The standard feature set is worthy of entry-level luxury automobiles: heated and cooled perforated-leather bucket seats with power controls and two memory settings, heated rear bench with fold-down armrest, heated steering wheel, nine-speaker Infinity sound system, eight-inch touchscreen interface with redundant button controls, navigation, dual-zone climate control, radar-based cruise control with complete stop function, LED daytime and running lights, bi-xenon self-levelling headlights and warning systems for just about everything that moves around you. Welcome to business class. Conspicuous by its absence: the panoramic sunroof that comes standard in the non-PHEV Hybrid model, not even available as an option – weight-reduction effort, perhaps?

Thanks to the multiple adjustments allowed by the driver’s seat and the tilt / telescoping steering wheel, a good driving position is easy to achieve.

The center armrest is comfy and actually positioned so it can be used as an armrest, not only storage. It’s also brilliant in this second function, deep enough to swallow a standard baseball cap. While the instrument panel is not nearly as stylish as it was in the previous-gen Sonata, its verticality and squared-off design allows easy access to all controls, including the touchscreen. The cubby facing the shifter houses dual 12V outlets and USB plugs, with plenty of room to hide your devices behind its damped door.

Rear seat passengers won’t complain about the room either – seating behind my six-foot self, a solid six inches of air separated my knees from the front seatbacks. Who needs a limo? Whether driving office managers to a big meeting or my daughter to a dance class, “This is really nice!” was often heard from the back seat. Psy could practice his moves back there. If our K-Pop star could stand still for three seconds, he would find out that the trunk pops open automatically if you stand at the right rear corner of the car with the smart key in your pocket.

The PHEV’s larger battery means losing the Hybrid’s pass-through trunk feature (seat backs are fixed in the PHEV), but the power pack is much less intrusive here than in the Fusion Energi – trunk capacity is 280 litres for the Hyundai vs 232 in the Ford. The PHEV only loses 39 percent of the gas Sonata’s trunk capacity, versus 49 percent with the Ford – it’s here that the upmarket battery pays off. Fitting the premium Ultimate image, the trunk is well-finished with covered goose-neck hinges and a fully-padded lid.

An airport pick-up proved that two full-size suitcases will fit lengthwise in the Sonata without a hitch.

In the trunk you will also find an air compressor kit (but no spare tire) and a Velcro-backed pack to store the 120V charging device, which I used all week long. Similar to other manufacturers’, it includes a standard three-prong plug at one end and an SAE J1772 EV charging nozzle at the other, with an in-line device whose lights show you the charging status. Hyundai is taking no chances with the safety of the charging portal on the car; on top of the gas-flap like cover, the standard SAE portal features another hinged cap to ensure complete weather protection.

Once charging is established and the vehicle locked, the Sonata also locks the charging nozzle to the car, so pranksters can’t unplug you during the nine hours or so needed for a full 120V charge (a brilliant idea – Ford’s nozzle requires a small padlock). A green light located in the middle of the dashboard’s top cover stays lit during charging, so it’s easy to check on the car’s status with a quick glance through the windshield.

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