Driving the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Turbo [Video]

2018 Hyundai Sonata Turbo

I finally get to tell you (and show you in our video below) how the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Turbo drives. Hyundai recently invited TFLcar to drive the 2018 Hyundai Sonata in San Diego, California. Driving the 2018 Hyundai Elantra Turbo was a selfish thing to do. Yep, rather than test the volume sellers equipped with 2.4-liter (which I’ve driven before), 185 horsepower engine that makes 178 lbs-feet of torque – I drove the turbo, and it was a terrific drive.

The 2.0-liter “Theta” turbocharged engine makes 245 (@ 6,000 rpm) and 260 lb-ft of torque (all the way from 1,350 rpm up to 4,000 rpm). It’s a frisky power-plant, one that helps the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Turbo get up and dance. It weighs under 3,500 lbs, but it feels lighter. Acceleration, deceleration, cornering and overall handling are commendably athletic. Still, this power is a carryover from last year. The eight-speed automatic transmission has been updated to work more efficiently in power delivery and fuel consumption.

Additional information about the Sonata is available (here).

Hyundai beefed up the independent multi-link rear suspension and enhanced the steering with better heft, feel and a beefy, flat-bottom steering wheel. These enhancements translate into a smooth commuter that’s legitimately fun to drive. That’s a hell of a combination.

While many think the only enhancements for 2018 are esthetic, they would be wrong. Sure, a majority of sheet metal along with the nose and tail are all-new, performance is indeed part of the 2018 Hyundai Sonata. I must add that, aside from the new steering wheel, the center stack and dashboard are updated. New goodies like Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now standard.

If I had one issue with the 2018 Sonata, it’s interior noise. I could definitely hear tire and wind noise. It’s an issue they need to address soon.

How will the 2018 Hyundai Sonata hold up against the big sellers from Toyota and Honda? This heavy refresh was meant to buy the Sonata a little bit more time before they come out with something new to compete against the all-new Camry and Accord. I think it’s a good effort, enough to slow some of the loss – for now.

In this video, I get a chance to play with the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited Turbo in the hills of Southernmost California. It was a good day in the office!