Hyundai was relentless in upgrading its lineup. Just four years after the launch of the Sonata's first generation on the U.S. soil, it came with a second generation.
While the first generation barely opened the American and European eyes for the Korean brand, the 1993 model came to confirm that their intentions were serious. The new generation was longer and better equipped than the model it replaced.
The smoother and curved body panels made a serious step toward the biodesign era from the outside. Its slimmer headlights and grille resembled some Japanese cars, such as the Honda Accord or the Mazda 626. In the back, the taillights were wider, extended over the trunk.
The interior featured better amenities, with integrated vents next to the instrument cluster. An air-conditioning system was fitted as a standard feature. Due to the longer wheelbase, the rear passengers' legroom was better, similar to the one offered by the Ford Contour/Mondeo, but smaller than the one offered by Honda Accord. At least, the Sonata was cheaper to buy than both of them, at least on the base model.
Under the hood, Hyundai still relied on the Mitsubishi-supplied engine. Two versions, an inline-four, and the V6, were bought from the Japanese carmaker. While most versions sold in Europe were fitted with a 5-speed manual gearbox, the American market fell for the 4-speed automatic version.