Heavily refreshed inside and out for the 2024 model year, the Hyundai Sonata mid-size sedan adopts more aggressive styling cues that are shared with other Hyundai models, as well as a more tech-centric interior with dashboard screens as the dominant design feature.
The 2024 Sonata’s updated front end changes the look of the sedan quite a bit. The lines are sharper, the grille treatments are larger, and the changes make even a relatively run-of-the-mill SEL trim level look like a performance-oriented variant. A light bar spans the width of the front end with the headlights below, a look that’s been gaining popularity and can be seen on other Hyundais, including the 2024 Kona subcompact SUV.
The rear gets a similarly sporty makeover, with piano-black accents and some rectangular lighting cues in the trunk lid and corner lights, continuing Hyundai’s recent obsession with four-cornered design cues that can be seen in the Santa Fe SUV and all-electric Ioniq 5.
The interior of the 2024 Sonata gets a significant overhaul, too, with some of the tech and control systems that have already made appearances in other Hyundais. The defining tech features of the dashboard are an available 12.3-inch digital instrument panel that’s joined to a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It results in an uninterrupted panel in front of the steering wheel and above the center dashboard controls. It’s a clean look, and it’s a design you can also see in the 2024 Kona.
The Sonata also gets a twist-knob gear selector attached to the steering column in place of a conventional shifter on the center console. Hyundai uses this type of shifter in its EVs, too, and it frees up some space in the front center console for a large bin where the console meets the dashboard. Just above is a touch-sensitive climate control panel that retains conventional knobs for temperature, but the rest of the panel wasn’t illuminated, so I wasn’t able to see what the touch controls are like to use. Front-seat space and outward visibility are good for taller adults, but the rear seating area is more confining and less comfortable, with not much extra headroom and limited thigh support from the bench seat.
