We’re spending one full year with this Hyundai Sonata, reviewing the full ownership experience with ongoing updates.
What will the neighbors say?
by Richard Homan on October 5, 2020
Current Odometer: 3,916 miles
Latest efficiency: 23.64 mpg
Overall efficiency: 23.78 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
When you drive cars for a living, the roulette wheel of new press cars in your driveway can confuse the neighbors who don’t know you. They either think you work at a dealership or that you are a drug dealer (paraphrasing one of the folks who walks his dog past my house).
Two of my neighborhood’s car enthusiasts have made it a point to linger in front of my place to ask questions about the long-term Hyundai Sonata that’s taken up residence in my front yard. In its signature Hampton Gray, the Sonata catches a lot of eyes, in face, profile, and rear.
Here’s the point: The new Sonata can sometimes look awkward in photos, but it carries a very adult presence in person, with almost a luxury-car persona.
The Sonata at night
by Richard Homan on September 21, 2020
Current Odometer: 3,461 miles
Latest efficiency: 24.40 mpg
Overall efficiency: 23.80 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
Most car reviews don’t spend much time discussing the nighttime highlights of a vehicle. That’s something we’re about to remedy in our report on our 2020 Hyundai Sonata. It’s all about the lights.
Outside, there’s a coolness to the way the LED headlights travel up the path laden by the metal trim strips that run the length of the body.
Inside the cabin, the soft accent of the ambient lighting in the dash and door panels comes in 10 preset color choices, plus a customizable color spectrum to choose from. This effect is more subtle than the image might suggest, and it makes driving the Sonata at night a favorite activity.
Winning the good-citizenship award, the Sonata Limited’s matrix LED headlights throw the best daytime-looking light out to the road ahead while simultaneously minimizing the glare that oncoming drivers have to deal with.
Heatwave!
by Richard Homan on September 7, 2020
Current Odometer: 3,027 miles
Latest efficiency: 24.17 mpg
Overall efficiency: 24.12 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
As if COVID wasn’t enough, this year’s late-summer heatwave in Southern California pushed a lot of people over the edge in a way that would have made Raymond Chandler proud.
Not so for those of us lucky enough to live with and in a Hyundai Sonata Limited. The unforgiving heat we just experienced in L.A. brought out more of the best in our long-term midsize sedan from Korea.
First off, the air conditioning in our Sonata kicks on and starts cooling almost immediately when you push the “Auto” knob on the dash. As an extra plus, the noise of the AC pushing the cool air out doesn’t overwhelm you.
The refreshing air from the ventilated front seats (standard on the Limited, unavailable at other levels) really means business — throwing cooling air to your body through both the seat cushion and the seatback.
August was wicked hot in SoCal, friends. Thermometers in Death Valley, California hit 130 degrees — possibly the highest temp ever recorded in August. Our Hyundai Sonata Limited took the searing in stride.
Family matters
by Richard Homan on August 24, 2020
Current Odometer: 2,693 miles
Latest efficiency: 23.12 mpg
Overall efficiency: 24.11 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
OK, let’s say you’ve got a 2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited and a girlfriend with a family that can be tough on something if they don’t like it. How does the Sonata make that situation better? Simple: Comfortable seats both front and rear, enough room in both rows for even the 6-footers in back to ride like kings, and enough quietude to let everybody in the car hear the conversation.
The Limited’s 2nd-row seat vents didn’t hurt, either. That’s standard on the Limited and SEL Plus models, optional on the SEL.
Imagine the satisfaction of hearing a 15-year-old who just exited from the center seat in the second row say, “I like this car!” And appreciate the praise from a mother of four, who currently runs a midsize SUV around to herd all the kids, expressly saying, “I want this car!”
Our 2020 Hyundai Sonata with its new cousin, the 2021 Kia K5.
If they gave an award for driving assistance…
by Richard Homan on August 10, 2020
Current Odometer: 2,364 miles
Latest efficiency: 23.55 mpg
Overall efficiency: 24.28 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
Every road test you read about a Hyundai casts blessings and praise on the smart cruise control system that’s available, and the Lane Following Assist system’s uncanny ability to keep the vehicles centered in the lane — city or highway — with zero fuss.
Our 2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited poses no exception to this excellence, and it even adds a useful (operative word) bonus: Highway Driving Assist (HDA). HDA works in tandem with the Sonata’s other smart driving-assist systems to allow you to relax just a bit on the open road while the Hyundai maintains its speed following distance.
The bonus part comes while you are traveling on a straight road. In this instance, the usual requirement for a hand on the steering wheel is relaxed, allowing you to rest your arm (but not your eye, please) while it carries you forward. If the road starts to bend, the HDA will alert you to get your hands back on the wheel (even though the Lane Following Assist is still active).
Like Cadillac’s Super Cruise and the fistful of self-driving that Tesla delivers, Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist is a long stride toward folks accepting self-driving cars.
Road trip!
by Richard Homan on July 27, 2020
Current Odometer: 2,040 miles
Latest efficiency: 25.53 mpg
Overall efficiency: 24.42 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
With a good number of local miles under its belt, our long-term Hyundai Sonata Limited was ready to stretch its legs a bit. I decided that a roll up the California coast to Morro Bay above San Luis Obispo.
The roads through the hills along Highway 101 — a peaceful trek along stunning beaches and verdant wine country — taught us what the road long-traveled would be like in the Sonata.
