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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  Dont trust Hyundai Warranty - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By kd_singh - May 25 - 6:31 pm

  Despite all the claims by Hyundai on having a great warranty..the Hyundai commitment to service is not trust worthy.. The general guideline to the dealership is avoid accepting the faults in the car..till the warranty runs out..Once its run out they start pointing out faults that you have always been asking them to repair... simply the Hyundai approach is to avoid acceptance of any fault in the cars..temporary fix the problem when customer insists or adamant. Buy it if you just want to keep it for 60, 000 miles..after that it is your risk..no matter how well you kept your car..it will haunt you! whatever was fixed once will break again!

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  Calling all recalls - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By disabledvet84 - May 15 - 10:06 pm

  Like most cars, the 2002 Sonata has its recalls and defects, at first this car was rated very high in customer satisfaction and industry standards, for the most part this still holds true despite recall defects... what i find interesting about the bad features of this vehicle is not that its a bad car but that simply stated, The only thing bad about this car is mainly small recall issues in its performace design. what i really like about the company is thats they are quick to investigate any problems with this car to fix any malfunctions free of cost...5 stars here..thats called trust!

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  Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By no1 - May 12 - 7:14 am

  Dont buy a Hyundai. The 06 Sonata is my 4th of 5 Hyundais. At 74,000 miles the airbag warning light came on. The dealer wants $1100 to replace the seat sensor. Asked for assistance from Hyundai. No thanks,its 15,000 miles out of warranty. Still has powertrain though. This is the second time ive asked Hyundai to repair a safety issue out of the base warranty and the second time theyve refused. That wont happen with Toyota or Honda.So dont buy a Hyundai. When the cars age and safety issues happen,they will show you to the curb.

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  Buy a Ford - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By rotag - May 11 - 7:21 pm

  Bought this car with 16,000 miles in Jan 09 and a 08 Ford Fusion with 10,000 miles in Feb 09. Both have 45k now and the Fusion hasnt had one issue, zero. the Hyundai has had so many issues I cant mention them all here. Additionally, I caught the dealer ripping me off. Hyundai corporate is terrible and doesnt care. Had issue with fuel tank where after the pump would shut off when filling the tank with gas it would "burp" and spit up gas...took 7 trips to the dealership to fix. Have replaced all 4 tires and all 4 brakes...again no issues with Ford. The only saving grace is the repairs are covered under warranty although Id rather have a call without a warranty that wont break.

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  A Pig with Lipstick - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By newburgh_jim - May 10 - 9:03 am

  I shopped around and the Sonata seemed to be the best value at the time. I was wrong, as they say "You get what you pay for". In the first week I noticed the ride just felt cheap and the tires squealed going around corners. I had to replace the back breaks at under 20k miles because the original set stuck or something and cooked the back rims and actualy browned the hub caps. Worse yet, I had to pay for this obvious manufacture defect. Poor fuel economy and with 44k miles as of 11 May, 2011 average fuel economy is 20.9! Tires were rotated but had to be replaced at around 22k miles. I do not abuse my vehicles and all maintenance was on time. Now the engine is ticking loudly.

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  2007 Sonata peeling paint problem - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By brossart - May 7 - 7:47 pm

  I bought my 2007 Hyundai Sonata new, and at that time, I thought it was a good car, but I have since changed my mind. After an electrical short in the steering column, rear brake problems, engine computer malfunction, and now bubbling and peeling paint, I have had enough. Warranty covered most of the problems, but since my Sonata has 43,000 miles on it, Hyundai won’t cover the peeling paint, because the paint is only warranted for 3years 36,000 miles. The paint is so thin on this car that when driven on the highway, even bugs cause chipping of the paint on the front bumper and on the hood of the car. This appears to be a sub-standard paint job. Paint should not be peeling off this soon.

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  Reliable Driver - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By superlative28 - May 2 - 10:41 am

  Got this vehicle from my mother 4 years ago. Has been very reliable with no major repairs required to this point. Comfort of seats is fair and interior design on base model is bland but it gets the job done.

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  Master Cylender - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By colorado18 - April 27 - 2:00 pm

  i was having trouble getting fluid to the brakes. I had it looked at by 2 people was told its the master cylender. Dealer ship ignored me the first time i took in in and said i should get my brakes replaced. I did what they said and the issue was still there. I had to tell them again that the master cylender is not pumping fluid to the brakes. They argued with me and i got so angry with them i will never buy another hyundai again. They do not deserve my money. After they looked at the car and come to find out the master cylender was broken like i said. The worst customer service ever and i dont recomment hyundai to anyone.

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  Amazing Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By dog32 - April 25 - 2:03 pm

  This car is amazing, we bought it brand new and Im glad I bought it. This car has never let me down, the winters are tough around here and the car can handle it better than any other car weve ever owned, The backseat cupholder did break and the pouch in the rear seat ripped, but other than that its in pretty good conditon for being a four year old car, not even any rust! I would so buy it again, it,s AWESOME!

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  Oh Hyundai...Youve come a long way - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By asb81689 - March 19 - 11:33 pm

  This is my second Sonata, my first one was a 04. I have a LX with leather, and I must say, what an excellent car.. Im beyond happy I bought his over a Accord. Its been a problem free car and rides like its on clouds. My friends are amazed at the ride quality, how smooth and quite the 3.3 V6 is. Its not the fastest sedan out there, but it gets the job done. I really do like the styling of each Sonata generation, starting from 2002 and up. My Sonata is almost at 70K miles, and feels new. A teenager texting on his phone rear ended me, he had to be going 15-20mph, his air bags deployed, yet mine didnt (Thank god), and the best part is, there wasnt a dent on my bumper! Just a paint chip