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In a market teeming with attractive midsize crossover SUVs, the midsize sedan has become less relevant in recent years. Now into its fifth model year after a complete and controversial redesign in 2020, Hyundai has given its Sonata sedan a major mid-cycle freshening aimed at attracting buyers who prefer a low, road-hugging stance and traditional trunk over an SUV's taller driving position or voluminous cargo compartment.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Sleek and futuristic looking, the 2024 Sonata rolls with an impressively rich menu of standard comfort and convenience items, a choice of gas, turbocharged high-performance gas, or super fuel-efficient hybrid powertrains, lots of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and one of the most impressive infotainment systems in the segment. Adding optional all-wheel drive (AWD) to the Sonata for the 2024 model year is another reason for would-be SUV shoppers to stay in the sedan camp.
For 2024, Hyundai refreshes the Sonata with the following:
The 2024 Hyundai Sonata arrives with a simplified trim lineup that includes SEL, SEL Hybrid, N Line, and Limited Hybrid. Hyundai drops the prior year's base SE model, SEL Plus, gas-powered Limited, and base Hybrid Blue for 2024. In addition, the Korean automaker discontinues last year's mid-level 180-horsepower 1.6-liter gas turbo engine.
Including the $1,150 destination charge, 2024 Hyundai Sonata prices are as follows:
All 2024 Sonata trims feature standard front-wheel drive. New for the 2024 model year, the base SEL trim is also available with AWD—a $1,500 option.
JD Power previously published reviews of the 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line and the 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. This review focuses on the Sonata's updates for 2024 and how they potentially impact its overall consumer appeal.
For this 2024 Sonata review, Hyundai provided a Sonata Hybrid test vehicle equipped with Limited trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $38,560, including the $1,150 destination charge to ship the sedan from the Asan, South Korea, assembly plant to your local dealership.
With a rakish nose featuring a low, wide-stance appearance and a thin, visor-like LED running-lamp light bar Hyundai calls a "horizon lamp" spanning the entire width of the front edge of the hood and wrapping into the front fenders, the freshened and facelifted 2024 Sonata rolls with an eye-catching, futuristic cyborg look.
The new Sonata retains its coupe-like profile, but everything ahead of the windshield and front doors is new for 2024. That includes a new hood, front fenders, wide-set hidden LED projector-beam headlights, new bottom-breather grille with parametric detailing, and aggressive-looking front fascia with generously sized air intakes.
Around the back, the 2024 styling updates are less dramatic but enhance the wide-body theme with a full-width light bar with H-shaped ends and parametric detailing.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The 2024 Sonata's mid-cycle freshening continues inside the roomy and modern-looking cabin. The Limited Hybrid test vehicle's interior featured a chic gray and greige two-tone color scheme with a wrapped upper dashboard and a sharp-looking textured accent panel running the width of the dashboard's midsection just above a rectangular bank of air vents.
Accenting the new horizontal dash theme is a pair of squared-off, free-standing 12.3-inch displays butted end to end under a single curved pane. In the Limited Hybrid test car, this included a digital driver's display and a centrally mounted infotainment touchscreen with navigation. There's a new three-spoke steering wheel as well.
Moving the pushbutton shifter from the center console of the prior year's model to a new twist-type electronic joystick on the steering column frees up console space for an open tray for small items and the available wireless device charger. The only issue with this design is that you may have to poke your head around the steering wheel rim because the column-mounted shifter can become hidden behind a steering wheel spoke if you turn the wheel slightly to the right.
The new, larger 12.3-inch landscape-format infotainment touchscreen replaces the 8-inch screen in the 2023 model's SE and Blue trims and the 10.25-inch one in the previous SEL, SEL Plus, Limited, N Line, SEL Hybrid, and Limited Hybrid trims. The navigation system and natural-voice recognition are standard in N Line and Limited Hybrid trims and available as an option on the SEL. The new standard for all 2024 trims is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.
For 2024, the Limited Hybrid upgrades to a rich-sounding 12-speaker Bose system updated with CenterPoint 360 surround-sound technology.
