Driving the 2018 Hyundai Sonata

I recently had the chance to test drive a 2018 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Sport for a week. The Sonata is a 4-door sedan that is fun to drive and feels and drives like a luxury vehicle, without the usual luxury vehicle price tag.

The exterior of the Sonata looks sporty and modern and in the same vein as some of the German luxury cars. I even caught some people checking it out who I think were surprised to see it was Hyundai.

I enjoyed the test drive and seeing all of the tech inside – the large screen, many dedicated controls, seat warming, etc. I also liked having the extra details like blind spot alerts, lane departure analysis (beeps if you go off the lines), and guiding system when reversing. All of these little extras make you feel safer when driving around.

The leather seats are super comfortable and have a clean design. And the embossed “Turbo” logo on the seas is a nice touch. The D-cut steering wheel is heated, and I can see that being awesome when the winter and frigid temperatures arrive. No gloves needed to drive.

Overall I found the Sonata has really good acceleration power and it was pretty nimble to drive, impressively quiet as well, even when at top speed on the highway. Having the quiet cabin was a welcomed feature when driving on my own.

We drove the car as a family during the weekend, and I found the trunk has lot’s of space, great for grocery trips, and the interior is roomy for all four passengers, including a large car seat and a booster seat.

Gas mileage seemed pretty good as well. I drove it for seven days and did a bunch of errands, using only half a tank of gas.

The Sonata also has something called Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection. The vehicle uses a forward camera and radar sensors to detect rapid closing speeds to the vehicle ahead or pedestrians in your path. If a potential collision is detected, audible and visual warning notifications alert the driver. If the driver does not react to avoid the impact, the system can provide full braking assistance to help avoid a potential collision. I absolutely LOVE this feature. Even though I didn’t have a chance to see it in action (thankfully!) knowing that it was available, gave me extra peace of mind.

For added safety, the  Sonata has an available Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system, that automatically and continuously adjusts your pre-set driving speed to maintain a predetermined distance from the vehicle ahead. In stop-and-go traffic, ACC can even bring the car to a complete stop and then accelerate again, when appropriate, without driver input.

In general, I was pretty impressed with all the safety features on the Sonata. If I were in the market for a new vehicle, I would be looking for those extra features to help make your drive safer.  The Sonata is a great looking vehicle that is fun to drive and has lots of great features. The base model starts at $24,799 and the one I tested, which is their top of the line, starts at $36,999.

Disclosure: This is a partnered post with Hyundai Canada. However, all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.