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:

• 

  Walking Hyundai Commercial - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By angelgirl - April 23 - 1:46 pm

  I love this car! I bought it new and have 190000 miles on it. I have had water pump and timing at 100000 miles and those are standard items to go at that mileage. I would recommend this car to anyone and hope to have another brand new Sonata soon!

• 

  Perfect no, but better than expected - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Advancing - April 21 - 2:18 am

  I like this car. It has been very dependable (65K no problems at all) and does everything I want it to do. V6 is better than expected, smooth, quiet and peppy. Not a screamer but I didnt pay for a race car. One minor complaint is the tranny hesitates when it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear just slightly. I was told this is normal, I dont buy it but it hasnt proved to be a problem. Interior is functional and initial critiques questioned the durability of the cloth seats, well they were wrong, good stuff. I bought this car to be functional and dependable, and it has been rock solid. Yea the front end can float a little but it was not a BMW. Bought with 14K for $13.5K. Best car for $.

• 

  Sunroof on 2008 Sonata - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark - April 9 - 8:26 am

  Purchased my 2008 Sonata GLS new in March, 2008. Since Day 1 there has been a rattle in the slider of the sunroof. Dealership 1 had car for one week in July,2008 to fix problem.... still rattled. Took it back, was ignored! Took vehicle to Dealership 2 and they got permission to re-do the sunroof this past January. They found clips were missing in sunroof. Problem still exists! Am now awaiting the same Dist. Mgr. who saw car in June of 2008. After taking car to three dealers like Hyundai asked, I am fed up with all the time spent taking car to dealers. Poor communications between dealerships and Hyundai. Will not recommend Hyundai ever to anyone!

• 

  Great car, poor paint. - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By woodnknoll - April 8 - 8:11 pm

  I bought this car new and have been thrilled with it. Its very reliable, quiet and roomy. Its just a bonus that its cheaper than the competition. After two and a half years though a little problem has come up- the paint is peeling off in sheets! Since it now has over 36000 miles there is no more paint warranty so Im pretty much stuck. It will be a great rolling ad to poor paint adhesion on a Hyundai. This may not be true of other colors or ages, but it sure is on my silver-blue Sonata. If I was Hyundai I sure would want to get these fixed before someone saw it, but thats not the case.

• 

  Watch the rear brakes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By notagain - April 5 - 3:25 pm

  Except for the rear brakes wearing out long before the front ones I dont have any negative thing to say. This issue alone will keep me from buying another Hyundai though. They were not very truthful with the info about the rear brakes. They acted like I was the only one. After reading all these posts it seems like a common flaw.

• 

  Buy one youll be glad you did. - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dan - April 4 - 5:46 pm

  First thing you need to do is spray the seats with stain guard the material on the seats is awfully easy to stain. The car is great rides and drives better then Camry or anything else in its class with a very quick engine, no motor noise comfort is stellar it is very roomy for the size. I just can cant find anything to complain about. It is a great little car and 32 mph mixed driving is not bad. Do that in a Camry I dont think you can and gas will get to about 4.00 a gallon just wait and see. The car is fast no motor noise cant be beat for the money.

• 

  Sonata rebiew - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony - April 4 - 8:20 am

  No problems for five years. Low maintenance vehicle.

• 

  Fun to drive 2006 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By ken - March 29 - 7:15 pm

  We have had ours 2 weeks and love this car so far. Excellent gas mileage fun to drive.

• 

  NOT IMPRESSED - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sad Owner - March 23 - 2:20 pm

  I just got my hyundai sonata serviced because it had this noise coming from the engine and it could be heard from the interior of the car. It made noise when I shifted to drive and reverse. And was loud while driving on the highway. I thought is was the power steering problem because it sounded like it when it is running low in fluid. However, that was not the case, but a solenoid problem. The parts has to be ordered and will call when it arrives. Hopefully, that would fix the problem. If not, according to the service staff, the transmission would have to be replaced. VERY SAD! I had the vehicle for 2 years and put 44,000 miles on it already with regular maintenance. We like to travel!

• 

  Very reliable, annoying however... - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tommy - March 18 - 12:17 am

  Put 100,000 miles on it. Havent had ANY mechanical problems, even after not changing the oil for up to 8-9000 miles at a time. Performed regular maintenance (brake pads, oil, filters, etc) and has never broke down once. The center console is terrible!!!! Too much to list here about it, but for instance.. The cup holders... well is really just one big cup holder, and if you have only one drink in there, it will definitely slide and spill into the gear selector. It is now hard to shift gears from the amount of times this has happened. Grey interior is now brown from dirt, even though I keep it clean. Headlights are impossible to replace by yourself without daylight and lots of patience.