HD Radio with multicasting technology and a 90-day trial of SiriusXM satellite radio are standard in all 2024 Sonatas except the base SEL. A new wireless device charger is also standard.
Great news! A rotary analog audio tuning knob returns for the 2024 model year, opposite the rotary audio volume knob. It's on the dashboard in a row of redundant physical buttons for the infotainment system directly above the climate control panel.
There are now four USB ports: one USB-C for media streaming or charging, another for charging forward of the center console, and two for rear-seat passengers.
I was successful in using the Limited Hybrid's native natural-voice recognition system to find and navigate to a nationally distributed big-box hardware store, a fast-food chicken restaurant, and a local mom-and-pop coffee shop. An attempt to find and get directions to a hummingbird reserve outside of town failed. However, switching over to Android Auto and its Google-based POI database succeeded on the first try, even though I didn't have the facility's street address.
For the first time, Hyundai makes AWD an option for the Sonata for the 2024 model year. However, it is available only on the Sonata SEL equipped with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. All-wheel drive makes the Sonata a more attractive proposition for sedan buyers in locales that experience snow and ice. The 2024 Sonata joins other midsize sedans with available AWD, such as the Kia K5, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, and Toyota Camry.
The Sonata’s AWD system is front-wheel-biased, meaning that power goes only to the front wheels under most circumstances. However, when a loss of front-wheel traction occurs, the system can send a portion of drive torque to the rear wheels on an as-needed basis via an electro-hydraulic coupling. All-wheel drive can also help with handling on dry roads, mainly to improve steering response and reduce understeer in tight corners, using light brake pressure on individual wheels as needed.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Sonata Hybrid drives differently than most other hybrids due to its step-shift continuously variable automatic transmission, which provides a more natural engine sound and feel to the powertrain as the car accelerates through the gears.
With a zero-to-60-mph time of just over 8 seconds by my stopwatch, the 192-hp Sonata Hybrid's not particularly quick, but electric-car smooth at launch from rest. However, the transition from electric to internal combustion propulsion came with a slight bump occasionally. Even though the hybrid delivers instant electric torque at the press of the gas pedal, you'll need to plan for freeway merging or passing as acceleration at highway speeds is more measured.
For such a roomy, comfortable car, I was impressed by the 49.2-mpg average fuel economy displayed on the car's trip computer over the course of my 62-mile drive loop, including city, suburban residential, interstate, and rural two-lane highways. The official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates are 44 mpg city/51 mpg highway/47 mpg combined.
The Limited Hybrid's ride is firm yet family-friendly, with a reasonable balance of control and compliance over uneven road surfaces. Body lean in corners is minimal.
The overall grip is acceptable but not sporty, with tires selected for minimal rolling resistance and maximum fuel economy. The Sonata's electric steering is precise, if not overly communicative. The brake feel is crisp at the top of pedal travel. It offers a predictable, linear response to inputs as the system blends the retardation of the mechanical/hydraulic brakes with the regenerative braking of the hybrid system.
New for the 2024 model year for the hybrid are paddle shifters on the steering wheel and a regenerative braking mode, which can reduce the braking the driver must do in uneven traffic flow situations while enhancing fuel economy.
The cabin is relatively quiet, especially in electric mode, with minimal road noise and wind-rush sounds. An extra-thick acoustic windshield and front-door glass help mute ambient exterior noise.
Photo: Ron Sessions
With a new face, stylish cabin, updated infotainment system, and extensive roster of standard ADAS technology, the refreshed 2024 Hyundai Sonata is a compelling alternative to midsize sedans such as the Honda Accord, Kia K5, and Toyota Camry. The addition of AWD as an optional Sonata feature means sedan buyers don't have to switch to a crossover or an SUV to get all-wheel-drive traction for winter driving.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than four decades of experience. In addition to his contributions to jdpower.com, he has penned hundreds of road tests and buyer's guide reviews for Road & Track, MotorTrend, Car and Driver, and Autotrader.
