The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Design Looks Great – How Will It Drive?

With U.S. automakers dropping out of the mid-size sedan race, the Hyundai Sonata is one of the last cars standing in the affordable mid-size market. It’s a pleasant and comfortable vehicle based on my limited experience behind the wheel, and it’s downright fun to drive in its 290 horsepower N Line variant. But one complaint people had about the current model is its fish-faced front end. Well, Hyundai has taken that feedback to heart and redesigned the Sonata for 2024, with the most notable change being a new grille and headlight arrangement that’s far more pleasing to the eye. Hyundai’s goal is to make the Sonata look more sporty across the line, and I think they’ve accomplished that.

The new front end has a sleek, horizontal accent light that runs across the entire width of the hood, while the quad LED headlights have been placed down low. Hyundai has incorporated a similar trick into the front of the Kona, Santa Cruz, and Palisade – it’s a neat way to downplay the focus on the headlights as a primary design element. Walk around to the side of the 2024 Sonata, and you’ll see a more subtle change with a slightly more angular take on the creases in the sheet metal and the plastics leading into the bumper. The rear end gets a new look, too, with a redesigned full-width taillight that ties nicely to the skinny front accent lighting. The sharp angles in the back also reinforce the new Sonata’s more sporty aspirations. I thought that the wheels on the current Sonata were pretty well designed, but the new wheel designs are even bolder.

The new model’s interior sees a complete revamp with a more modern and minimal approach. Two 12.3″ widescreen displays have been linked up in a single curved unit for a more congruous look than the prior model. There are new touch-based climate controls as well. To help make the cabin feel more open and to improve center console storage space, the shift-by-wire transmission control has been moved behind the steering wheel to a location that some might consider retro. Speaking of retro, I love the sporty three-spoke steering wheel design.

Word has it that the 2024 model will be available with a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine, a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 2.0-liter hybrid electric drivetrain. There’s been no mention of the current model’s 1.6-liter turbo-4 sticking around or if a rumored all-wheel driver version will appear. Hyundai has yet to reveal performance specs, available trims, or pricing for the 2024 Sonata but plans to tell us more in the coming weeks and months. Those attending the 2024 Seoul Mobility Show in Korea can view the sedan in person through April 9, 2023.