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Anyone who says they never judge a book by its cover is foolish.
We are all impulsive emotional sacks of needy sanctions and first impressions matter.
That's why when some people look at the 2020 so now that they might go running for the first knight capable of slaying that ogre, but for those of us who were able to look past or even embrace its ascetics, well, we're the lucky ones because under here This's a real good car since so much of the 2020 Sonata's success will likely be tied to how it looks, we may as well talk about that first.
Personally, I adore this car, I mean, doesn't look like a fish.
Yes, thanks in large part to this giant trapezoidal maava grill out front but it also looks like nothing else on the road and that's what's the important part.
To me this harkens back to a time when Korea was not afraid to carve out its own little unique niche in automotive styling, and I think that trend is going to make a huge resurgence in the roaring 20s.
There's so many fun designs elements on this car.
The running light starts at the headlight, and thanks to some clever stippling fades into chrome as it reaches up the hood.
The rear end's fast back taper stops at this incredibly strong line at the top of the trunk, where you'll also catch some clever little vortex generators on the tail lights.
The tailpipe looks a little strange, but honestly, it's the only part I don't like about this car.
The rest of it looks like it's from the 2015 model year.
Despite the cut to the 2020 synovus silhouette, it doesn't really fall prey to the same trappings as many kookier cars.
Let's take Hedren.
For example, there is An ample amount of it for either of the two outboard passengers.
Most of the hardware for the panaroof is tucked way here in the middle.
In terms of leg room there is a suitable amount, even behind a taller passenger up in the front row.
And then there's the trunk which is, as you might guess, also huge.
You can shove just about anything back there and the opening, thankfully, is wide enough to accommodate it.
Well the Hyundai Sonata is not a luxury car it does its best to act like one.
Before you even leave the driveway you're met with a clean simple interior design that focuses on making every touchpoint seem nice.
On my $32,000 Sal plus tester that includes some of the softest leather I've seen outside of a German automaker.
My only complaint is that the shifter buttons and the piano black trim surrounding them are very, very prone to fingerprint smudges.
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Now even though South Korea remains a frankly pretty terrible place to drive Hyundai has come a long way with its chassis tuning.
The 2020 sanada isn't exactly a corner carver per se that's being saved for a other endline version down the road.
It's meant to appeal to consumers who are looking for a ride that is more predictable and smooth without being a hot mess of numb softness.
The chassis has just the right amount of perk to it.
It'll soak up 99% of the bad stuff on the roads communicating only the harshest bumps and jumbles to the driver to let you know when things are getting kind of nuts.
Paired with this metal is a one point six liter turbocharged inline four from Hyundais new smart stream engine family.
output is decent at 180 horsepower and 195 pound feet of torque, with most of that torque coming on nice and early for around town urban commutes.
The accompanying eight speed automatic is a little jumpy at lower speeds and gears, but it's nice and smooth once it's in its groove.
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Now, as you can tell by the blown out snow behind me, most of this week has been spent tackling the white stuff.
So I haven't really been able to give it a good nice weather fuel economy run.
But for context sake, this specific trim, the SLE plus is rated an EPA estimated 27 mpg city, and 36 highway.
Those numbers are pretty good too.
Now there's no all wheel drive on offer, but I can assure you this front drive Sonata had no problem tackling all the white stuff, even on its off season tires.
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Hyundai has been on a tear with its cabin tech over the last few years, and the 2020 Sonata stays that course.
An eight-inch touch screen is standard, but my tester rocks a vibrant 10 and a quarter inch screen running Hyundai's usual Infotainment System, which is as responsive and straightforward as ever.
Embedded navigation is only optional, but Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard across all Sonatas.
This car also has an optional 12.3 inch gauge cluster, delivering vital information to reduce distraction.
It helps add to the car's quasi-luxury feel, for sure.
On the safety front just about every piece of tech on the 2020 Sonata comes standard.
Whether it's adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking or lane keep assist.
However, blind spot monitoring remains optional.
There is some other really cool tech in here too, like the ability to use your phone as a key.
But sadly it's just for Android users and I am not one of them.
Now I understand that you know, relegating it to Android makes sense in Korea where their tech Titans like Samsung with their HQ there but I kind of wish half the smartphone market wasn't cut out from this latest and greatest cool whiz bang.
Bank kind of stuff.
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Despite crossovers taking out a big old chunk of their market share mid size sedans have birthed some of their strongest showings over the past couple years.
Titans like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have made it really hard to get a word in edgewise here, but Thanks to some left field styling and appointments the border on properly luxurious, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata wants to man deserves to remain at the forefront of the conversation.
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