Official Hyundai Sonata Sketch Shows Aggressive Facelift

Here are these official sketches of the upcoming Hyundai Sonata refresh, showing an aggressive new front fascia and more pronounced new rear end.

Hyundai Sonata Turbo

It’s also clear that the revised Sonata will provide more differentiation between the Sonata and Sonata Turbo than currently exists between base model and 2.0T Sonatas.

The previous-generation YF Sonata and current LF Sonata appear on the sketches as well, causing us to believe that the Sonata Sketch facelift is aimed at reviving the aesthetic appeal of the Sonata that undoubtedly helped the YF to become a volume seller. That car drove the entire Hyundai brand forward in both styling and sales. The LF Sonata is a more conservative mid-size sedan than its predecessor, but it looks like Hyundai wants to offer a bold entry into this competitive segment once again.

The front end in these sketches shows a dominant grille in the same shape as we saw on the next-generation Accent that just debuted. Details on the hood, the headlights, and the fog lights evoke a more organic feel than the clean straight lines of the current Sonata. The result is a front fascia that feels a lot lower and sportier. The Sonata Sketch Turbo will forego the subtly detailed horizontal bars in the grille for a more aggressive crosshatched design painted in a darker color. The Turbo also appears to have additional air intakes inboard of more prominent LED fog lights or daytime running lights.

The rear moves the license plate into the bumper from its current location on the trunk. This allows for a much more prominent crease below the integrated spoiler with a centrally located position for the Sonata badging.

The lower positioning of the license plate allows the rear bumper to have more of a sports-car-like feel, with new symmetrical exhaust positioning on all Sonata models. Strong character lines extend further up the rear bumper with cosmetic recesses that are more defined on the Turbo version of the car. The taillights take the shape from the previous YF Sonata and add in LED elements reminiscent of a Lamborghini. The Turbo appears to feature taillights that are either tinted or have internal elements painted in a dark color.

These updates make both the Sonata and Sonata Turbo more distinctive and emotional cars that should offer greater appeal for those who care about their vehicle’s looks.