2009 Hyundai Sonata Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Hyundai Sonata:

The Sonata is no sports car, but it is powerful enough to keep your attention, while the suspension-front double wishbones with coil springs, rear multilink with coils-is firm enough and the steering responsive enough to keep you engaged.

-- AutoWeek

The midsize Hyundai sedan hits just the right styling note ... conservative yet elegant, with a subtle exterior color palette.

-- Cars.com

Kudos to Hyundai for making curtain side airbags, ABS, and stability control standard on every Sonata, not just more-expensive top-line models.

-- Consumer Guide

The Shiftronic automatic transmission moves between gears smoothly, kicking down for passing with minimal hesitation.

-- New Car Test Drive

The 2006 Hyundai Sonata's interior marks a major step up the quality ladder. Some rough edges on a few plastic molds and a less-than-lustrous finish on some dash panels are the only shortcomings we noticed.

-- New Car Test Drive

What reviewers liked least about the Hyundai Sonata:

On the down side, the terrycloth-like interior on the base model looks like an old robe I recently stuck in a Goodwill bag.

-- Cars.com

...front seats can be uncomfortable

-- Edmunds.com

Hyundai Sonata Comparisons:

The trunk even offers more space than the Accord and Nissan Altima. Only the Camry beats the Sonata when it comes to trunk room.

-- Cars.com

This vehicle not only sets a new standard for cost-effectiveness in a family sedan, it pushes even higher the already lofty levels of safety equipment and interior room in the class.

-- Cars.com

Against the competition, which has been refining its suspension technology for much longer than Hyundai, the Sonata feels less polished, less of a whole. Not that there's anything wrong or necessarily lacking in the ride and handling, just that some of the transitions, in direction and between types and qualities of pavements, aren't as smooth as the look and feel of the Sonata promises.

-- New Car Test Drive

Best one-liner about the Hyundai Sonata:

Right out of the box, we'd argue this car could forever change people's minds about how they feel about Hyundai.

-- AutoWeek