I’m old enough to remember the tin cans with roll-up windows that Hyundai displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. You’ve come a long way, baby.

The Hyundai Sonata has been one of the most stylish mainstream sedans in the U.S. market since its breakout, sixth-generation 2010 model — alongside the most stylish mainstream compact in the market, the Elantra. For the 2024 model year, Sonata has turned up the volume again. The 2019 model strutted down the runway with big front headlights and accompanying LED extensions that ran dramatically up the side of the hood. For 2024, Sonata changes spectacles for a more sci-fi look — think Cyclops from the X-Men superhero movies.

The LEDs run horizontally across a big black grille anchored by twin flying buttresses. Almost lost in the design are the small, mid-mounted headlights that recede into the dark corners of the fascia. It’s quite a piece of work and a real departure, not only from the last-gen Sonata but from sedans in general with their anthropomorphic front ends. It’s the first time I’ve seen a car mimic the mid-fascia headlights of bigger, more upright vehicles like GM SUVs and pickups.

The visual drama continues rearward across deeply scalloped side sheet metal that sweeps to a lovely rear deck wrapped in horizontal, red LED taillamps. The rear facia, too, has been updated with hip light graphics that made a nice light show as I walked up to my upper-trim N-line tester after dark.

My N-line adds to that drama with a 100-horsepower steroid shot — a boost from the base SEL’s 190-horsepower turbo-4.

On slick roads leading south of Pontiac, I floored the throttle and the front wheels spun like tops trying to channel the extra grunt. Strange, the Sonata offers all-wheel drive on the base 190-horse model — but not the 290 horsepower N-line, where it’s really needed. Product planning ain’t easy.

Into the twisties I toggled SPORT mode on the console and the Sonata labored through S-turns — a B student compared to class leader Honda Accord and its tight chassis. Here, all-wheel drive would also help the Sonata, especially since the Accord has ditched its high-horsepower model — optioning only a turbo-4 and hybrid in order to meet onerous fuel economy rules.

The Sonata, on the other hand, gives you more choice with turbo-4, hybrid and my N-line on ‘roids. But without AWD, the N-line falls shy of its potential.

That’s not the case for the interior, which gets major upgrades to match that of some luxury vehicles. How premium? The dash looks like BMW 3-series with its twin 12-inch gauge and infotainment displays housed under one piece of curved glass that arches across the dashboard. It’s a Hyundai signature and is repeated on models from Elantra up to the luxurious Genesis GV60 electric model that I recently had in my driveway.

To step above the Sonata, the GV60 adds fancy bits like a floating console and shifter that rotates from a glass glob to a rotary shifter when you enter the vehicles. OK, these are pretty cool features. But my point is the Sonata does a nice imitation of a premium interior.

That premium feel is aided by a gear shifter that has been relocated to the steering column, opening up more console space for goodies like a wireless charger for your phone.

The wireless charging complements wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — which will drain your phone battery over a long road trip. Hyundai offers its own navigation system, of course, but it is inferior to Google's. For all of its physical panache, the Hyundai system is a little slow, lagging industry-best systems from Ford and Stellantis (speaking of which, looking forward to the next-gen Dodge sedans!).

Better is the Hyundai’s multiple gadgets that make the car more fun, taking advantage of the digital wizardry that we all love about our phones.

Two of my favorites:

—A configurable instrument display so that I could, for example, use a digital tachometer. Shifting at 6.5 (x 1,000 RPM) with the paddle shifters is kinda’ cool compared to a familiar round analog display.

—Customizable steering wheel button that can be programmed to, say, turn media on/off, or go into Quiet mode, or (in my case) use as a shortcut to driver assistance settings, which I like to play around with.

Digitization has also made column shifters much easier to use (I remember me mum’s wrestling match with her ‘60s Pontiac’s column shifter!). The Hyundai is as simple as turning a tab for DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE. Park? Just push the end of the stalk. Mercedes and Tesla made column shifters cool again, and the Hyundai is better for it.

Better than the average sedan is the Hyundai’s palatial front legroom at 46 inches, which will make tall drivers happy. That comes at a sacrifice of legroom behind the driver though — 34.8 inches — which is less than class competitors (the Accord is truck-like 40.8 inches). Nonetheless, I could still sit my 6’5” frame behind myself with no problem.

Cargo space is a generous 10 cubic feet and Hyundai adds helpful levers in the rear boot so you flatten the rear bench and pass long items through the cabin. In an SUV world, clever features like that make the sedan utilitarian — to go with its knockout looks.

Auto segments are funny these days with SUVs and EVs ascendant. EVs are considered a luxury item yet my gas-fired $37K Sonata N-line blows away a $60K, 248-mile-range Genesis GV60 with 509 miles of range. What’s more, the Hyundai won’t keep you waiting, filing up in one minute compared to one hour for the Genesis. What’s luxurious about being made to wait?

At $37k, the Sonata offers not only range, but practicality compared to the small, similarly priced two-door electric Fiat 500e. The Fiat may be a fashion statement, but the stylish Sonata will dart from 0-60 mph while carrying six-footers in the back seat.

Hyundai has come a long way with its tech-tastic Sonata, but it’s also kept its eye on the fundamentals.

2024 Hyundai Sonata

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan

Price: $28,650 base, including $1,150 destination fee ($36,100 N Line as tested)

Powerplant: 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder; 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder; hybrid 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder combined with electric motor

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic (SEL, N Line); 6-speed automatic (hybrid)

Power: 191 horsepower, 181 pound-feet torque (standard SEL); 290 horsepower, 311 pound-feet torque (N Line); 192 horsepower (hybrid)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed: 155 mph (est.)

Weight: 3,534 pounds (N Line as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 25 city/36 highway/29 combined (SEL); 23 city/32 highway/27 combined (N Line); 44 city/51 highway/47 combined (hybrid)

Report card

Highs: Upscale style inside and out; drivetrain choices

Lows: Laggy screen; AWD with performance N Line model, please

Overall: 4 stars

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