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2018 Hyundai Sonata gets a refresh

By Craig And Deanne Conover - | Oct 14, 2017
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Back in 2015 Hyundai brought us the new seventh generation of quite possibly their bestselling vehicle at the time, by redesigning the Sonata. At the time the sedan was ruling the industry and it was time for an upgrade, so the new generation was born. 2018 brings a refresh to the Sonata that has been lagging in sales numbers since the new version was released.

Reasons for this change in consumer trends could be varied, from the fact that the competition is getting better to the millennials growing up and wanting to own small SUV’s! Nissan for example now sells more of the small Rogue SUV than it does of the Altima sedan, who would have thought that would ever happen.

Be the reasons what they may, the newly refreshed Sonata comes with a lot of charm and a athletic new look and most importantly a price tag that does not require one to get and extra job to pay for this great new ride.

The new Sonata is being built right here in America at the Hyundai plant in Alabama, something we also thought we would never see as many of the overseas manufactures are finding that they can still build and sell a great product here in the State.

It is however, in a class where the competition is very steep and the competitors are many, so every addition, creature comfort and safety design will help to influence the buying public. Competitors include the likes of Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, and Chevy Malibu, as well as the VW Passat, Kia Optima, Subaru Legacy and Mazda 6.

Having had the opportunity to drive many of these competitors in the past year we would be hard pressed to pick an overall winner in this mid-sized sedan market. They each have their own very unique personalities and many are loaded with creature comforts and just plain safety features that were only previously found on much higher priced vehicles.

The Sonata we had the opportunity to spend a week with was not quite the top of the line version in the Sport 2.0T that started at $27,600, there was still the option to get the Sport Limited which came with all the bells and whistles. Although for the price, our test ride was very nicely equipped.

On the safety side the Hyundai has included on all models of the Sonata blind spot detection along with rear cross path detection when backing. These are both great additions, both systems helped us during the week as we took a couple of trips to Salt Lake on the freeway where now blind spot detection is almost a must on I-15.

Rear cross path detection also comes in handy just when backing out of the driveway each day as someone inevitably comes around the corner to the north of our drive. Unfortunately a few of the competitors have chosen to include even more safety features in their models this year also with a couple offering everything here to radar cruise control, pedestrian detection and lane departure alert.

These all can also be had on the Sonata with the addition of a $1000 package, something the designers will have to look at including the future as these features are becoming more and more the norm and what is expected from manufactures than something one needs to pay extra for.

This new redesign in our humble opinion has almost added back what was lost on the exterior of the Sonata with the seventh generation, smoothing out the lines on the body almost like the 6th generation that everyone loved so much. The front and rear both got a complete redo with the front receiving the most attention and getting a smooth bolder look that includes Hyundai’s new cascading grill and LED running that lights that also seem to cascade down the side of the vehicle to the center.

The rear gets a new trunk lid and LED tail lights to compliment the front, overall it will be a good change for the Sonata and should get the attention from male buyers in the marketplace for something that is a little edgy, but not too far outside of the box.

Inside, the dashboard gets some new mojo also with some reshaping that included new air vents on the driver’s side along with a standard 7-inch touchscreen infotainment center in the center console. There are new buttons that were of a higher quality to us run the entire information suite available on the touchscreen. It is also now compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A new steering wheel, gearshift and drivers instrument cluster round out the changes to the inside of the Sonata along with standard wireless phone charger and a USB port for rear passengers. One additional upgrade was in the Hyundai Blue Link telematics system that is now upgraded to be compatible with Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. The day is coming when it will be no harder than telling Alexa that you want to go eat at a certain restaurant and the information will automatically be sent to your car with directions on how to get there, and we would think that it will most likely give Yelp reviews also. Now if they could just combine to help us actually make the decision on where it is we really want to eat!

We found the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine to be very engaging and way more than adequate to motor the Sonata around town and out on the freeway. After just over 400 miles of a good combination of freeway and urban driving we managed a very nice 28 mpg, a little above what the EPA thought we should get, so that was a nice bonus. They put the Sonata at 23 city and 32 highway with a 26 combined average.

We found the Sonata to be engaging, comfortable and most of all fun to drive during the week. With heated seats and dual zone climate control it is hard for us to be unhappy when riding around together, we would like to see the addition of radar cruise control and emergency braking, we would easily opt for that upgrade when purchasing a Sonata.

For a well-priced and well-rounded choice be sure and see the newly redesigned Sonata at Murdock Hyundai at 452 S Lindon Park Dr, Lindon (866) 623-1120. You won’t be disappointed in what has gone into this new vehicle, it is a must see.

Base Price: $27,600

Price as Driven: $28,610

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