HYUNDAI Sonata hybride 2020

Body, cabin and cargo space

The redesigned Hyundai Sonata is longer than its predecessor, and gains an extra 3.5 cm of wheelbase, yet the specs indicate a decrease in cabin volume and rear foot room.

Headroom, on the other hand, is nearly the same despite the lower overall height. All in all, there is ample room for four tall adults. However, the rear bench is very low, and provides poor thigh support.

The front seats stand out for comfort, according to our testers of all sizes, though some did find the driving position a bit too high, despite the seat adjustments. The wide centre console takes up a bit of knee room. The well-placed armrests and dead pedal are appreciated on long drives.

The Hyundai Sonata hybrid’s all-digital instrument cluster—complemented by a colour head-up display—is impeccably clear and highly customizable. The same applies to the 10.25‑in. centre screen that respects the customary logic of Hyundai’s infotainment-system menus. Unfortunately, the physical buttons that edged the screen have given way to tactile buttons, which are more distracting. The practical rotary tuner has also disappeared.

Those concessions to current trends are no more welcome than the switch to a push-button gear selector. A traditional gear lever will always be easier to manipulate when you have to react quickly, for example in a crowded mall parking lot.

Fortunately, the Sonata still has real, easily accessed toggle switches for ventilation, the heated/ventilated seats and the main driver assistance systems. In other words, no need to search through five pages of menus to deactivate the lane departure alert on a secondary highway.

Finish is on the good side of average for the segment, though certain competitors offer posher materials and colour schemes than the Sonata. Ample storage spaces make life easy. For the first time, the hybrid offers the same size trunk as the other Sonata’s, with a very competitive 453 litres of volume. The 60/40-split rear seatbacks provide an opening to the cabin that, while quite narrow, is more practical than in the outgoing models.

Safety features

• Antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist
• Stability and traction control
• Front airbags
• Driver knee airbag
• Front and rear side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Pretensioners for front and rear-outboard seatbelts
• Five head restraints, adjustable on outboard seats and retractable in the middle; front seats with whiplash reduction design
• Rear-passenger alert
• Tire pressure monitor
• Rearview camera
• Surround-view camera
• Forward collision warning
• Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Lane departure alert with steering assist
• Lane keeping assist with automatic braking in curves
• Adaptive cruise control
• Automatic high beams
• Driver fatigue detection
• Blind spot monitoring with steering assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert and automatic braking
• Front and rear parking sensors with automatic emergency braking in reverse

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 5 / 5
Frontal impact: 4 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 5 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick

Visibility

The sleek body design compromises outward visibility, notably because of the wide roof pillars and restricted glass surface. The blind spot monitoring system is a help when changing lanes; the surround-view camera system assists in parking.

Headlights: The Hyundai Sonata hybrid’s LED reflector headlights received a poor rating of 2/4 from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, mainly because of insufficient reach in certain curves. However, we appreciated their intensity and long range on the highway and the functioning of the automatic high beams.

Mechanical overview

All Hyundai Sonata’s ride on a new platform for 2020 that is more rigid than before and designed to better absorb impacts. Their independent suspensions maintain their traditional front strut/multilink rear design. However, Hyundai has revised the tunings, mainly to improve stability and agility. 

Four drive modes (Eco, Sport, Smart and Custom) modulate steering assist as well as transmission and throttle reaction. The programs are accessed by way of a button on the centre console and also control ventilation. 

Unlike the gasoline models, the hybrid still uses a large part of the preceding generation’s drivetrain. It combines a 2.0-litre direct injection four cylinder engine, an electric motor and a 1.62‑kWh lithium-ion-polymer battery. They develop a combined power of 192 hp and an ample, 271 lb‑ft of torque; that’s actually more than the V6 on the big Hyundai Palisade! 

The biggest mechanical change concerns the automatic transmission. It is still a traditional six-speed, rather than a continuously variable version more commonly used on hybrid vehicles. This year, Hyundai has added an innovative device that aligns the rotational speed of the transmission with that of the electric motor for fewer, faster and smoother shifts. 

Another new feature linked to the hybrid system is a solar panel that covers the entire roof surface. It is not so much about increasing driving range—around 3 km per day—as preventing the electronic accessories from draining the battery when the car is parked.

All those components combined with the Hyundai Sonata hybrid’s highly aerodynamic styling result in a combined city/highway fuel efficiency rating of 5 L/100 km, according to Natural Resources Canada. That directly targets the champion seller of the midsize hybrid segment, the Toyota Camry. We recorded 5.2 L/100 km during our test, conducted mostly on the highway.

Driving impressions

Despite its dynamic styling, especially since 2011, the Hyundai Sonata has always tipped the balance more towards comfort than handling. The latest iteration respects that tradition, despite Hyundai’s pretentions. But it is in no way a weakness. 

On the contrary; customers still interested in midsize sedans often prize quietude over excitement. The Sonata hybrid delivers in that respect; its supple suspension absorbs bumps but remains firm enough to avoid unwanted body rebounds. Its composure and straight-line stability are an added plus on long drives. 

Speaking of which, the low consumption allows for a driving range of over 900 km—on a 50‑litre gas tank. Just more proof that hybrids can advantageously replace diesel engines for long-distance drivers. 

The steering is not just linear but also relatively precise. It even deigns to transmit a bit of road sensation, especially in sport mode. The car leans appreciably when pushed, but the Pirelli P Zero tires—an intriguing choice for a hybrid vehicle—provide very good grip. 

The only exception is initial acceleration; the generous torque of the hybrid drivetrain can easily spin the front wheels on start-off. It even can become rather embarrassing on wet pavement. Top-notch Ice & Snow tires may prove necessary for heavy-footed drivers. 

In fact, power delivery is still the Achilles’ heel of the Sonata hybrid, despite Hyundai’s claims to the contrary. At times, delivery is jerky when the gas engine switches on, or delayed when it has just switched off and you suddenly need more punch. There is an engine growl at highway speed that is mostly inaudible on several gasoline-engine-only vehicles. The electric motor often takes over on its own up to 120 km/h, which reduces engine noise only to underscore the wind noise around the roof pillars. 

The lack of refinement also extends to the brakes, which do not switch from energy recuperation to mechanical mode with the smoothness you would expect. In both respects, Toyota hybrids do a better job. On the other hand, it does not overshadow the overall performance of the Sonata hybrid, which is amply sufficient in terms of both acceleration and braking. 

Other highlights

Driver assistance: Adaptive cruise control is well calibrated. Lane keeping assist is sometimes unprecise and too intrusive.