Families shopping for new wheels often fret with the decision. The big worry is usually their budget.
Take heart, I think I can help.
Sorry, no loans or free cash, but I’ve just tested a perfect, or as near as most get, family car that looks great, cruises easily, sips gas, delivers comfort and costs less than $40 grand.
If you’ve been shopping for a truck, mid-size SUV or crossover, it’s possible you’ll think I’m lying. But no, dear readers, Hyundai wants to help you find affordable family transportation even more than I do, apparently.
They have created the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and even in the tested top-trim Limited lists at just $38,350. Heck, this handsome Aero Silver Metallic test sedan only added carpeted floor mats for $210 to sneak in at $38,560.
I may have found my next new car after years of thinking a used vehicle would be my only choice, possibly yours too.
As that Limited nomenclature indicates, this Sonata is not some stripped down bare bones sedan with unpainted metal trunk, hard seats and no radio. Wait, that was U.S.-made cars in the 1970s and ’80s.
Sonata’s Limited Hybrid is a well-equipped hybrid sedan with a roomy interior, fancy large dual screen instrumentation, a power trunk, wireless phone charger, and heated and cooled front seats. There’s also a Bose premium stereo and a driver’s seat that powers back when the push-button ignition is turned off, and immediately powers forward once the driver has closed the door.
Amazing!
I’m a visual geek, so, if this looked like an old Pontiac Aztek I probably would avert my eyes and not consider it for personal family transport. But heck, Hyundai designers deliver yet again with an edgy looking nose and tail along with smooth rounded profile. Love the slim light bar across the nose.
And then there’s the dark gray dash and doors along with white (closer to cream) leather-trimmed seats and armrests. This looks classy, near luxury, especially considering the combined dual flat screens for the driver’s instrument panel and the info screen. Sheesh, the luxury makes have only been offering this dual concept for a couple years and here Hyundai is dishing it in a family car.
But styling only stirs envy among the neighbors. How’s the Sonata hybrid perform?
Just fine, thank you. The 2.0-liter I4 with hybrid system generates a reasonable 192 horsepower, but torque is rated at a low 139 pound-feet. Yet don’t let that number scare you off.
Driving around town there was never an issue pulling away with traffic from a stop and when needing power for the highway, there’s a little more engine noise from the four-cylinder, but really the six-speed automatic performs so well that powering up for the freeway never seemed an issue.
Like some luxury makes the Sonata just seemed so smooth and effortless to drive that I frankly forgot about how it was powered. Switchover between the low-speed electric power and the gas engine kicking in was barely noticeable. You hear the engine a bit, but again I’ve driven plenty of crossovers and trucks that sounded like a barrista grinding some fresh blend. Not here.
Ride is well-controlled and comfortable, no big shocks or bumps even on lousy city streets. The long nearly 112-inch wheelbase obviously helps there. Probably could drive a newborn around safety-seated in back and never jiggle the wee one enough to wake from a well-earned nap.
Handling is mostly easy too, making the car simple to keep in its highway lane (no big truck wander) or slip into a tight grocery store spot. Three drive modes — Eco, Sport and My Drive — allow the driver to boost power and substantially firm handling in Sport, but otherwise handling is a breeze. My Drive seemed a bit firmer, but since it’s adaptive and adjusts to the driver’s tendencies, that could vary.
I already mentioned how great the interior looks, which is entry-level luxury in appearance. That includes fake wood (sort of) white vertically lined dash trim and satin air vents and wheel trim, even satin kick plates.
Controls are easy to see and use on the screens and there are radio volume and tuning knobs below the center dash air vents, plus eight screen control buttons there too. Two large knobs are available to set the climate system’s temps, with a dual climate system up front. Below the center stack is a wireless phone charger, too.
One item takes some getting used to, the steering column-mounted shifter stalk that one must rotate the end forward to enter Reverse or backward to enter Drive. Push the button on the end for Park, or just press the ignition button to off and the car shifts to Park automatically.
Again there are heated and cooled front seats and both front seats are powered, the driver’s side including two memory buttons on the door panel.
Head and legroom are plentiful front and rear with the back seat including plug-ins for electronics and a fold-down console. Rear seats split and fold flat with the releases being inside the large Sonata trunk with a power release inside and on the trunk lid’s face. There are even manual side window sun shades for the rear seat.
Audiophiles will appreciate the fine Bose premium sound system with 12 speakers and sun seekers will enjoy the panoramic sunroof overhead, with shade in case the sun becomes too intense.
Complaints, not really just a rather large key fob to haul around in your pocket or purse, and like all new vehicles, the constant chime warning once the car is off that you MAY have left a personal item (or kid) in the rear seat. Probably not!
You’ll likely put that out of mind when considering the strong seven-year unlimited corrosion warranty and five-year or 60,000-mile overall warranty, plus Hyundai’s full range of standard safety equipment.
That includes blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision and front-collision avoidance assist. There also are parking sensors front and rear, a surround view monitor and blind-spot view monitors in the instrument pod, activated when using a turn signal. Brilliant!
On a daily or weekly practicality spectrum there’s the EPA gas mileage rating of 44 mpg city and 51 mpg highway. I got 41.1 in a mix of the two, but heavier on city driving.
So, your Sonata won’t be drinking as much fuel or as heavily polluting the air as other ICE powered vehicles. That said, one can still buy a gas-only powered Sonata for now, too. The base, which lists at an amazing $28,650 features a 2.5-liter 192-horse I4. AWD is optional, but only on this model.
The racier N Line with a 290-horse turbo version of the 2.5-liter and a much stiffer suspension jumps to $36,100 if a more punishing ride is preferred.
Meanwhile, the tested hybrid’s pricing (around $38k as mentioned earlier) is the highest priced Sonata, but its performance is the most economical day to day. Yet, the Sonata Hybrid is amazingly comfy and stylish for this price too, something the Fam will appreciate!
FAST STATS: 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited
Hits: Sharp looking sedan, oodles of room, smooth power, great ride, easy handling, sharp interior and super mpg. Full range of safety features, big dual screens, heated/cooled seats, 3 drive modes, Bose premium stereo, panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charger, power trunk, driver’s seat powers back when ignition off, strong warranty, family car pricing.
Misses: Big key fob, funky stalk shifter, and irritating rear-seat warning.
Made in: Asan, So. Korea
Engine: 2.0-liter, hybrid I4, 192 hp/139 torque
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Weight: 3,687 lbs.
Wheelbase: 111.8 in.
Length: 193.3 in.
Cargo: 16.0 cu.ft.
MPG: 44/51
MPG: 41.1 (tested)
Base Price: $38,350 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $37,085
Major Options:
Carpeted floor mats, $210
Test vehicle: $38,560
Sources: Hyundai, www.kbb.com
