The Hyundai Sonata is bringing a fresh perspective and a new attitude to the family sedan segment. It’s no secret that the segment as a whole has been withering on the vine with a growing pool of nameplates all being sacrificed to make room for CUV and SUV entries. The 2024 Sonata is one of the few entries left that’s continuing to bring the fight to rivals with a major redesign adding more depth to the four-door.
Looks are a Sonata strong suit
A potent selling point of the Hyundai Sonata is its exterior styling with the front end getting a whole new look that moves the headlights down into the front bumper with the front fascia getting a slender lightbar that wraps its way around the front fascia. Our hybrid tester arrived as a Limited with these models getting hybrid exclusive wheels and other minor revisions to help improve aerodynamics.
The Sonata’s look is a wild departure from rivals like the Toyota Camry and Hyundai is pretty keen on making design a marketing priority when it comes to marketing the model. The side profile is sporty and it gives the Sonata a fresh athletic look while the rear’s bold taillights help balance out the design effectively. It’s a sharp contrast from what you see on the Nissan Altima and the Toyota Camry with those models feeling more disjointed when it comes to overall visual presentation.
Sonata interior is filled with tech
The interior also gets its fair share of updates for the 2024 model year with the center console being revamped while the steering wheel gets a new shape and a pair of screens cover the infotainment system and the digital instrument cluster. Limited models like our tester arrived loaded to gills with amenities including leather seats and higher quality materials throughout. The hybrid is available in two trims with the SEL version of the hybrid being meant for mass market buyers while the Limited appeals to the near-luxury market. Moving the gear selector to the steering column helped open up more room for storage and bigger cupholders. The rear seats have a healthy amount of rear passenger room but the sloping roofline does make it a bit tight for taller occupants.
The 12.3-inch infotainment screen benefits from many of the updates that we have seen on other Hyundai models with the system delivering smooth operation and standard Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The screen focuses on simplicity with the software having minimal amounts of lag between inputs. The system also features a few Hybrid exclusive modes that allow owners to monitor fuel consumption, fuel economy, and more. Rear occupants also benefit from improved head and legroom with the space also getting higher-quality materials to help make the space more inviting to buyers. The trunk continues to offer an impressive amount of cargo room with our example being tasked with hauling several bulky loads during its visit with us.
Hybrid powertrain sacrifices raw power for efficiency
Performance for all hybrid models comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder which is paired with a small motor-generator system to produce a combined system output of 192 hp. This figure may seem paltry at first glance and our tester’s 7.8-second jog to 60 mph certainly doesn’t help in this regard but Hyundai was not going for segment-leading power with the engine being paired with a CVT.
Instead, it’s all about fuel economy with the engine in our tester capable of getting an EPA-rated 44/51 mpg in city and freeway driving. These ratings are very good for a hybrid sedan and it’s clear that Hyundai is attempting to provide customers a balanced mixture of feature content and mileage with the SEL in particular attempting to create a bridge for buyers looking to get a more fuel-efficient vehicle but are not quite ready to make the jump into a BEV or plug-in hybrid just yet. Unfortunately, the 2025 Camry Hybrid not only beats the Hyundai in city fuel economy at 53 mpg, but also can be equipped with all-wheel drive which is something you can’t get on the Hyundai.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the hybrid is bundled into the rest of the Sonata lineup with the Sonata hybrid being only available in two trim levels the SEL and the Limited. The SEL is the mainstream member of the family with that model starting at $31,150. Buyers looking to move up the trim ladder will have to move up to a Limited model like our example which starts at $37,600. Our tester had a light sprinkling of options which caused the final price to creep up to just over $38,000 after destination and other fees were applied.
The Hyundai’s pricing is once again on par for the segment but the $34,900 Camry XSE undercuts the Limited and the SEL is further undercut by the LE and SE which start at $28,700 and $31,000 respectively. This also brings up the fact that the Camry has more trim levels for buyers to choose from and all of them are hybrid equipped. The Hyundai makes up for it by offering more standard equipment and a fresher-looking interior.
When viewed for the sum of its parts, the 2025 Hyundai Sonata Limited is a perfectly capable hybrid sedan entry with technology and comfort being front and center. Fuel economy is also pretty good but the Hyundai suffers from a lack of personality with two trim levels doing little to offer buyers a diverse pool of choice with the all-hybrid Camry offering more flexibility for their buying dollar. We look forward to seeing if Hyundai will eventually add more trims to help expand the hybrid lineup more and lure in more buyers as a result.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.