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:

• 

  2006 Sonata Great Ride - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By g_man - October 5 - 3:33 am

  This is my 3rd Sonata in 10 yrs. The last one was a 02 Sonata. Had 55,000 miles on it when I traded it for the new 06 GLS Sonata. Still drove like a brand new one. Main reason for trading was the new design and the 3.3 6cyl with the dual exhaust. And ofcourse the peace of mind of having the new warranty for 6 more yrs (bumper to bumper) Very quite ride and very fast. Got the cloth seats instead of leather this time. The seats are very comfort and fit to you body. Saved alot of money by going thru this site and doing your homework on prices. Get the dealer quotes from the links off of this web site. You will save thousands before you walk into the door. Internet Sales Dept is the best way.

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Muppet - October 4 - 7:54 pm

  Purchased this car used with 70000 miles on it. This car looks and drives great with the V6. Fuel economy is very good. AC is good. Reliabilty is superb. I put 1100 miles a week on it and have had no problems. In the passed 60K I have replaced two sets of tires, timing belt, spark plugs, headlight bulb, oil and tranny fluids. I am so impressed with this Hyundai and still like its ability...

• 

  Excellent Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jack Morgan - October 4 - 12:33 pm

  Pleased in almost every way with new 06 V6 LX Sonata. It drives great and looks great. No problems after 5,000 miles. Gas mileage is a bit disappointing getting only about 26 mpg highway. Steering wheel radio controls should be improved to allow changing between preset channels and the trip computer controls should be added to the steering wheel radio controls like those found on other cars. Many impressive safety features like stability control and dual side airbags arent even available on most other cars in class. Overall all I love the car. I have no regrets in trading in my 2003 Nissan Altima which was a good car but didnt hold a candle to Sonatas builty quality or performance.

• 

  Kudos to Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By geminilaf - October 4 - 2:00 am

  More value for the money than Honda and Toyota for thousands less.

• 

  2006 Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bae146 - October 3 - 10:03 pm

  This is my first new car in 10 years. It is a complete joy to drive. I am so glad I picked it over the honda and toyota. Not because they are not also great cars but with the hyindai you get the same type of car for thousands less.

• 

  I like the car very much. - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ken Dranchek - October 2 - 8:06 pm

  Purchased new Sonata; Silver, SE in March 2016. 2300 miles on the odo. Replaced OEM Khumo Solus tires with Continental TrueContacts at 900 miles. Transformed the cars ride and handling, much quieter, as well. Im breaking in the car using the manual shift mode because the full automatic-normal setting lugs the engine. Have recently begun driving in full automatic in the Sport setting. The shift points in Auto-Sport are very close to the shift points I was using in manual shift mode. The engine stumbles when moving away from a dead stop in full-auto but not in manual shift mode. Hoping Hyundai soon owns-up to this fault and issues a TSB to increase the engine idle speed. Slight rattle from the glove box area over rumble strips. Will wait until it is constant before taking to the dealer for repair. I will change the oil and filter at 3000 miles per the owners manual and will use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic with factory oil filters. By accident, I discovered the mat in the trunk is reversible. Access to the engine air filter and cabin filter is very easy. Getting 29.8 mpg so far.

• 

  Need new suspension - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ottok - September 29 - 6:51 pm

  Overall I have been pretty happy with my 07 Sonata GLS. No technical or mechanical issues yet after 20,000 miles. My biggest problem has been the suspension which is designed for a light bicycle. Bumpy roads provides very strong feedback into steering wheel. Bottoming out is donw easily. So you Hyundai engineer lear from Honda Accord.

• 

  Sell/Trade after 6-7 years - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By sarah - September 28 - 6:11 pm

  Was happy with my purchase, even though I had a lot of warranty work done on it during the first 5 years. Beginning in the 7th yr., Ive dished out more money for repairs than I care to remember, every six months or so. Nothing less than $200 each trip to the service dept! Now, for the past 2 yrs., Im paying for repairs every other month, in the neighborhood of $700-900 per visit. Ive owned other Brands that didnt have the problems Im having with this Sonato! It drives like a dream, but these costly repairs are a nightmare. Dont think Ill buy another Hyundai. I normally keep a vehicle 10-12 yrs, before buying a new one, but dont think I can put up with these problems much longer!!

• 

  What an Amazing Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Syitalian25 - September 28 - 1:56 am

  I love this car! It has a ton of standard features, handles great, nice power, and best of all is the quality. Inside and out my $22500 car looks like it cost well over $30000. At least a dozen people have mentioned how great this car looks at random places, and thats only in 3 weeks!

• 

  Oh, What a feeling! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mbxz - September 27 - 4:13 am

  I picked up the 2011 Sonata SE with Pkg 4 (Nav and Sunroof) at $24,600.00 plus tax, tags, title, doc (total price: $26,657.00) a couple of days ago. I drove about 180 miles back home (NJ) from the dealer (MD). This car is beautiful and drives like dream. Its got everything: tight cornering, good suspension, very well laid interior design, beautiful gauge cluster, very well integrated navigation system and very well appointed seats. This car accelerates with grace and reaches 80-100 in no time. Mercedes, The is the first (family) car that ever excited me in driving. Luxury brand cars such as Lexuses on the road looked silly and ugly as I enjoyed Sonatas ride and beauty on the trip back.