2025 Hyundai Sonata AWD First Test: Call This One the “Snownata”
Rather than improve performance, the Sonata's new AWD raises confidence on slippery surfaces.
Pros
- Improved traction
- Poised ride and handling
- Effective driver assist features
Cons
- Looks sporty but isn’t at all
- Engine can get loud
- Cheap-feeling steering wheel
If you need all-wheel drive, you gotta get an SUV—right? Not so fast. Several midsize sedans offer AWD, including the Kia K5, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Legacy, benefiting drivers who seek surefooted four-wheel traction but prefer a car to a crossover.
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A fresh addition to those sedans is the Hyundai Sonata. It recently gained a $1,500 option for AWD on the entry-level SEL trim, which otherwise starts at $28,650. We ran a 2024 Sonata SEL AWD through our test routine to find out how it stacks up against its two-wheel-drive counterparts and segment rivals.
What’s New on the 2024 Sonata
This generation of Sonata arrived for model year 2020, and receives an extensive update for 2024. By far the most obvious change is the exterior design, which takes on an aggressive countenance defined by a cycloptic LED accent above the sharp-edged grille. At the rear, a trendy full-width taillight bar sits below a trunklid graphic evoking a spoiler. Viewed head-on, the Sonata looks cool, but to our eyes that line-intensive fascia clashes with the curvaceous body panels that carry over from the car’s earlier styling iteration.
Inside, the front compartment gets a thorough modernization. The gauge cluster and infotainment display are now contained within a single enclosure. Beneath that, the climate control panel gets more capacitive touch buttons. And beneath that, the center console is altered to provide more space and bring the USB ports into closer reach. That’s aided by replacing the push-button shifter with a twist knob at the end of a stalk on the steering column, like what’s in the Hyundai Kona and Ioniq 6. Additionally, the steering wheel has a new, thinner three-spoke design.
Under the hood, the turbocharged 1.6-liter I-4 has been discontinued. A turbocharger is now exclusive to the high-end Sonata N-Line, where it’s joined to a 2.5-liter I-4 driving the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Sonata Hybrid powertrains are unchanged.
Most 2024 Sonatas will be SEL models, which have a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I-4 producing 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. That’s the same base engine as before and is again connected to an eight-speed conventional automatic—but the new availability of Hyundai’s HTRAC-branded AWD system for this engine prompted us to find out what it does for the Sonata experience.
Sonata AWD at the Track
Performance from the Sonata AWD lands in the range of what’s common for a midsize sedan. Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph takes 7.9 seconds, and the quarter mile arrives in 16.0 seconds at 87.2 mph. Some vehicles of this type are a little quicker, others slightly slower. Against its lineup counterparts, the Sonata AWD trails the more powerful N Line model and crosses the line just ahead of the efficiency-focused Hybrid.
On the brakes, the Sonata AWD stopped from 60 mph in 118 feet, a fairly short distance for the segment. Unexpectedly, the 2024 Sonata N Line needed 127 feet to stop in the same test. Meanwhile, the Sonata Hybrid halted in 117 feet, using its friction brakes and motor regeneration to eke out a slight deceleration advantage.
Adding AWD to a car can improve cornering grip, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Sonata. Skidpad grip for the AWD model measured in at 0.82 g average, identical to the Hybrid and less than the N Line, both of which are FWD. None of these numbers is noteworthy for the segment, just like the Sonata AWD’s figure-eight result of 27.7 seconds at 0.61 g average.
Sonata AWD on the Road
Perhaps the most problematic thing with these test results is how they prove the Sonata AWD comes nowhere close to backing up its sporty new styling. But they’re all reasonable and sufficient if your aim is just getting where you need to go. And even if the Sonata AWD doesn’t drive as exciting as it looks, it still drives nicely.
Let’s discuss the AWD. Our evaluations occurred in the late days of Southern California summer, so the only thing remotely resembling wet weather was occasional overspray from neighbors’ sprinklers. Nevertheless, the gauge cluster’s AWD information screen let us watch the system in action. It showed how the powertrain biases the front wheels, sending a little power rearward under moderate acceleration. Step on it, and the split becomes more equal, as the rear wheels take on more load to balance how the car moves away from a stop or out of a corner. There’s a clear sense that the rear wheels push as the front wheels pull.
Hyundai’s aim of making this AWD system a benefit for drivers in rainy and cold locales is indicated by the Snow mode exclusive to this Sonata model. According to the automaker, Snow mode adjusts the wheel slip control, accelerator pedal response, and shift points based on available traction. The system’s engagement approach is different from that in the 2025 Toyota Camry AWD, which uses a small electric motor on the rear axle to assist with takeoff. It’s also unlike the Subaru Legacy, which has a permanent AWD system that continuously shares engine output between all four wheels.
The 2.5-liter engine gets the job done, nothing more. A little more power would help the four-pot feel less wheezy when driving up an incline or making a pass at highway speeds. Keep the revs low, and it’s fairly innocuous, but maneuvers where it needs to work hard cause a racket in the cabin. At least it’s responsive, unlike some turbocharged engines that keep you waiting a beat. The transmission is prone to shifting abruptly, but it would be unfair to call it rough. Compared to the Sonata FWD, the AWD model’s city fuel economy of 25 mpg is identical, but highway economy of 34 mpg marks a 2-mpg reduction.
The brake pedal feels nice: soft and easy at the top of its stroke before gradually building to a sensation of firm pad-on-rotor bite further down. It’s easy to work with and versatile in how it mixes smooth comfort and confident stopping power.
There’s a taut feeling to the ride quality, where impacts arrive perceptibly—not like it glides over potholes and whatnot—but nothing feels harsh. The suspension responds and settles quickly. It’s a good, comfortable balance of road feel and body control. The tall-sidewall tires wrapped around this SEL trim’s 17-inch wheels help cushion against chatter.
Should you find yourself on a back road, the direct action of the steering combines with the poised chassis and progressive brake pedal to provide a cohesive handling feel. That’s advanced by the AWD system’s ability to distribute power to suit the situation.
Although the cabin’s capacitive buttons require more focus and futzing than is ideal, its infotainment operating system is improved. The ccNC software rolling out across Hyundai’s models is quicker, more logical in operation, and better-looking than the previous tech. Comfort is enhanced by the plush, supportive front seats; space is ample in every seat. Good if price-appropriate materials are applied throughout; the SEL trim’s unvarnished polyurethane steering wheel is about the only thing that feels cheap.
Hyundai’s driver assist features remain reliable and reassuring, adding relaxation to highway driving. The adaptive cruise control functions admirably, and although the lane keep assist allows the car to drift toward the lines, it doesn’t let it cross them.
Does AWD Make the New Sonata Better?
By offering AWD, Hyundai makes what’s already a compelling midsize sedan more so. Choosing it on the Sonata SEL adds confidence if you anticipate driving in snow or rain. The 2025 Sonata looks far sportier than the experience it delivers, but get past that, and you’re left with a solid, easygoing, pleasant-driving car.
Alex's earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He's never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn't fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
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