Highway miles rolled by with very little draw on the wind and never requiring us to raise our voices to have a civil conversation inside the car. The classic outside disturbances — wind noise and road noise — were all but absent. And the Sonata kept everyone comfortable oner a variety of road surfaces.
The 1.6-liter turbo is matched well to the 8-speed automatic transmission, with no indecision about gear selection. On a particularly hilly section above Santa Barbara, we did encounter some hesitation and heavy breathing as the 3,336-pound Sonata worked to haul itself plus two occupants and their gear into the Southern Coast mountain ranges. The rest of the time, and especially during the extensive city driving we did, the engine/transmission combo played completely true to our needs.
We also enjoyed an excess of roominess, with the 16-cubic-foot trunk swallowing all the weekend gear we could throw at it, leaving us plenty of cargo space for odd-size souvenirs, stuffed animals, and totem poles, if any of those had been our thing.
Best of all, the 2020 Sonata Limited sedan passed the ultimate road trip test: When we pulled into the driveway at the end of the journey, we felt relaxed and rested, not rattled and exhausted.
Hyundai Sonata delivers 40.7 mpg on the open road
by Michael Harley on July 13, 2020
Current Odometer: 1,134 miles
Latest efficiency: 24.40 mpg
Overall efficiency: 24.81 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
Today, during a steady-state cruise across the LA Basin, I observed 40.7 mpg over a 90-mile stretch of road — that’s a bit better than the EPA rated calculation of 37 mpg. Why does the Sonata deliver such efficient highway cruising? First, credit the Sonata’s insanely impressively low drag coefficient, which is a slippery .24 (that’s on par with the Tesla Model S and Toyota Prius). Sleek aero allows the sedan to glide through the air without low resistance, which conserves a lot of energy. Second, the 1.6-liter engine is capable of maintaining highway speeds without utilizing the turbocharger. This keeps the combustion cycle much more fuel-efficient. Lastly, steady-state cruising allows the engine to run lean and clean without having to accelerate back up to speed frequently. The engine is literally able to run in its ideal state, which is the way the engineers planned it. Add those up, and 40-plus miles-per-gallon is the reward.
Real-world MPG is affected by driving style
by Michael Harley on July 7, 2020
Current Odometer: 847 miles
Latest efficiency: 23.37 mpg
Overall efficiency: 25.01 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
The diminutive, turbocharged, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine in the Sonata is a real jewel. Its output is rated at 180 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is an impressive testament to its innovative technology (consider that the ’85 Ford Mustang GT had a V8 that only developed 210 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque from a whopping 4.9 liters!). Mated to an 8-speed automatic, it moves the sedan briskly from a standstill to 60 mph in just over 8 seconds. It is zippy and plenty strong (looked at another way, we’ve had five adults on board and never wished for more power).
It is interesting to note that the EPA rates the sedan at 27 mpg city/37 mpg highway. Our numbers are falling far short of that for a few reasons. First, our engine is “green” (it still needs to break-in). Second, COVID has kept us driving locally on short trips, which always delivers lower fuel economy. Lastly, those short trips keep the small engine relying on its turbocharger for boost, and that’s a thirsty proposition. A bit of optimistic news: We took a 50-mile trip on the highway yesterday and saw 38.2 mpg during the cruising segment — that is where this engine shines.
The Sonata is loaded with technology
by Michael Harley on July 5, 2020
Current Odometer: 549 miles
Latest efficiency: 26.5 mpg
Overall efficiency: 26.5 mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
Hyundai has always impressed us with its comprehensive list of standard features, and the all-new Sonata continues the trend. Our test vehicle is the “Limited” trim, which is the range-topping configuration (other trims include the SE, SEL, and SEL Plus). Standard equipment includes a 12.3″ LCD instrument cluster, Bose premium audio, leather upholstery, heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, and a 10.25″ touchscreen navigation/infotainment system. Highway Drive Assist, which we are big fans of, is also standard. The technology suite, which uses radars and cameras, includes Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), and Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) to help the driver pilot safely down the road.
Introducing our long-term 2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited 1.6T
by Michael Harley on July 2, 2020
Current Odometer: 241 miles
Latest efficiency: N/A mpg
Overall efficiency: N/A mpg
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Time out of Service: 0 days
We’ve got rather high expectations with the all-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata that recently joined our long-term fleet. The 8th-generation midsize sedan is gorgeous to look at (thank the “Sensuous Sportiness” design language teased on the company’s Le Fil Rouge concept). It is offered with a handful of powertrain choices, and it is available with luxury and technology appointments that rival vehicles at ten times the cost.
The all-new Sonata faces an intimidating list of rivals that include the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Kia Optima, Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Passat, and Mazda Mazda6 — that’s a big field of challengers.
Facing a choice between the standard Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), we chose the volume combustion-only model. In terms of trim level, we skipped the SE, SEL, and SEL Plus and went with the range-topping Limited. We wanted to test the technology features of this opulent model. Of course, that defined our powertrain choice as the turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder. Mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, this 180-horsepower engine comes standard on the Limited. Lastly, we opted for an exterior color called Portofino Gray, which is a luxurious metallic paint that really brings out the Sonata’s crisp lines.
While we ordered the 2020 Sonata (MSRP of $33,500) in November of last year, the global COVID-19 pandemic delayed its arrival until June. Now that it is in our driveway, we can’t wait to spend another 12 months with this Montgomery, Alabama-manufactured sedan.
