In the Key of H Sharp: Refreshed Hyundai Sonata Unveiled in Korea

Ok, so the musically inclined will be quick to point out there isn’t really a key of H sharp, but who are we to stand in the way of a decent headline pun? Hyundai has hauled the covers off its latest Sonata, and the sedan is certainly a looker.

Opinion was split on the current car’s styling, though this author thought its innovative front-end lighting – which straked over the hood whilst concealed by a chrome strip – made up for any rude catfish-related comments. This time around, all hands are likely to reference Robocop while hammering out a few missives for their respective media outlets. Us? We’re just glad Hyundai is continuing to make sedans at all.

It is impossible to miss that startling front fascia, one which takes much from the home-market Staria minivan and forthcoming Kona crossover. That unbroken ray of light is technically called a Seamless Horizon Lamp (because marketing), while the actual headlamps are tucked into the jowls of its front bumper. Shown here is an N-Line variant, featuring a slightly more aggressive face than what may be on offer in other trims. A fastback-type roofline ensures the words ‘four-door coupe’ will be uttered at some point and sharp creases in the bodywork further tie this car to other members of the Hyundai family.

The interior also gets a revamp, now sporting a panoramic curved display that combines a 12.3-inch driver information cluster and an equally sized touchscreen tablet for infotainment. If you think this looks a whole lot like what’s found in the IONIQ sub-brand, you’re exactly right. Also on tap is a column-mounted gear selector which is also very similar to the one found in the IONIQ vehicles, which is to say one twists the stalk forward for drive and backward for reverse which in practice is surprisingly intuitive – just twist the thing in the direction you want to go. It’ll be interesting to see if this stalk migrates to other Hyundai models as well since it frees up a massive amount of console space.

Hyundai plans to show the new Sonata at the Seoul Mobility Show, scheduled for March 30 to April 9, 2023.

[Images: Hyundai]

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