2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Hyundai Sonata

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, redesigned half a decade ago, continued to evolve with subtle tweaks in 2020. The new styling included body-color crossbars on the fake air intakes, a refreshed grille, and smoked headlights. New wheel designs also made their debut. The Sport Touring trim, with its Platinum White Pearl paint and glossy black detailing, garnered admiration from onlookers, who mistook it for a Type R. Inside, the Sport Touring trim featured stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though hard plastic was still present. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for Sport trim, was now available with Sport Touring trim, bringing the price to $28,980, including the destination charge.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata, redesigned for the 2020 model year, presented a bold and distinctive look. The N Line treatment enhanced the Sonata's appeal with larger air intakes, gloss black side mirrors, window surrounds, and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The rear featured a subtle gloss black lip spoiler and a reworked bumper with a four-outlet exhaust system. Inside, the Sonata N Line boasted sport front seats with Nappa leather bolsters and Dinamica suede inserts, red stitching, aluminum pedal covers, and dark chrome accents. A panoramic sunroof added to the car's two-tone appearance and spacious feel.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, produced 174 horsepower in LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque measured 162 lb-ft with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission. The front-wheel-drive Civic Hatchback offered a quiet, refined, and well-mannered engine. The transmission's clutch travel and gearbox throws were long, differentiating the driving experience from the Civic Si. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring provided a softer, more compliant ride, wider seats, and a quieter cabin, making them easier to live with daily. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line featured a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 290 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 311 lb-ft of torque from 1,650 rpm to 4,000 rpm. An eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters, rev-matching, and launch control delivered power to the front wheels. Drivers could choose between Normal, Sport, Sport+, and Custom driving modes. The Sonata N Line's sport-tuned suspension, larger brakes, and 19-inch wheels with performance tires provided a thrilling driving experience. The car's suspension minimized body roll and excess motion, while the ride quality remained comfortable. The EPA estimated 27 mpg in combined driving, but the test car averaged 23.7 mpg on a 75.9-mile route.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring. While the Civic Hatchback couldn't match the HR-V for maximum volume, it provided better acceleration and fuel efficiency. The driver's seat in the Civic Hatchback sat low, making it less accessible than the HR-V, but the heated leather front seats in the Sport Touring trim offered ample thigh support. The center console storage area was long and deep, with a sliding armrest, tray, and cupholders. Rear seat comfort and legroom were good, but the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass made passengers uncomfortable.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line's heated front sport seats offered a balance between comfort and lateral support. The front passenger seat had a manual height adjuster, making it comfortable for both front-seat occupants. The rear seats provided less legroom and thigh support than expected, but rear air conditioning vents and a USB port improved comfort. The panoramic sunroof alleviated claustrophobia, and the materials were of higher quality than the Elantra N Line. The trunk offered 16 cubic feet of space, and the 60/40-split folding rear seat expanded utility. The Smart Trunk hands-free release feature was convenient, but the lack of an inside handle meant getting hands dirty when closing the trunk.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a stylish dashboard with digital instrumentation and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in all but the LX trim. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, text-messaging support, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were standard, providing keyless entry and automatic door locking.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line came with a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Standard features included navigation, wireless smartphone charging, a Bose premium sound system, HD Radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a three-year subscription to Blue Link connected services. The infotainment system lacked a tuning knob, and the placement of the volume control knob caused accidental touch-sensing activations. The Sonata N Line also offered Sounds of Nature, providing ambient noise tracks for relaxation. Hyundai Digital Key transformed smartphones into keys, but it only worked with Android devices.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driving-assistance and collision-avoidance safety features. Standard equipment included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. However, the lane-keeping assist lacked smoothness, and the adaptive cruise control occasionally braked for no reason. The Civic lacked a blind-spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert, relying on LaneWatch for the right-side blind spot. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to Poor headlight performance, but it received top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line featured Hyundai’s SmartSense collection of advanced driving assistance systems. This comprehensive package included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, lane-centering assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, driver-attention warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. Additional features included Rear Occupant Alert, Safe Exit Warning, and Highway Drive Assist. The Sonata N Line's ADAS performed smoothly and accurately, reducing driver stress. The standard Sonata rated high for occupant protection, but the NHTSA and IIHS had not assigned ratings to the 2021 Sonata N Line at the time of review.