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| The 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T |
In music, a sonata is a composition meant to be played by a soloist. In the automotive world, the Sonata is increasingly a car for the masses. In one of the quickest learning curves we've witnessed, Hyundai has found the formula for making cars arguably as good as the competing offerings from Toyota and Honda, at a price just slightly lower than the Japanese.
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| 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T. |
This overall excellence, however, comes at a time when the family sedan is waning (some say dying) and crossovers are taking over. Some carmakers say they're getting out of the car business, most famously Ford, which will sell
the Mustang,
the F-150 and
Super Duty trucks and a line of crossovers.
Hyundai, on the other hand, continues to simply improve the passenger cars they make. The 2018 Sonata has a refreshed exterior and interior just three years after its introduction. And best of all, the base price of the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T is $32,450, a $1,625 price cut from
the 2016 Limited 2.0T we tested and loved two-and-a-half years ago.
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| 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T interior. |
$32,450 is about $3,600 less than the average new car costs in 2018, yet the Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T is equipped well beyond average, with a 245-horsepower engine and eight-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC and paddle shifters (a powertrain the EPA says is good for 23 miles per gallon city and 32 highway---and improvement over the 21/31 estimate of two years ago), drive mode select, sport-tuned suspension and steering, 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, vehicle stability management and traction control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, automatic high beam headlights with dynamic bending, a rearview camera and rear parking sensor, smart cruise control with stop/start capability, electronic parking brake with automatic vehicle hold, power tilt and slide sunroof and rear side window sunshades, LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights, proximity key entry with pushbutton start, sport seats with leather seating surfaces, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, power front seats with memory for the driver's seat, a leather-wrapped D-cut steering wheel and sport shift knob, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and Homelink, dual automatic temperature control and console-mounted rear vents, an 8-inch touchscreen navigation system with an Infinity premium audio system including HD Radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 90-day SiriusXM trial subscription and wireless charging for your compatible phone.
All standard. In fact, carpeted floor mats ($125) were the only extra-cost option on our tester, so the bottom line, with $885 inland freight and handling, came to an exceptionally reasonable $33,460.
There's a place for a good, solid family sedan in the marketplace. The 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T should be at or near the top of your test-drive list.
