bet it starts under $25k.

Keep in mind the Sonata is probably $10k less than an Arteon, VW is screwed.

[regfootball]

7 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Dare I say... this looks just as good as the Arteon

the very first thing i thought.

this 2020 sonata looked fresh for about an hour.  And now it already looks faux to me.

 

Still better than that hot mess camry though

Edited March 6, 2019 by regfootball

[G. David Felt]

13 minutes ago, regfootball said:

the very first thing i thought.

this 2020 sonata looked fresh for about an hour.  And now it already looks faux to me.

 

Still better than that hot mess camry though

So then VW Arteon is really ancient.

[trinacriabob]

I tend to be slower than most here to welcome most design changes but this one looks good.

- Front fascia is bold yet doesn't look like an "angry appliance"

- Rear fascia is somewhat Volvo

- Side view is LaCrosse and Malibu, but without a weird moulding kink in the C-pillar

- Dashboard nicely melds a lot of items in the info zone without the "laptop left open" look

- Hooray ... this one has a tan interior and not everything on the dash or the door panels is black, which is the cheapskate way out ... instead, they merged tan and black bits nicely

Hyundai has really gotten some momentum and even the strong step up in its baseline Accent, from being sort of dowdy, is worthy of a look.

[lengnert]

I am a fan of the whole DRL's turning into chrome accents deal..... I am not a huge fan of how Hyundai applied it here, but to each his own.  The interior is nicely done. 

My friend has a '17 and it isn't that bad, really. 

I am sure they will sell well for Hyundai.

[trinacriabob]

On 3/6/2019 at 6:25 PM, regfootball said:

Still better than that hot mess camry though

I had a Camry as a rental within the last few years.  For one day.  It idled so erratically (about 29,000 miles) that I thought it would conk out.  I got it changed.  For the remainder of the trip, I was given a Verano.  The lady at the counter told me she would be giving me a Veracruz!  So, that made for a big laugh (when I saw a Verano in the numbered parking spot) and a much nicer car for the rest of my rental.

I hated the Camry's dash and console.  I didn't warm up to that car.

Edited March 8, 2019 by trinacriabob

[Potluck]

that's better looking than the genesis models

[Drew Dowdell]

Better than the G80, yes.  Not as handsome as the G90 though. 

The G70 is a different class and attitude. 

[riviera74]

On 3/12/2019 at 12:07 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Better than the G80, yes.  Not as handsome as the G90 though. 

The G70 is a different class and attitude. 

Then Genesis needs to upgrade the G80 Interior.  The G70 could use it too.

 

As for the Sonata, did anyone tell Hyundai that non-luxury sedan sales are in the tank and still falling?

[oldshurst442]

There is still a market for sedans whether that market is shrinking or not. 

The 2020 Sonata is a looker and the interior looks like it actually could be a luxury sedan...so Id say that Hyundai and its 2020 Sonata has a very good chance of being a top seller in that shrinking sedan segment.  Why concede that to the other players? Especially when it looks like the Sonata WILL be a winner. 

[Drew Dowdell]

14 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Then Genesis needs to upgrade the G80 Interior.  The G70 could use it too.

 

As for the Sonata, did anyone tell Hyundai that non-luxury sedan sales are in the tank and still falling?

I think Hyundai's thought process is that there will still always be a sedan market, and they want to be the default choice as the other manufacturer retreat.  Kinda where the Pacifica and Odyssey are for the minivan market today.