Disclosure: TMC was not paid for this post. Products received are for review purposes only courtesy of Drive STI. Opinions are TMC’s only.
The stylish Sonata Limited seats five.
I fit one booster, one child with no seat and a car seat in my Sonata for the week.
I had to laugh when I got the schedule for the review cars for spring. The first one out of the gate would be a car that we just purchased in January. Granted, I don’t drive it daily since it is my husband’s car and that one is a hybrid, but I knew the general details and feel that the car would have while driving. I wasn’t all that excited.
All that quickly changed as I spent the week, not just an afternoon, carting my kids around, running errands and doing the daily routine. The 2014 Hyundai Sonata Limited is fast with smooth, effortless acceleration and comfort that seats three kids of various ages in the back seat. They found the car to be a lot of fun with the panoramic sunroof and color display in the front giving them the ability to back seat DJ all the time. I started to fall in love with it too. My neighbors remarked on how sleek and sporty the car was, even calling it “sexy”. A few days later one neighbor actually went out and bought a Sonata. That’s the not the first time someone buys a car I’m reviewing but it was the first time it was so immediate and so close to home. I even used it as inspiration for a weekly fashion post.
So what makes the Sonata Limited so fun to drive? Inside it is the premium leather seating, the hands-free Bluetooth, rearview camera, Push Button Start and heated and cooled seats in the front row, heated in the back. All of that is standard with the Limited. This car sits low to the ground. I had to raise my seat up and sometimes I felt like I had to climb out of the car, but it was such a fun, smooth ride that I didn’t mind one bit. The interior works for a smaller person like me or for a larger person like my husband who is broad and tall. The dashboard makes sense and the center console and navigation (4.3 inch Touchscreen Color Audio Display) are all within easy reach making driving seamless.
The Sonata Limited works well as a family sedan. You can feel safe knowing that it received an overall five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and that it drinks fuel conservatively rather than gulping it. I averaged between 24-28 mpg commuting around town and highway mpg is 35. This is an affordable car that comes with impressive power (190 horsepower/179 lb-ft Torque) and lots of extras that are standard features for the Sonata Limited. It is a good value that can turn heads making it more than just a commuter car. The LED tail lights and xenon headlights work well and give it that extra oomph in the looks department. There is even the option (SE 2.0 T only) for sport-tuned exhaust for those who want a bit more action. My two favorite features on this car are new to the 2014 model. I love the blind spot detection system, always a plus in this busy, high-traffic part of the country and the addition of further sound-deadening measures that were added to this years model. To me, outside sound, especially on the highway, is a major faux pas with a car. I loathe road noise and the Sonata is nice and quiet all the time.
For more details and specifications on the 2014 Hyundai Sonata Limited visit Hyundai.com and Car and Driver. The MSRP on the Sonata Limited is $26,900 and as reviewed with all the extras $30, 805.
