Photos: Hyundai

Words: Evan Yates

Exterior: The 2016 Sonata Sport 2.0T certainly casts a luxurious tone with its classy chrome appointments, LED accent lighting, HID headlights and contemporary 18-inch wheels. The Sonata definitely could be considered a class-leader when it comes to pure aesthetics and rivals many luxury vehicles on the market in the looks department.

Interior: The inside of the Sonata looks high-end, yet feels economy. The leather seating with the contrasting stitch, brushed aluminum and carbon fiber style accent pieces all make for an eye-pleasing interior. However, to the touch it’s quickly apparent the luxurious vibe is a bit of a façade. The blue LED lighting that illuminates all the buttons is also slightly low-rent and the dash readout in the cluster is dated. However, the Sonata boasts the best in class total interior volume and the cabin is impressively quiet and overall, it fits the bill for a classy commuter.

Electronics: The Seven-inch color touchscreen display is fairly simple to operate but can be a bit touchy and sensitive when operated too quickly. It’s almost as if it’s so electronic that it can’t keep up with abrupt, human interactions (such as switching between sources, turning the volume up rapidly, etc). The rearview camera is a helpful necessity and the audio system is Android Auto compatible but worked just fine with my iPhone.

Performance: The 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine pumps out 245 horsepower and a respectable 260 ft-lb torque. The power plant is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC technology and the pair performs well. The brakes are a little grabby and downshifting when coming to a full stop takes a little getting used to. The overall driving experience is nothing spectacular but certainly sufficient as a daily driver.

Final Verdict: With a contemporary appeal, price tag under $30k and 100,000 mile warranty, the Sonata 2.0T is pretty hard to beat.

Damage: $29,885.00

Power: 245 hp, 260 ft lb

Gas Cash: 26 MPG (combined)