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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  Best Buy - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Me - July 27 - 12:33 am

  Smooth acceleration, quick for a Hyundai. Seats are actually comfortable, as opposed Ford or a Camry where your legs go numb. Look out Japan

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  No automatic running lights?? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Elaine - July 25 - 6:10 pm

  I am over all very pleased with my 2007 Sonata Limited...find it to be quite,comfortable, and a pleasure to drive. Gas milage as represented 21 miles to gallon, city driving,(no jumpstarts for me)

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  Defect after Defect - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By sh5w - July 23 - 3:56 pm

  Hyundai is my 6th new car for past 10 years and itÂ’s my first time to drive Hyundai. But I donÂ’t have that kind of luck any more as I did with my previous 5 cars. I found defect after defect of this Hyundai when I just owned this car less than a month. I already encountered 4 defects since I have had Hyundai less than 10 months, loose hanger bar, broken pump of wind shield fluid tank, visor light out, and break light out. I not only needed to spend time to get those problems fixed at the dealer, but also the even worse part is that I had to pay for some of the fixes, which are not covered by the warranty. I felt that buying Hyundai car is paying for a new car price without a warranty.

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  very good, but... - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alex - July 21 - 4:56 am

  Very good car, not expensive, looks great, powerful

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  It works for me - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By tampadave - July 20 - 2:36 pm

  The price was unbeatable. Ride is smooth. Acceleration for passing is super. I get 24 mpg combined city/hwy which is slightly below my expectations. Ride is smooth. Overall, I believe this auto has great value for the dollar without sacrificing ride or quality. A nice ride, nice looking, and it comes loaded with an awful lot of standard equipment.

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  Happy after a year - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mars - July 20 - 9:33 am

  I have owned my Sonata for almost a year now. I have nothing but praise for this vehicle. We traded in our Ford Explorer and have never looked back. My parents own a Honda Accord and were jealous of the Sonata when the rode in it. They paid more than I did for their 4 cylinder Honda with less features. The only problem we had with our car was a loose driver side mirror. When you take your car into the dealer for maintenance, dont forget to ask them to enable the in motion door autolocking feature which for some reason is disabled when you purchase a Sonata.

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  So far, so good - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By NJ - July 19 - 6:16 am

  Looked at competitive models (including older Sonata) for 2 years and were never satisfied enough to buy. Price always got too high for proper equipment level and fuel mileages were usually too low. The 2011 Sonata looks good on paper and so far, has lived up to Hyundais specs. Performance and handling are more than adequate and fuel mileage is as good as a 4 cylinder small car. Interior room is ample plus. Great setup of dash and controls for driver and the ride is smooth and quiet. The electric assisted power steering took awhile to adjust to but after 1000 miles Im fine with it. In my opinion, this car looks sharp, in and out, and has excellent fit and finish at any price level.

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  2 adults--1 baby - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jimmy - July 14 - 12:03 pm

  Sonata GLS manual--3 year Lease: 15k mi/yr (45k total) no money down (36 payments) $229/mo I have had the car for less than 1 month--greatly enjoying it. We compared the sonata to the accord, camry, mazda6, & altima. The sonata is a wonderful car if youre in the market for a safe family car. The interior is large enough to hold a baby carrier in the back and lots of leg room in the front. The outside looks like an entry-level lexus to me. Gas milage has been more like 24mi/gal so far :( We received a wide range of offers, most of which were near $300. I hope we got a good deal on it; I did the best I could. I dont trust a car salesman further than I can catch him with my wallet.

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  Buyer Beware - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By atmyheels - July 14 - 10:41 am

  This car has been a huge disappointment: it looks sharp but is not mechanically sound. I purchased the car certified pre-owned just over a year ago with under 30K on the odometer. It has been a series of unending problems ever since: all interior windows must be cleaned every 3 to 4 weeks with rubbing alcohol to remove a greasy residue that continually builds up (dealer does not know the cause), the interior smells similar to a wet dog when it rains, the battery was replaced at 35K yet still occasionally dies, both rear tail light assemblies failed causing the tail lights to stop working, and several rattles developed in the dashboard. This is in addition to two recalls.

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  Pleased buyer - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pleased owner - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I read the reviews from the pros and was concerned about the noisy engine remarks, but when I drove it, I was pleased. Engine noise is not so bad, specially if you drive with audio on or drive around busy streets. Noise is no factor, and for the buck much better.