2018 Hyundai Sonata – Return to Good Times

Hyundai Sonata was Korean view of the mid-sized sedan, and it dates back all the way to 80’s. It was reliable and rational choice primarily due to the price tag, but almost never for more than that. The fourth generation did offer some interesting design thinking, but next one plunges it all the way to the boring side of the automotive world. Hyundai wouldn’t be here where it is right now if it wasn’t prepared to evolve, so in 2009 six generation was presented carrying new Fluidic Sculpture design that finally made Sonata alluring for the first time. Sales boost was felt immediately in the US, and current generation still rides on that wave although momentum is beginning to dissipate. The main reason would be more conventional design, hurting attractive part of it, so new 2018 Hyundai Sonata is coming to set the things straight once again.

VISUAL CHANGES

We are talking about Hyundai here, not Audi, so the redesign here can bring substantial visual changes, especially when the move is intended to break the dullness of current model. Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski openly stated that refresh will bring entirely new fascia and spy photos prove that.

The front grille is evidently going to be completely revised, taking hexagonal shape, daylights will be vertical while headlights are also expected to change. All upgrades will correspond obviously to the look of the recently revealed i30 model. Beautiful sloping roof and overall coupe-ish shape remain, while taillights might feature new configuration. There is no any information about the cabin changes, and we expect this to be more exterior oriented refresh.

MAYBE EVEN N?

We all know that Koreans manifested the intention to join a sportier part of the market with regular models and we all know that those models will be designated with N letter. We already saw camouflaged i30 N tested at Nurburgring as what is about to be future Focus ST and Golf GTI competitor.

If we look closely, we will see that not all spy photos are the same. On some of those, we have obviously spicier model carrying some sporty clues, starting from the black meshed grille, over bigger blacked out alloys to the double rectangular exhausts at the back. We cannot be sure about it, but if this is not future N series Sonata, we don’t know what it is.

ENGINE BAY

Refresh is probably not going to change anything in existing engine lineup. That means, just as before, we start with the 1.6-liter I4 engine delivering 178 hp with the help of a turbocharger, while next to it is the 2.4-liter I4 but in this case naturally aspired unit rated at 185 hp. If you want more, you will end up with 2.0-liter turbocharged one boosting 245 hp as the top choice.

European twin i40 has a totally different line up which is widened by diesel offer. But then we think that things are not going to settle here. We all saw what is supposed to be a future hot version of the mid-size saloon and there must be some slightly more exotic offer to follow newfound sportiness. That role should play currently under development 2.0-liter turbo that should push above 260 hp, making it new top offer or maybe it will even replace current 245 hp version. We also know that the new engine is going to be coupled with 8-speed automatic transmission that is about to improve performance as well as efficiency.

2018 Hyundai Sonata Video

WORTH OF WAITING FOR

Hard to answer. The offer of mid-sized sedans is quite abundant, and some are even more attractive, other drives better than this one, so it is questionable should you wait for precisely this model to debut somewhere during this year. If you have an inclination to Koreans then be patient as 2018 Hyundai Sonata is going to regain some of the lost beauty along with the introduction of hotter version for the first time, while the price stays in low $20’s preserving the rational side of it.