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:

• 

  Fantastic Car for the Money, 25k Miles going strong. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By cubish83 - June 21 - 2:12 pm

  I fell in love with this car the minute i saw a commercial for it and went to the dealer the next day. Been Happy ever since. Gas mileage in high 30s consistently on the highway, about 30 flat with mixed driving. Starts every time and has never left me stranded. I have owned 17 cars in my lifetime and this has been my favorite. Comfortable, low maintenance, not too flashy but certainly modern, plenty of toys inside to keep one entertained.

• 

  What a car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By BILL - June 21 - 2:20 am

  Replaced my 03 Altima wiht this Sonata SE and i am definitely not disappointed. Runs excellent, attractive styling-Ive gotten ten comments in three weeks, good value for the money, and free XM satellite radio for three months.

• 

  Pleasure to Drive - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sid - June 20 - 10:33 pm

  We were always a GM family from our parents to us. Buick was our car. For some reason we bought a Toyota Camry in 2007. Very dissatisfied with the Camry. We traded the Camry for a Sonata 2011 and absolutely love it. We drove 200 miles yesterday on the FL turnpike and it drove beautifully with at an average of 33 miles to the gallon. All the other gadgets are awesome.

• 

  2005 hyundai lx - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By carl solomon - June 20 - 12:31 am

  Love this car. Great style, value and ride.

• 

  Joes Review - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By jdsales - June 19 - 9:57 am

  Vehicle while not as finished in the interior as former cars I have owned such as Mercedes and Infiniti is still quite adequate and comfortable. Extremely quite and smooth ride. Performance not equal to higher ends but more than adequate for normal city and highway driving. V6 has good power and can get you out of the way when needed. Exterior is excellent is often mistaken for a Jaguar. Great lines and look. Warranty and service are on a par with my Mercedes and Infiniti experience. Dollar for features its a great value, good looks, handles great and pleasant to drive. Lacks only in interior creature comforts but this is exceeded by the outstanding 10 year 100 mile warranty. $ for $ great

• 

  Sonata, so far so good - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By David Slavo - June 19 - 8:32 am

  I love the ride, the quietness and the way it handles the road. For some reason the blue tooth doesnt support reading or responding to text messages. Love everything else though.

• 

  Nice car for the money but watch out - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mitchellf - June 19 - 6:05 am

  This was the second Sonata I purchased this year. I have Sonata SE with Nav/Sunroof and recently purchases a Turbo version. The first Sonata spent 7 days at the shop fixing interior rattles oh well nothing major it happens lets give it another shot. Decided to buy the Turbo big mistake. The car has a suspension/steering issue that causes a constant drift t the left. The dealer and Hyundai are stumped on how to fix it. The car has been back twice for alignments and other assorted "adjustments" problem persist ..This issue has been reported by multiple buyers all complaining about the same drift to the left. All I can say Buyer beware you are warned!

• 

  I love my Sonata!! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandi McCullough - June 17 - 4:07 am

  This is the perfect car for me--not too small, not too big. The exterior is as nice as the interior. It is comfortable and gets great mileage!! The ride is smooth and very quiet. The warranty is great, I have been happy with my decision to purchase a Sonata.

• 

  Bad MPG - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By firstsonota101 - June 17 - 12:05 am

  bought mine about 2 months ago. MPG as advertised is not!! advertised 24/35 and on hwy i get 29 and in town I get 18. when I took to dealer ship to have looked at, service department told me that everyone he knows does get 29 hwy. the digital readout may say 34 but when you divide the miles driven by gallons put in, it doesnt match the readout. Anyone can make a computer readout say anything they want to. I would not buy this car again due only to the false advertisement on the sticker on the MPG. The fine fine fine print on sticker says the average person will get 28-39. Can you say WOW what a difference in range. And car has alot of road noise.

• 

  Best car Ive ever owned - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt M - June 16 - 4:18 am

  Stellar performance. Car features are very nice, such as Android Auto. All my friends think I must have paid close to 30K for this model. In fact I paid a little over 17K. Im driving Sonata for a month now, so far its the best car Ive ever owned.