DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK

HYUNDAI BETS ON EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO KEEP YOU IN A MIDSIZE SEDAN

SCOTT EVANS

Remember sedans? They’re not dead yet, though you’d be forgiven for thinking so by looking at what’s parked on your street. With more people making the switch to SUVs every year, Detroit’s automakers have given up on the family sedan. But Hyundai is betting that making the 2020 Sonata sexy, comfortable, and effortless will convince you not to defect.

The way Hyundai tells it, the last Sonata was fine but kinda dull. This is, they say, because they were chasing best-in-class interior space at the expense of design.

Believe that if you want, but now Hyundai product planners say leading the specifications charts is not enough. SUVs of equal footprint have more space by nature, so sedans need something else to pull you in. The new strategy embraces the idea that a car purchase is more often​ an emotional one than a coldly logical one. It plays to your heart. Ideally, a car will hook your right brain with sleek, standout design and a comfortable, easy driving experience, then reel in your left brain with a laundry list of standard and optional features at an aggressive price point.

Solid strategy by the sound of it, but does the Sonata deliver? You bet it does.

Design is purely subjective, but love it or not, it’s hard to deny the Sonata looks more conventionally attractive than the Accord, Camry, or Altima. Even if it’s not your flavor, you have to respect it for pulling no punches. This car stands out, and that alone is attractive.