Overview & Reviews

The Hyundai Sonata is a comfortable and likable midsize sedan that proves Hyundai can build cars that are not just easy on the pocketbook, but easy to live with as well. Like most vehicles in the midsize sedan class, the Sonata offers front-wheel drive, numerous safety features and a choice of trim levels that include sporty and plush variants. Setting the Sonata apart, however, is Hyundai's lower pricing and outstanding warranty coverage.

For the most part, the Sonata has kept getting better. The current model, in particular, is the most competitive to date. In addition to the strong value proposition, this Hyundai adds a few things previously not seen in this conservative nameplate -- namely, daring styling and sporty driving dynamics. Newer pre-owned Sonatas are also a solid choice, but models prior to 2006 remain a risky used-car proposition.

Current Hyundai Sonata
Although it's classified as a full-size family sedan by the EPA, the Hyundai Sonata still competes in the midsize segment. It's available in GLS, SE and Limited trim levels. Even the base car comes well equipped, while the SE features sporty suspension tuning and the Limited pampers its passengers with more luxurious features.

The standard engine on every Sonata trim level is a 2.4-liter direct-injected inline four-cylinder rated at 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque, while the dual-exhaust SE with the same engine makes 192 hp and 181 lb-ft. A 2.0-liter turbocharged engine generating 274 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque is available on SE and Limited models. All Sonatas come with a six-speed automatic as standard.

Whether serving family car or commuter car duty, the Hyundai Sonata is a nice place to be thanks to its spacious cabin, comfortable seating, solid build quality and quiet highway ride. In reviews we've found that the Sonata provides spirited acceleration as well as responsive handling, with a slightly firm but still comfortable ride. Fuel mileage is also impressive, with 30 mpg being a realistic number for conservative drivers in mixed conditions. Our only notable gripes concern the relative lack of rear seat headroom for adults and a somewhat rough ride for the SE model. Overall the Sonata is rather impressive and deserves serious consideration from those shopping for a family sedan.

Used Hyundai Sonata Models
The current Hyundai Sonata represents the fifth generation in the car's lineage, and was introduced in the 2011 model year. That following year, the Sonata picked up the Blue Link telematics service and a higher-resolution navigation system display. A manual transmission was available for the Sonata GLS for these first two years, but was discontinued after that.

These Sonatas produced prior to 2014 differ in a number of minor ways. Styling was ever so slightly different, while they lack standard driver-selectable steering effort and the availability of certain features like xenon headlights and a blind-spot monitoring system. Also, the 2.4-liter engine made 198 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque (200 hp and 186 lb-ft for the SE) versus the current car's somewhat lower ratings.

The previous, fourth-generation Hyundai Sonata was produced from 2006-'10 and is really the only other version worth considering as a used Sonata. Initially, three trim levels were offered: GL, GLS and LX. The sophomore year saw a shuffling of the trim levels to the current format. Most notably, the sporty SE version debuted, wearing 17-inch alloy wheels and foglights.

Originally, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder produced 162 hp and was standard on the GL and GLS trims. A five-speed manual was standard (GL only for 2006) and a four-speed automatic was optional with this engine. Optional on the GLS and standard on the LX, SE and Limited was a 235-hp version of the 3.3-liter V6, matched to a five-speed automatic transmission. For 2008, the four-cylinder became standard on all trim levels and the V6 became optional. That year also saw a few more standard features added to the SE and Limited trims.

The biggest changes occurred in 2009 when engine outputs were increased (175 hp for the inline-4 and 249 hp for the V6) and the interior was spiffed up with a new dash and higher-quality materials. There were also two notable additions to the features lists -- a standard auxiliary audio jack and an optional touchscreen navigation system.

Prior to that, the cabin had respectable build and materials quality along with a precise feel to the controls. But it wasn't nearly as top-notch and had odd placement of the audio and climate controls -- the former was placed too high and the latter too low. Beyond that, the spacious cabin remained unchanged, and although the exterior had a few nips here and tucks there, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Sonatas of this generation.

