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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  Kenny,s dream - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mesmorized - January 4 - 5:33 am

  dream to drive, look for every excuse to go on highway, tour whole neighbourhood just to get milk at corner store, extremely quiet and smooth, passing power on highway simply beautiful

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  Awesome - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By fdas - January 3 - 2:00 am

  This car is amazing, got the base model with a moonroof, and automatic, power everything, and i got a hell of a deal at $13,000 brand new! with the warranty, how could anyone go wrong?

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  A Sonata in A+ Major - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By A Sonata in A+ Major - December 27 - 5:13 pm

  Theres a reason users give it a 9.7 and Efmunds only 7.8. Edmunds was only with it for a few hours. Live with this car and you will love looking at it before you get in and love it even more behind the wheel. First, it looks and feels more like a Benz than a Hyundai. I still cant believe I bought a Hyundai and Im lovin every moment of it. Got a Limited in Black. Wow, does this car sparkle. And does it get looks from others. I had 2 guys in a new Porsche Turbo convertible turn around once they past me just to look at the front. The car speaks luxury. And all for very little $$. I had a 2007 Camry XLE with V-6 and got tired of this boring car and seeing myself coming and going.

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  Great little inexpensive car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By shoesalive - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle picked out by the wife to replace 93 Maxima. She liked the way it looked and handled. Passed over Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry. I love to drive it and I own Chrysler 300. Handling is great. Price is unbelievaable. Long range durablility could be an issue but bumper to bumper warrenty is unsurpassed.

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  Overall Great Purchase "But". - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By John of Columbus NC - December 24 - 9:06 pm

  Purchased this vehicle after trading in a 2009 Honda CRV EX-L. Loved the Honda but tired of the SUV. The Hyundai is everything I expected except I have a noise under the dash that drives me crazy whenever I go over a speed bump or drive on a secondary road, I read about this noise in other owner reviews but was hoping it would not happen to me. My Honda never had a noise like this. It sounds like something is loose and it is a "plastic" like noise. I will ask my dealer to fix it during my first service. If he cant, I will really regret my purchase regardless of price.

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  Awesome Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By DLegend - December 22 - 1:36 pm

  Pretty Comfy ride. SE is more rough, but the limited is smooth. I am confident that you can get a loaded Limited w/o nav for 23,5 or 24 as opposed to the MSRP. The engine though deceivingly small, is pretty powerful. People complain about not having a V-6, but unless you live in a hilly rural or suburban area, I dont see the point at all. I think Hyundai did good finally after all these years. They convinced me, and I admit I used to laugh at Hyundai until recently. Ultimately we bought this car for the safety, feel, warranty and looks. Cant comment about reliability just yet, although the Sonata has been doing good in the past couple of years. But we are very optimistic!

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  2000 Sonata, good for the money - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By fish - December 21 - 2:00 am

  Weve beem pleased with the car. So far (weve driven it about 14,000 miles) the car has been great. The car drives well, has upscale features, and no maintenance problems so far. There have been several manufacturer recalls and the Renton dealership has been good to work with.

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  Eve - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Christmas Eve - December 20 - 2:00 am

  Experience has been great. I drive approximately 40 miles a day, and so the new car has made my commute much more bearable.

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  A#1 FAUX EURO-CRUISER - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bucksLXURIATE - December 18 - 7:13 pm

  Not a 6i in corners but solid.Quiet,refined,stately Buick-like ride and build quality.Astonishingly competent,loud tunes in base pkg.-if you can lose the roof check out the sound system and save the 1.4 grand.Two quotes for 799.00 to bump up to a 10 year wrap on the B2B warranty- 12k mi. or 1 year to do it.Huge upgrade over the previous generation in the engine/looks dept.-this car is especially handsome in Ebony or Deepwater blue,Cinnamon too.Trans does very well and is smooth,mud guards easy install,oil filter on TOP of the new,powerful 3.3 plant.If had black leather I would be in heaven rather than on cloud9.At 21,495 after 2k in rebates coupled with base warr.equals no-brainer/win-win.

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  I love this car!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By RickBell - December 14 - 5:50 am

  I cant explain it but I love this car. My friends were skeptical and kept saying, "A Hyundai?". But yes, this car kicks major butt in performance and styling when compared to the Accord and Camry. I look forward to driving this car. I am changing jobs and will be driving 62 miles round trip per day and I am excited! My LX is bright silver with leather, tinted windows, sunroof with wind guard, spoiler, and sporty 17" low profile tires with 5 spoke alloys. This car turns heads, and for as long as it performs as it has through the first 4200 miles, I will be the best salesman Hyundai could ask for. I urge anyone looking to get a quality mid sized sedan to seriously look at the 2006 Sonata.