– La Jolla, California

Cs get degrees, but do they get much else? Go ask the likes of the Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger, and Mitsubishi Galant – midsize sedans from the last decade that disappeared with hardly a whimper, none of them excellent performers. And unless a midsize sedan is named Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, its future is far from secure as the SUV has become the official vehicle of the American family.

Therefore, the 2018 Hyundai Sonata is bestowed with a host of revisions that are there predominantly to make a competent car more attractive to both prospective sedan buyers and keep them from wandering over to an SUV.

The Sonata should not have this problem. It was both eye-catching and successful before a redesign three years ago that transformed its aggressive curves into slightly rounded lines and made for an altogether more conservative design, just as the kings of vanilla over at Toyota decided the Camry should get more exciting to look at. Hyundai, meanwhile, made a bad bet just as the sedan market fell apart.

Save for light steering and suspension revisions, the only real updates are things you’ll see and feel every day.

The 2018 Sonata you’ll see in showrooms shortly after you read this does look like a reaction to the complaints that the car was too boring. Save for light steering and suspension revisions, the only real updates are things you’ll see and feel every day.

The grille is deeper, wider, and altogether more prominent than ever. As a resu...