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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  Great car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom - June 25 - 6:43 pm

  The 2009 limited model is one great car. Loads of standard equipment at a decent price. The interior is very upscale. We could not be happier with the vehicle. The ride and performance are very good and we are getting over 26mpg in mostly city driving.

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  A great car and buy - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By bob mcneill - June 25 - 7:20 am

  It was love at first sight. I first saw the 2011 Sonata in the rear view mirror of my 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, also a wonderful vehicle. After reading reviews of the car in Car and Driver and Motor Trend, I started shopping around for one, and purchased the Limited edition. Its absolutely a marvelous car . It drives great, the ride is smooth and it has all the power that one could want. The styling is spectacular as is the gas mileage. I have just returned from a 1,200 mile round trip from Md. to Michigan, and averaged 38.6 miles per gallon at highway speeds. The Limited edition has all the luxury features of autos priced at many thousand dollars more.

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  Fun reliable and gas mizer - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony - June 23 - 12:16 pm

  The deal for this car was very easy. The ride is fun and the car is beautiful. My wife kept it for her and gave me the Infinity. We took it to the coast to break it in and got 38 MPG. There is a little road noise but overall this car is great for the price, would recommend it highly.

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  Great Ride so far! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Keith Cohen - June 22 - 10:41 am

  Great price point and ride is just what I was looking for. Just wish the fan was more intense.

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  A lot of good, a little bad - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Leo - June 22 - 10:39 am

  I put about 40,000 miles on a 2013 Altima before trading for this as an end-of-model year. I also tested a 2015 Fusion and Malibu along the way, as well as a 2014 demo Cadillac CTS V-Sport. The good news on the Hyundai is that the acceleration seems much better than most professional reviewers give it credit for. It is much quicker than the Altima 2.5 was, and that stop-light bobble (lugging from the CVT) just isnt there. The car is roomy, more so than a Fusion and much more so than the Malibu, though the Altima gets the edge for better long-drive seat comfort. The Hyundai looks very sharp (possibly losing in this segment only to the Fusion), and everyone who has been in it noted the quality of the materials (better than the Altima and Fusion, though maybe less than a top-of-the-line but pricier Accord). The dash lines are clean; they will never be mistaken for the sheer elegance of a Jaguar XF, but are much less distracting than the chromed plastic so abundant in the Caddy. It has memory seats, for which you would need to drop $40K on the Platinum version of a Murano or Maxima to get from anything in the Nissan line. The 16 Altimas have 12 way power seats, but no memory... Id be tweaking for a week every time my wife drove it !! Hyundai also ties the side mirrors into the memory, so you push one button and life goes back to where it should be. The car tracks very straight, though in all honesty, it took about three times behind the wheel to get the feel of it. Drive it, get out and walk around, and drive it again to see what I mean. Its almost like the car has to get used to you, rather than the other way around. The D-steering wheel looks sharp, but is not real smooth when used in daily life. The heated & ventilated front seats work very well and hold snugly during corners. The heated back seats are a really nice touch. The back-up camera locates objects precisely, and follows the curve of the steering wheel (cough, Altima dont, cough). The display is mounted high enough to make for much easier viewing than most competitors, though the back-up sensors will ping the crown of the road when you back out of an angled driveway. The driver protection (lane drift and collision warning) work well, and less intrusively than the Cadillac CTS. Im personally not found of the concept.. all we need is another toy to make drivers lazier, but it does work. The bad lies mostly in the electronics suite. You have one button to cycle through the climate control settings, so you have to look over and push the button several times if you had to run the defroster. I will note the HVAC system works really well; its just the control thats lacking. The Sonata links quickly to your phone, but Altima would read texts to you and let the other end know you were driving. If you can do that in the Hyundai, I havent figured out how. The most serious gripe is (and the Edmunds guys and the Hyundai salesmen kind of gloss over this) is that you have to subscribe to the Hyundai service and use a smart phone to be able to use the remote car start. This is beyond stupid... may all you app-lovers be rendered impotent by your dad-gummed toys ! GIVE ME A BUTTON ON THE FOB like any normal car. The nav system, on the other hand, is excellent, with a large display and actually shows the speed limit of 95% of the roads... it even detects school zones. The sound system is surprisingly bland for an Infinity unit, though Im still tweaking the settings. Ive driven in light rain with no issues, but no other weather I can report on. My general opinion is that the car is superior dollar-for-dollar to the Altima and the Malibu, and that you could probably get a slightly better Fusion or Accord, but youd be laying out quite a bit more cash. If they fix the electronics, this would be a great car. Option you should get that I didnt- heated steering wheel, though the HVAC system is quick to remedy the cold.

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  Love my sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By fred - June 21 - 9:56 pm

  The 2011 sonata is the best car for the money. I like everything about it,

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  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By TWA - June 21 - 7:53 pm

  Time will tell. Weve had this car for less than a month and the fuel economy is incredible!! We went 445 miles on one fill-up. Impressed with this vehicle.

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  Biggest regret in my life (car purchase) - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michael McAleese - June 17 - 7:41 pm

  I traded in my 2014 Sonata Limited 2.0 for a fully loaded 2015 Sonata Sport Ultimate 2.0 in January. I have regretted this purchase within a week of purchasing this car. Pros: solid acceleration, roomy, beautiful Orange color, fairly priced Cons: the panaramic sunroof has rattled since the 3rd day of purchase, Hyundai isnt sure how to fix it. My Antenna had to be replaced due to my GPS not working properly and not my blue link app wont connect to my car. The engine sounds like it is a diesel, it is loud and shakes violently from time to time, all of which I was told his normal. They blame it on the high pressure fuel pump. The road noise is louder then advertised. Now my keyfob wont lock my car. I wanted to love this car, I really loved my 2014 but I wanted the Orange sport model.

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  Blue storm - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By racchi - June 16 - 4:30 pm

  Thats the name I have dubbed my 2013 Sonata. Was looking for something more fuel efficient after my trusty 4runner was totaled. Cross shopped some small SUVs and midsize sedans. In the end, the Sonata had the right mix of value, style, and performance. Rode better than the Tucson, CX 5 suvs. More personality and value vs Camry and Accord and more comfortable than Altima.

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  Bye-bye Toyota - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By roni - June 15 - 8:56 am

  Ive only had the car for less than 2 weeks and love driving in it. I had a Toyota Camry before and this has everything the Camry had and then some. You get more for your money with this car. The standard features are what make this car so great.