Note: This interior review was created when the 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was new.
Interior: | 8.1 |
Comfortable, roomy, and quiet are all words to describe the 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid's cabin. The interior is filled with upscale materials, and build quality is top notch. The seats are cushioned, and there's generous space in both rows. Some competitors have better rear-seat headroom, however. The Sonata Hybrid's infotainment system is user-friendly and has the latest tech features, including smartphone integration. Cargo room is good for a hybrid midsize sedan.
Inside the 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, you may feel like you're riding around in a more expensive car. Materials throughout are high quality, and the cabin is well-built. It's quiet, too, so you can easily chat with other passengers. The front seats are roomy and comfortable, and the back seats have a ton of legroom. You'll find the infotainment system easy to use, and you can access your phone's apps using standard smartphone integration in all models. There's more room in the Sonata Hybrid's trunk than you'll get in many midsize hybrids.
Like most midsize sedans, the 2017 Sonata Hybrid has seats for five on standard cloth upholstery. Heated, ventilated, power-adjustable front seats and leather upholstery are optional. When you climb inside, you'll immediately notice how spacious the cabin is. The driver and front passenger will enjoy comfortable seats and have plenty of room.
Meanwhile, the back seats are easily among the most commodious in the class, with legroom that could compete with the rear seats of some much more expensive cars. Tall adults may wish for more headroom in the rear seat, however. The Toyota Camry Hybrid has ample headroom in the back so it might be worth a look if you have tall friends and family.
The Sonata Hybrid comes standard with dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth, a USB port, a six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, HD Radio, a proximity key, a hands-free power trunk lid, a rearview camera, and a 7-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Optional features include a panoramic sunroof, a nine-speaker Infinity premium audio system, navigation, an 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.
For the 2017 model year, all Sonata Hybrid trims come standard with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. These systems let you use some of your phone's apps on the touch screen, including music services like Pandora and Spotify. You can also use your phone's maps app through the infotainment system if you don't choose a model with built-in navigation. The infotainment system has logical menus and sharp graphics that make it easy to quickly find and access features and settings. You may find the touch screen difficult to reach from the driver’s seat, however.
Unlike some competitors that mostly rely on their touch screens for audio and climate controls, the Sonata Hybrid provides physical buttons on the center stack for many of its settings. While this may seem outdated, you'll appreciate how simple it is to turn up the volume or change the fan speed.
Higher trims come with adaptive cruise control. First, it lets you set a desired speed. Then, using data gathered by sensors, the Sonata Hybrid will follow traffic ahead of you, even if it comes to a complete stop. You can adjust how closely your car will trail the car ahead, but unfortunately you can't do so while on the move. Instead, you have to come to a complete stop and update the follow distance.
See 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid specs »
The Sonata Hybrid has one of the largest trunks available in a midsize hybrid sedan, with 13.3 cubic feet of room.
Since the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid has a larger battery, there's less cargo space available: only 9.9 cubic feet in the trunk. Still, that's more than you'll get in the Ford Fusion Energi. If you want a plug-in hybrid with more cargo space than the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid, you'll have to opt for a hatchback rival like the Nissan Leaf or Ford C-Max Energi.
All Sonata Hybrid models come standard with a hands-free power trunk lid. The car senses when you have the proximity key near the trunk, and it lifts the lid automatically so you won't have to put down your luggage to open the trunk. A 60/40 split folding rear seat is only available in the Hybrid Limited model, meaning no other trim offers the luxury of expanding the cargo space while still keeping some rear seats open for passengers.
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