It features a roomy interior for the class, so back seat passengers will feel comfortable even with tall drivers and passengers up front. Overall quality of materials used inside the vehicle was good but not great, about what I expect at this price point.

The Sonata features 18-inch alloy wheels, electronic parking brake, a helpful rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines, LED headlights with automatic light control, heated side mirrors with turn signal indicators, push-button start, hands-free smart trunk release, heated suede & leatherette combination seats, dual automatic temperature control, 60/40 split-folding rear seat, smart cruise control with stop-and-go, rear center armrest with cup holders, and the steering wheel features cruise control, audio and phone controls.

An optional tech package includes the panoramic sunroof, LED interior lights, 10.25 inch navigation system, and an upgraded Bose premium audio speaker system with 12 speakers, including a 9 inch subwoofer.

HOW’S THE RIDE?

The 2020 Hyundai Sonata is powered by a 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. It features 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. An 8-speed automatic transmission is included, with paddle shifters available for manual control of the gears. 

All 2020 Sonatas come with front-wheel drive, as no AWD option is available.

You also get to choose your drive mode from Smart, Normal, Sport or Custom. For the amount of horsepower you get here, the ride is surprisingly strong. The 0-to-60 time is roughly 8 seconds.

I found the Sonata to be a lean machine that was easy to control and responsive to whatever I told it to do. You can get moving quickly, and once you're rolling it only gets better. Be realistic in your expectations, as for 30K or less you're not going to get the experience of a luxury sedan that costs twice as much. But compared to the contemporaries in its class of nonluxury sedans, the Sonata shines better than most competition in terms of overall driving experience.

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY
Hyundai offers lots of nice tech touches on the Sonata, including reminders from the vehicle to check the back seat for passengers before getting out, and reminders if you left a phone charging in the helpful wireless charger up front.

Advanced safety technology included in the vehicle includes: Blind-spot collision avoidance assistance, rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist, forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, a full array of airbags, lane-follow assist and lane-keeping assist.

Hyundai’s Digital Key is a helpful tech feature that operates through your smartphone, and can help you perform various operations. They include the ability to unlock and lock the vehicle, sound alarm and turn off alarm, and start the vehicle ignition remotely or turn the car off remotely. You can also open the trunk from your phone. This is the type of advanced technology that will attract more tech-savvy younger buyers.

In the center of the vehicle, up front, is a well-designed infotainment set-up. The screen can be split into several parts — for example, showing navigation, radio and weather information all at once. Voice commands also work tremendously well when naming destinations by name or address. And directions were always accurate in terms of where it guided you.

The standard infotainment system is 8 inches, but with an upgrade you get a 10.25 inch screen. The vehicle features AM, FM and HD radio; USB and auxiliary input jacks; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration; and a 90-day trial of SiriusXM Satellite Radio. You also get a 3-year complimentary trial of Blue Link connected services.

MPG
Official numbers are 27 city/36 highway/31 combined. I averaged about 26 mpg during my time in the Sonata. These are decent, but a bit shy of the segment leaders in fuel economy.

PRICE
The Sonata I tested was priced just over $31,000; base price starts about $24K. This is about average for this segment.

Excellent warranty coverage is also offered. You get a 5 year/60,000 mile new vehicle warranty; 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty; 7-year/unlimited miles anti-perforation warranty; and five-years/unlimited mile roadside assistance.

For those weary of buying vehicles that aren’t “American”, it's worth noting that the 2020 Hyundai Sonata is built in the United States, in Montgomery, Alabama. It also contains 45% of its parts from the United States and Canada. This really blurred the lines of what's American and what is not in terms of qualifying vehicles by country.

BOTTOM LINE

Featuring a winning redesign, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata looks sharp, drives great, and is full of tech treasures. That all adds up to the Sonata being one sedan that’s helping to keep this segment alive in the era of SUVs.

======

AutoTechReviews.com can be found on Twitter @AutoTechReview, or stay updated at the AutoTechReviews Facebook page. Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.