Hyundai Sonata N Line Leaked

by Steph Willems

Published: August 19th, 2020

Perhaps feeling that this would be its last opportunity to woo American midsize sedan buyers, Hyundai pulled out all the styling stops when it crafted the current-generation Sonata. Heavy on lines and curves and sporting some impressive front-end lighting, the Sonata makes the Camry and Accord look stodgy by comparison.

But the automaker didn’t stop there. It went to work crafting a hotter Sonata — a variant that’s almost here. And thanks to someone’s mistake and another person’s quick reflexes, we can see what that sedan will look like.

Official images of the upcoming Sonata N Line appeared on The Korean Car Blog this week, revealing the turbocharged performer in full. Sporting a revised front fascia with a little more aggression down low and N Line badging in the passenger-side corner of the grille, the N Line retains the front and rear air deflectors aero-enhanced stock Sonatas.

Out back, dual chrome exhaust tips protrude from a revised lower bumper. Nineteen-inch wheels fill each well, shod in grippy low-profile rubber. Inside, N Line-badged seats greet the driver and front passenger.

For Hyundai products lacking a full-on N variant, N Line represents a top-of-the-line offering. It essentially replaces “Sport” models. And so the Sonata N Line boosts the model’s horsepower game, coming equipped with a turbocharged Smartstream 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 290 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. This 2.5L power, which happens to be less than offered in the Genesis lineup, routes to the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.

While the Sonata N Line offers up a more compelling sporty family sedan package than Hyundai fielded in years past, the current-generation Sonata has proven unable to turn back market forces. Arriving for the 2018 model year, the Sonata saw its sales continue a downward slide. Whereas Sonata sales topped 225,000 in the U.S. in 2011, volume amounted to just 87,466 units in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

[Image: Hyundai]

#FutureModels #Hyundai #HyundaiSonata #HyundaiSonataNLine #N-Line #ProductPlanning #Sonata

Steph Willems

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2 of 22 comments

MKizzy on Aug 19, 2020

Looked at the pics and must say the N-Line's lower front fascia is far more attractive then the other trim levels and fixes the Sonata's "frowning catfish" face. Hopefully, some of these improvements can be incorporated into the SEL to Limited trims at the mid-cycle refresh.

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Todd Kranz on Mar 30, 2024

These cars are all very nice with junk motors.

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