The sedan market in America may be declining, but many folks are still shopping for one. And when it comes to sedans, there are many popular makes and models like the Toyota Camry or the Honda Civic. And while it’s not as popular as the Camry or the Civic is, the Hyundai Sonata is definitely a sedan that’s as good as the Camry or the Civic is.

The new 2020 Hyundai Sonata

The latest Sonatas that will be hitting dealerships soon will actually be a new generation of the Sonata. The last generation of the Sonata, the seventh generation, lasted between 2014 to 2019. The 2020 Sonata will be the first Sonata in its eighth generation of design. And with this new design, Hyundai’s upgraded many aspects of the Sonata to break in the new decade.

Extreme Tech says that the new Sonata will have two new four-cylinder engines to choose from. The standard engine is a 2.5-liter that gets 191-hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. The other is a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that gets 180-hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. Extreme Tech only has fuel economy figures for the standard 2.5-liter engine right now, and it gets about 32 MPG combined.

While the performance figures seem identical, they’re not. The 1.6-liter features a lot of new technologies and innovations, according to Extreme Tech. That technology will improve its performance compared to the standard 2.5-liter engine.

The Sonata got smarter

As Extreme Tech mentioned, Hyundai’s outfitted the brand-new Sonata with lots of high-tech equipment, and most of it is standard. For example, safety features such as forward collision warning, a pedestrian detection system, and automatic emergency braking are all standard on the new Sonata. Lane-keep assist, lane centering assist, and adaptive cruise control are also standard. 

That said, Extreme Tech did complain that the standard Sonata won’t have blind spot detection, nor will it have a rear cross-traffic alert system. Those smart safety features are in an optional package. Another optional package is a semi-autonomous driving feature that Hyundai calls Highway Drive Assist. That, when combined with the Sonata’s standard driver drowsiness detection system, makes the new Sonata similar to a Tesla. 

The new Sonata also has other smart features, too. Extreme Tech mentions that the Hyundai can have Remote Start Parking Assist, which will allow you to turn on your Sonata and have it roll out of the garage by itself. Once again, this makes the Sonata very Tesla-like, but Extreme Tech says that it’s not as good as what Tesla offers.

And, for Android fans, the new Sonata will also have a “Phone as Key” system, or PAK. Extreme Tech says that PAK will allow owners to simply use their phone as a key to enter their Sonata. This feature will only available on Android phones, though iPhone users will still have access to Apple CarPlay, which is compatible with the Sonata. 

The overall verdict on the Sonata

The new Sonata is still being tested by many car review sites, so a definitive answer isn’t available yet. That said, the first impressions have been largely positive. The 2019 Sonata, which is very different from this brand-new 2020 Sonata, did get good reviews overall, according to Consumer Reports. 

It’s no surprise then that many of the good things about the 2019 Sonata seem to have been improved in the new Sonata. And of course, with the addition of so many standard smart safety features, the Sonata has likely improved its overall safety too. Additionally, at a starting price of about $24,000, the 2020 Sonata is highly competitive with the other sedans in its segment.