At the time, we found that the fourth-generation Hyundai Sonata prioritized ride comfort over precise handling. It smothered bumps well and delivered a luscious highway ride, but with its significant body roll and vague steering, it wasn't particularly fun to drive.

Power from the efficient four-cylinder engine was competitive, and although the V6 wasn't quite as potent as those in rival sedans, it still got the job done while returning good fuel economy. Inside, soft, high-quality plastics were plentiful, and the overall design was eye-pleasing.

Pre-2006 Sonatas remain a risky used-car proposition even though depreciation means they can be found at a bargain-basement price. Only in recent years have we seen the kind of build quality and structural integrity that might portend long-term durability.

Nevertheless, the previous (third) generation Hyundai Sonata was originally introduced for 1999 with a vastly improved appearance, far better engines and significant improvements made in noise and ride quality versus its lamentable predecessors. The base car featured a 138-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder and the GLS had a 159-hp 2.5-liter V6. These numbers may be different from what you'll find elsewhere, since Hyundai misstated its horsepower ratings prior to 2002, giving the Sonata 11 more horses than it actually had. As such, you'd be best to stick with Sonatas from 2002 or later, which were characterized by even nicer styling, a better interior and a legitimately more potent V6.

The second-generation Sonata was introduced for 1995 and offered improved fit and finish compared to its predecessor, but that's not saying much. It now had dual airbags, but no more power under the hood. For instance, the V6 only produced 5 more horses than the four-cylinder. For 1997, the Sonata was restyled dramatically, but not necessarily for the better. All in all, we'd avoid this car.

The same goes for the original Hyundai Sonata, first launched in 1989 to give Hyundai a player in the midsize family sedan game. Aggressively priced but sloppily built and saddled with weak, unrefined powertrains, the boxy first-generation Sonata did little to change the public's perception of Hyundai cars as cheap in more ways than price.

User Reviews:

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  Happy with my 2011 2.0T Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By lorenzos1 - March 6 - 3:03 am

  My first Hyundai, 43000 miles and its business as usual. No complaints, no problems. I service & maintain the car at Hyundais recommended intervals at the dealer. So far my Sonata 2.0T has been fast and reliable. I average around 24 mpg. I love the nav and all the gizmos. Happy!

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  Best Bargain among mid-priced sedans - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By BigJim - March 5 - 9:30 pm

  Never pictured myself in a Hyundai (I own 2 hondas), but on-line research suggested a test drive was in order. I tried the sonata in 08 and 09 4 and 6 cylinder limited editions. Didnt care for the interior design of the 08 console, but the 09 has European luxury styling outside and Lexus-like feature inside. I planned to buy a 4 cylinder for mileage, but fell in love with the power of the new 6 cylinder. Lots of Nice features, and first rate build quality. The limited is a lot of car for the price of a stripped down model elsewhere! Never even made it to Honda or Toyota-- the best a Camry or accord could have done would have meant matching the sonatas quality for at least $7k more

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  Exceed expectation - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By hwspen - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Best looking sedan regardless of price. Fell in love with looks

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  Bought the hard to find 2017 Sonata Eco - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob From GA - March 2 - 2:01 pm

