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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  Lots of issues after 3.5yrs - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By DWON - September 4 - 11:57 pm

  At first, I thought. i was smart in buying the Sonata over Accord or Camry, now I regret it. In a few words, car started to fail me in many ways, such as airbag malfunction (light says its not active), headlights frequently burn out, muff, and it will cost over $1.5k to fix), muffler noise ( time and $400 to fix), sunroof noises (really annoying), cracked axel (wth?), and a bunch of small, annoying issues I dont care for or have time to deal with. It was great at first, but the unreliability is starting to show. Pretty disappointed, so I wont be buying Hyundai again.

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  I wish the experience was better. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony Johnston - August 31 - 6:21 am

  I will never buy a Hyundai Sonata again. From the first month I own the car, it has been in out of the dealer twice a month. The greatest problem has been the engine,currently waiting for a replacement engine, then the tall lights and cant forget the front end problems.

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  2013 Sonata burning oil - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By laurafowler14 - July 14 - 5:03 am

  I loved my 2002 Elantra. I needed a larger vehicle so I bought a brand new 2013 Sonata. My Sonata started burning oil around 36,500 miles. I have been going back a fourth to the dealership doing oil consumption tests. After 3 tests, it has burned up 4.5 quarts in about 2,000 miles. I still cant get anyone to fix the problem. Instead, the dealership says I need to do 1,000 more miles of oil consumption tests and corporate says I need to do 3,000 more miles of oil consumption tests. The warranty sounds great but good luck with getting them to fix anything that is covered.

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  You need your warranty if they honor it? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Louie - July 10 - 2:10 pm

  Bouncy ride and poor quality. Rear brake pads worn to rotors at 21,000 miles. Hyundai said rust caused this problem. I have never had a car with rear pads worn to rotors with 21,000 miles. I bought an extended bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years 100,000 miles, but hope I never have to use it because Im sure they will find some excuse not to honor it.

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  Bad Hyundai Quality - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bad Car - July 6 - 1:52 pm

  I have a 2008 Sonata, the brakes are gone after less than 18K miles of very light driving the dealer said that they are not part of the so much advertised hyundai warranty too bad they said. Hey, brakes that do not even last 18K, is this hyundais quality? It seems so I wonder what else will be braking soon. I will never, ever buy a hyundai again, and I advise against buying one. Yes, they are a little cheaper than the Japanese cars, but so much worse! My wife has a Japanese car for over 6 years, over 60K, not a single problem with it! Keep away from hyundai. And, yes, their service, at least here in Henrietta, NY is terrible.

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  Rear Brakes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Miller - June 25 - 10:05 pm

  My rear brakes need replaced at 21,000 miles. Dealer said it was from rust on rotors and caliper pins sticking. Also they said it was because of driving in bad weather. My wife drives this car and very seldom when roads are bad. Replacing pads and resurfacing rotors at 21,000 miles is ridiculous.

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  Sold ours for $500 - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By chapchap70 - June 18 - 12:26 am

  We bought the car when it had about 60,000 miles on it. My wife drove it basically around town. At about 90,000 miles I thought it needed the wheels aligned but our mechanic said the cradle bolt (sub frame) was rotting out and it was unsafe to drive. The part from the dealers cost $1500. We checked availability from junk yards and the common response was laughter. Since we were not the original owners, Hyundai did not offer any recourse. We sold it to a mechanic who said he would take a chance on it.

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  Poor Choice - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By cody - March 19 - 3:33 am

  At 10,000 miles calibers stuck had to have all new brakes and drums, then at 14,000 front breaks had to be replaced. Dealer said it was my driving that cause the brakes to crumble. Needed new belts already, gas mileage stinks. Paint came off door handles so they are now White, all four of them. Interior worn, and I am a single person. Would not recommend this car. Now at 48,000 need new breaks again, rear calibers stuck once again, but then it is always my fault. Dont buy a 4 cylinder, you have to turn off heat or air to get on the freeway, and pray when you go up a hill. No matter what a salesman says this model in a 4 is not like a 6. Have driven my daughters Toyota and her 4 has no problem.

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  Im done with this car and Hyundai Motor Co. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By andrewg55 - March 10 - 5:41 am

  Love the styling and power from the 2.4 motor, but thats about it. The gas mileage is not what it is supposed to be, get about 21 City and never see over 32 HWY. The "leather" seats are cheap and hard. The suspension is rough and steering feels fake. The car has had transmission issues, steering recalls, brake sensor problems causing the car to not start, water leaks causing me to take the car in 4 times and eventually having to have a Hyundai engineer determine that the roof was not sloped right and then they had to do body work on the car to correct it! XM antenna shorted out and headliner had to be replaced all do to this problem.

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  Bad car!! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Roomraider33 - January 28 - 8:58 pm

  We bought this car with 68000 miles on it. The car was nice looking more on the richy side. when we drove it for more the 25 minutes the trany got hot. To back up it felt like you hit someone when you didnt. The paint on the bumpers would come up every time i washed it. Then the air bag light came on if we repair it the cost will be $1000. The spark plugs needed replaced well that bill was $400 because the had to take part of the motor to change them. loved the inside but overall bad bad car!!!!!!!