SMS 2023: Hyundai Sonata revealed with major changes
The Hyundai Sonata may no longer be part of the Korean automaker’s Philippine lineup, but it soldiers on in other parts of the globe where midsize sedans continue to be popular despite the availability of crossovers.
That is of course the case in its home market of South Korea where a major redesign was unveiled at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show where we witnessed it live. Hyundai has made it a lot more aggressive, sportier, and more tech-filled than ever before.
Looking at its exterior, the heavily refreshed Sonata is a huge departure from before. It wears the latest of Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness design language mainly evidenced by its full width LED light bar in front and split headlights which are integrated into the front bumpers air intakes. The rear then loses its Honda Civic-like appearance for a more unique design, with a full width H-shaped LED light bar as well.
An N Line version of the Sonata also gives it an even sportier appeal with a rear spoiler, dual exhaust pipe finishers, and N-line exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, like the exterior, it is a huge departure from before. This makes use of more straight and horizontal lines as opposed to the curvier design before. It also looks a lot more futuristic with its dual 12.3-inch screens which share a single panel, typical of many new cars these days. In addition, Hyundai has switched to a sportier steering wheel design.
Also noticeable is the use of touch sensitive climate controls despite Hyundai recently saying that they will be keeping the use of physical hard buttons. Perhaps that is for future models. Anyway, also seen is a column shifter which frees up some space in the center console.
For its engines, the updated Hyundai Sonata gets choices of a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated and 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engines, a 2.0-liter hybrid powertrain, and even a 2.0-liter LPG fed engine. Output figures have not yet been announced.
In terms of safety, the refreshed Sonata is fully equipped. It gets Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 1.5 (FCA 1.5), Rear Cross-traffic Collision-avoidance Assist (RCA), Blind-spot Collision Assist (BCA), Safe Exit Warning (SEW), Safe Exit Assist (SEA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go (SCC w/ S&G) and Navigation based Smart Cruise Control (NSCC) and Highway Driving Assist (HDA).
It is very unlikely for Hyundai Motor Philippines to introduce this new Sonata in our market as midsize sedan sales unfortunately continue to decline in the Philippines. But who knows, should they give it a try?
