How much has changed in a year?

I’m not that kind of person Always out for the latest and greatest gadgets. I don’t really care about keeping up with the Joneses. I knew before I bought my 2023 Hyundai Sonata last year that it would be facelifted for 2024 with updated features. I’m happy with it. I don’t regret my purchase. However, the more I see the updated Sonata, the clearer it is that it’s more than just a novelty gimmick. It has useful upgrades. If I happen to rent one while traveling out of town, I won’t be disappointed.

Welcome to the future

The current Sonata is a 2020 model, so it’s due for a cosmetic update, especially at the front. The droopy catfish mouth has always been my biggest gripe with the car. For 2024, Hyundai tightens up the front and gives the Sonata a sharper, more futuristic nose, complete with an angular grille, hidden headlights, and “seamless horizon lights” (aka LED light bars).

At the rear, the clip-on combination of the LED taillights and the light bar connecting them is replaced by a revised setup that forms a striking illuminated “H.”

Still, even the 2024 Sonata isn’t perfect. On the one hand, the changes make the Sonata more attractive and more aerodynamic, Hyundai says. On the other hand, they also make it less distinctive, especially at the front, where Hyundai seems too inspired by the visual simplicity of the Lucid Air.

Good transformation

Aside from the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay, I have no complaints about the Sonata’s features. Beyond that (and wireless Android Auto), the 2024 model year brings some significant cosmetic and feature improvements.

It ditches the ’23 Sonata’s steering wheel, which had a clunky and unattractive bottom spoke, in favor of a simple, tasteful three-spoke unit with paddle shifters to allow for “manual” shifting — a feature that seems entirely lacking in my car.

More importantly, the latest version of the Sonata relocated the shift controller for the eight-speed automatic transmission. In my car, they were a set of high-mounted buttons to the left of the cupholder. Yes, they’re important, but they’re also oddly located. By integrating these functions into a column-mounted stalk with twist-off caps for Drive, Neutral, and Reverse, plus a button for Park, the ’24 Sonata puts these important controls, which would otherwise go to waste, in an easily accessible and intuitive location.

New and improved?

I’ll reserve my comments for the panoramic curved display that encompasses the available 12.3-inch digital instrument display and the optional 12.3-inch navigation touchscreen. Yes, it’s neat-looking, but also a little drab. I like the separation of the two screens in my Sonata, and some of the thought and talent Hyundai put into the design of the navigation screen housing. My main concern with that giant screen is that with both displays on the same plane, the infotainment touchscreen will be slightly out of reach, requiring leaning forward to use certain functions, just like the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 I recently tested (review coming soon). If we get a new Sonata press car, I’ll be sure to let you know if it has the same problem—and whether that would make me want to trade in my ’23 model.

Do you have an updated 2024 Hyundai Sonata? If so, let us know what you think in the comments below.