第七代索纳塔上市已经有大约三年了，因此毫不奇怪，现代已经准备推出其中期改款车型了。最近谍照记者拍到了正在进行寒冷气候测试的原型车，这辆车进行了重度伪装以掩盖改款之处。尽管如此，仍能看出它采用了一对新的垂直布局LED日间行驶灯。虽然无法完全确定，但前格栅似乎比现行版大很多，而且进一步向下扩展。由于只是改款车，因此车身侧面轮廓不会改变，不过侧后视镜盖会进行小改款。虽然车尾仍掩盖在黑色塑料布下面，但仍可以注意到尾部采用了新造型的LED尾灯组，外观会有所不同。前后保险杠都进行了小改款，同时采用了新的合金轮圈，或许还增加了新的车身涂装。先前的谍照显示，索纳塔还将有一款高性能版本，采用了更具侵略性前脸和黑色网格格栅。该车车尾采用硕大梯形排气尾管，由于采用运动悬挂，车身姿态更低。至于动力系统，新车可能会搭载取自i30 N的新的2.0升涡轮引擎，在那款车上，该引擎功率为194千瓦/260马力，略高于现行版索纳塔2.0T的183千瓦/245马力。预计新车将在未来几个月后发布。

 

2018 Hyundai Sonata spied hiding revamped front fascia

The seventh-generation Sonata has been around for approximately three years, so it comes as no surprise Hyundai is preparing to give its midsize sedan a mid-cycle refresh. Here we have a prototype performing cold-weather testing and wearing an extensive amount of camouflage to hide the novelties. Despite the heavy disguise, you can already observe it has a new pair of vertically oriented strips of LED daytime running lights.

 

We’re not entirely sure, but the front grille appears to be considerably larger than on the current model as it extends further down the fascia. As you would expect from only a facelift, the side profile will remain virtually the same, although the side mirror caps might go through a very subtle revision.

 

The back of the car remains mostly hidden underneath the black fabric, but even so you can already notice the new graphics for the LED taillights, which might get a different shape. Both front and rear bumpers will receive a nip and tuck, while fresh alloy wheel designs and possibly new body colors will round off the changes on the outside.

 

Previous spy shots have revealed Hyundai is also preparing a hotter Sonata with a more aggressive front fascia boasting a black mesh grille. It will also have a pair of beefy rear trapezoidal exhaust tips and will sit a tad lower thanks to the sporty suspension.

 

Its identity has not been disclosed, although it might be the new turbocharged 2.0-liter engine set to be used by the i30 N where it will have somewhere in the region of 260 horsepower (194 kilowatts), if not a little bit more. That would be a slight improvement over the existing Sonata 2.0T with 245 hp (183 kW).

 

All of these changes are likely in tow for the 2018 model year, so expect the facelifted Sonata to be introduced several months from now.