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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  A nice car for the price - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By ggabriel1226 - October 10 - 1:34 pm

  I have been impressed with the car so far. I have owned it for 8 months and it has been good so far. You cant beat the warranty on the car either

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  Feeling Mislead - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By ken1584 - October 9 - 9:57 pm

  Never again, Hyundai. I chose this car over the Camry and Accord based on the ride and rich set of features that were advertised with it. The Blue Link option was what tipped me over the edge in going the Hyundai. Its been three months since I bought the car and Ive found that some of those Blue Link options were just vaporware...items that were advertised, but never materialized. Things like Geo Fencing and Valet and Speed Alert, which were prominently advertised when I bought the car are still not available in my car and no longer appear on Hyundais marketing site.

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  Ok car, thats about it. - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rental car critic - October 9 - 3:50 am

  I rented a 2017 GLS model with the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine. We took it to Columbus Ohio from TN, so I had some time to get aquainted with it. The car only had 3 miles on it when we started off. It got pretty darn good gas mileage. I averaged 35.1 Mpg for the whole trip, that included city, highway, and idling for a while. However it seems the gas mileage came at the cost of power. Which happens, but the lack of power from the engine was very agravating while trying to merge in city traffic. The lack of ANY grunt at city speeds got old quick. Highway was ok. The seats are ok for short trips, but seemed uncomfortable to me for long trips. I mean, you have to get out and stretch on long trips, thats a given. But the seats were just plain uncomfortable after about 45min-1 hour of driving. The instruments and dash were pretty nice and oriented well. AC was great. Radio/bluetooth were great. Lights and steering were good. Glad it has a blindspot mirror installed. The windshield was a little short for me and im 62. I had the seat adjusted as low as possible, still had to lean it back a bit. It would be a great highway car if it were just more comfortable. For stop and go and city merging, it needs more grunt. Overall id say it would be a good choice for getting you to work and dropping the kid off at school. But not for trips unless you pack icy-hot and ibuprophen.

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  2007 Hyandai Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By jrh - October 7 - 10:10 am

  Feels powerful and quiet on the road.

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  Switched from Toyota - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By David Schryer - October 6 - 1:46 am

  I had intended to purchase a Toyota Camry because of strong satisfaction with previous Toyotas. However, the Sonata has more front head room and leg room than the Camry, which is important to me because Im 65" tall. Also I like the looks of the Sonata better than the new Camry. The fact that the Sonata does not have an engine immobilizer system, which is standard in the new Camrys, also influenced me. I feel strongly that potentially unwanted features, such as an engine immobilizer, should be optional not unavoidable. Ive only had my Sonata for a little over a week, but so far Im very pleased with it. I bought the 4-cylinder GLS model for fuel economy and find it to be quite peppy.

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  Under valued no regrets - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rob - October 5 - 9:18 am

  Hated cold steering wheels and interior noise. This car eliminated both. With heated steering wheel & seats my 75th winter isnt nearly as tough to take. Talking on phone is better in this car than in the house, much quieter. Safety features with sound alerts backing up and lane changing definitely will keep me behind the wheel as I age. Handling at higher speeds is most reassuring and makes driving a pleasure. Possible Icy road sound alert was a little puzzling until I waded through the thick manual. Would be great if they just put a demonstration on YouTube for all the equipment loaded in this well thought out sedan.

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  Pretty much what I expected - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By woiferl - October 5 - 4:54 am

  If you do your homework, this car doesnt offer many surprises. However, I would say the comfort and engine arent as terrible as some say it is. Its a family sedan, so you wont do 0-60 races that often. Theres some turbo lag to get it off the line. However, the mid-range strength is about what youd expect from 245hp and does not disappoint. Plus, if you need more agility, you can use the shifter paddles and youll be zipping around fast enough to guarantee tickets. The seats in the Sport are stiffer, but also provide more lateral support - they are not Mercedes quality, but then you can get a loaded Sport for less than $25K. In terms of value, this one is hard to beat.

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  Go for it - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul - October 5 - 3:56 am

  I went from a bare bones Accent to the Sonata Limited because it was time to move up. I have never owned a car with power anything, cruise, cd, etc. I took my time and checked out other models. It took 6 months or more researching test driving and contimplating price and dealerships. One saturday I test drove 13 cars. Nothing really came close for the price and comfort. I am a large man and the room was incredable. My son (6) sat in the back behind me and he had plenty of knee room. My wife enjoys the heated seats along with all the room she has for her legs. I would recomend this car to anyone. I plan on keeping this car for a long time. Its to comfotable.

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  Great Car to Drive - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Allan - October 4 - 8:20 pm

  Purchased the 2011 Sonata GLS with Navigation package and upgraded stereo system. The car is fun to drive with great handling, great lexus like ride and roomy interior. Hyundai has scored a home run with the design and performance, great gas mileage and interior dash design. The Dimension stereo system has only average speakers and should be improved. Otherwise, i am pleased with the vehicle for a great price under 25K. It is hard to get a better car with all the features of the 2011 Sonata for under 25K.

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  Some good things some bad - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dadams1000 - October 4 - 6:29 pm

  While most of my Sonata experience is good some things I dont like 1) When starting the car when the engine is cold I believe there is excessive noise, have told the dealer about it had them come out to my house so they could start it cold. They tell me its the fuel pump and the noise is normal. 2) The site lines to the rear are terrible. 3) The horn sounds like a bike horn. 4) I have owned the car for just over a year and I got aprox. 27mpg for the first 6500 miles. Since then mpg has gone down to aprox. 24 mpg. I have talked to the dealer about it but they tell me there are no error codes and ???.Overall I like the car but dont think Id buy another.