The waterfall grille is formal but not pretentious. Like jewelry tastefully worn, chrome enhances rather than distracts from the Sonata's appearance. Chrome is well placed around the grille, over the doors and on the trunk. The bold headlight design is more than stylish. The small low-beams are halogen projector lamps that produce a uniformly bright pattern, and the complementary high beams are bright. Good headlamps are extremely important, especially on dark and stormy nights. The Sonata's are excellent.

The Sonata's pull-type door handles feel solid. The doors close with a solid thunk. Sonata comes standard with a keyless remote fob.