The Hyundai Sonata starts at $24,555 for the base SE (including $955 destination) and runs up to $34,455 for the Limited 1.6T. Although Hyundai used to be known for packing in the features at the base level, it’s the top Limited that proves the more intriguing—mostly because of the unique features the Limited adds.
The base SE model has cloth upholstery, 16-inch wheels, LED headlights, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Step up to the SEL and you get synthetic leather upholstery, a power driver seat, heated front seats, keyless ignition, automatic climate control, and satellite radio.
The SEL model—or the SEL Plus, with the 1.6T engine—also taps into more option possibilities, such as leather seats, wireless smartphone charging, a panoramic sunroof, highway drive assist, and a 10.3-inch touchscreen with navigation. The Sonata is also the first Hyundai to offer a digital-key system that’s smartphone-based.
Top Limited versions gets a power passenger seat, cooled front seats, paddle shifters, parking sensors, and some pieces of tech equipment that are unusual in mainstream midsize sedans, such as a head-up display—and Smart Park, which allows you to stand away from the car as it steers itself into or out of the space of your choice.
Considering we haven’t driven a single Sonata yet with the engine that spans the affordable end of the lineup, and pricing isn’t yet out for the Hybrid, we can’t yet say which model we’d most recommend. But the dividing line between the two powertrains is between the SEL and SEL Plus, and that also happens to be the high-value model that includes most of the features people might have on their shopping lists—minus the top frills—for well under $30,000 in both cases.
A standout feature for the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited is the Solar Roof System, which generates energy that can be used to increase gas mileage.
Hybrid models come in Blue, SEL, and Hybrid models, with equipment for the Blue roughly paralleling that in the standard Sonata SE. Pricing isn’t yet out for the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
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