  I research cars for a couple of years before buying, and this time around I had a list of 12 sedans and SUVs that I slowly eliminated through test drives until ending up with the Sonata Eco. I have 1000 miles on the car and am extremely pleased with it. Before buying, I drove a base model Sonata for a week as a rental and liked the feel of the car. It rides well, has a lot of features, and the build quality is excellent, but its a bit slow to accelerate, around average for large sedans. Ive followed dual-clutch transmissions for a few years, so the Eco intrigued me. It comes with 1.6L engine with a dual scroll turbo that runs great on regular gas, and a dual-clutch transmission. For those who are unfamiliar, its a computer-controlled transmission that works something like a manual, but the computer can shift considerable faster than a human. Its also faster than a standard automatic transmission, though not as smooth. The engine produces 179 HP, less than the base model, but 195 ft-lbs of torque with a wide max torque band starting at 1500 RPM. The lighter engine and transmission drops the curb weight from 3587 for the base to 3219 for the Eco. The combination of a faster tranny, max torque at 1500 RPM, and less weight means that the Eco cuts about .7 seconds off the 0-to-60 time, and in high-speed driving, it accelerates beautifully. It passes slowbies in the fast lane like theyre not there. Its hard to believe that you can get performance this good out of an engine whose combustion chambers are smaller than a half-gallon of milk. The Eco also gets outstanding mileage - rated at 28 city/ 39 hwy vs 25/36 for the base - if you can resist putting it in sport mode and driving with a heavy foot. Best of all, since the car hasnt caught on yet, you can get good deals on it. I got mine for $4015 off the MSRP. The speakers and the radio are great - it comes with a Sirius XM radio that sounds wonderful. My last two cars were a 2006 VW Passat 2.0T and a 2014 Mazda 6, both really good cars, but I like the Sonata Eco even better.

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  great care - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By jim - February 24 - 9:55 pm

  great car, great options, great warranty, smooth to drive, price is unbeatable, we have had minivans and suvs, but notice little difference in travel, trunk is huge for a midsize and long trips are comfortable. we come from a family that all work for the major u.s. car companies where we could use the employee discounts, we still chose the sonata. the other cars in this class couldnt compare.....we will definately choose another hyundai and reccommend it to everyone

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  What doesnt it do well? - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By carev - February 24 - 8:19 pm

  I love cars. Two GTOs, a G8 GT, Z3, 4 Hondas, a couple of Chevys, Murano, Mustang... even a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8...all in the last 4 years. But when the Sonata 2.0T came out, I had to try it. "Impressed" doesnt begin to describe my reaction to this car! For performance it has 274hp on 87 octane. For being green, it gets better mileage than small cars with 1/2 the horsepower (the Mazda 3 comes to mind). For safety, only the BMW 550i is its equal. Styling is niche-appropriate without being me-too. Features for the money, long a Hyundai hallmark, shows up in spades (Bluetooth, XM, power everything, keyless ignition, etc). Looks like a 100,000 mile/ 10 year match made in heaven!

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  Get it! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By N i i i i c e. - February 24 - 6:10 am

  My husband and I have had many other cars before and shopped around a lot before purchasing this car. We both love it. I especially love the v6 power and the sharp style.

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  Review - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gary - February 19 - 2:49 pm

  This is my wifes car, she really enjoys driving the car, it has been good mechanically, although the rack & pinion needed to be replaced, other than that just the regular oil changes. If the car remains problem free for a couple more years, we would look into buying another Sonata.

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  Hyundai does it again - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By slamm215 - February 19 - 5:16 am

  After owning various cars from several different manufactures I can say that this is one of the best looking and driving cars period. Hyundai has made some bold strides as of late and this car is a true testament to that. The one aspect of Hyundai I would criticize was their bland styling but with this new Sonata that goes out the window. Now when I see a Camry or an Accord on the street they just look boring and out dated next to the Sonata. You wont win many races with the 2.4 L engine but its more than adequate and w/35+ MPG on the highway you cant get a better power/mpg ratio.

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  First Week review - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Patrick - February 18 - 1:53 pm

  We expected to buy a European model (VW passat or Volvo S40 or S60) We saw the Hyundai Sonata at an Auto Show, it has all of Features we were looking for (LX model). I was on the fence about VW due to reliability rating I read and Volvo due to a friends experience was expensive in the maintainance and upkeep (Eats Breaks more than most cars) We found in Sonata the ride, quality of craftmanship and noise level in cabin all similar to European models we liked. The 10/100,000 limited powertrain warranty and 5/ 60,000 Limited Warrenty was also a draw to the stand behind quality of Hyundai. Features, Ride, Craftmanship all are in line with what we wanted for the class of car we bought.