2019 Hyundai Sonata Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
I am spending 2.5 hours every working day in the car: to me it is not choosing "just a car", but a second home and office. I have invested a lot of time in selecting a new vehicle. Here are the reasons I did not buy competitors: Accord EX (pros: awesome screens and interior quality, nice open layout, camera on the mirror, handling; cons: suspension is on the stiffer side, road imperfections are quite noticeable). Altima (pros: the most comfortable seats; cons: engine noise, no Android Auto(AA)). Fusion (great car overall, but the cabin layout is claustrophobic and rear seat room is the smallest, no AA). 2016 Malibu (looks awesome, but the ride is on a stiffer side and interior is simply "fine"). Camry LE (everything is in place, but it lacks Android Auto/Apple Car, which serves as a live personal assistant during the trip). Sonata is the car where all my stars have lined up: it has definitely the smoothest ride of the bunch, the car irons out all the cracks in the pavement - you do not feel them nor hear them. Sonata is the quietest car on a highway - no tire noise, no wind noise, it feels and rides like a luxury car, even though I got the entry level model without a single option. Cabin layout is very open, you constantly "feel" spaciousness especially with the light interior (light gray or beige). Sonata has a very confident handling, and there is absolutely no "floatiness" as you would normally feel with soft suspensions. Entry-level model comes with the most equipment compared to the cars above: nice 7" screen with lots of features (XM data - traffic, weather), high-quality HD backup camera, AA works great, seats are comfortable on my long rides, and the price tag is unbelievable if you know how to negotiate - very low 18,000s. The sound system generates an unexpectedly good sound quality - it is not what you would think to get in a "stripped-down model". Paired with the cabin quietness the sound is very good. If you choose very nice options like panoramic sunroof, heated/cooled leather seats and a plethora of safety/electronic features, adaptive cruise control, super stereo system - prepare to pay at least 50% more. In my case - it was not worth "half the car", but everyone is different. Confession: I really loved those options, but then brain overruled my feelings and desires. Paired with 5 year full/10-year powertrain warranty and very low maintenance costs this Sonata SE is my perfect choice to be my 2nd home/office for the next 5 years.
VS
Critical Review
I've owned my 2015 Sonata Limited since Dec 2014. The car has a lot of room and a good ride. Fuel economy has been dissapointing, about 5 mpg less than the sticker claimed. Driving has been a problem. The car will not track straight and wonders from side to side on the highway. Overall I wish I had not purchased the car and I plan to sell it as soon as I can.
2019 Sonata Reviews
Showing 8 of 213 reviews.
Comfortable modern interior. Functional if uninspiring driving. Low sticker price.
Unreliable engine. The paint will peel. High maintenance costs.
Will start with the good. I really like the interior. It seemed to fit like a glove for me. I didn't feel as boxed in as I did with other cars. It has the creature comforts and conveniences that would be expected at the price point. A little underwhelming on the road but good enough. Now for the bad. The engine reliability is awful. This thing burns oil like nothing I have seen before. This should not happen at 60,000 miles with regular maintenance. The recommended oil change interval for this vehicle needs to be lowered. With very frequent oil changes and engine flushes this car may stand a chance to make it to a more respectable mileage. Because it's a dirty burning engine expect higher maintenance bills for cleaning and replacing parts that prematurely get carbon coated. Like the throttle body and spark plugs. The service charges will quickly add up and might not even prevent premature engine failure. It's well known by Hyundai that these engines are unreliable. If you are under warranty you might be able to convince the dealer to replace the engine if you documented everything and are persistent. Make sure to read the fine print because if you're not the first owner you're very likely not under warranty anymore. Finally the paint job is abysmal. The paint started peeling off when the car was only about 5 years old! After warranty expiration of course. It went all the way down to bare metal so it starts to rust. The white paint is especially prone to peeling. I recommend to never consider a Hyundai or Kia vehicle. I never will again. It's low quality garbage wrapped in an appealing package with good marketing.
Comfortable and a good road car
We purchased the vehicle new and currently have 96k miles on it. We have done routine maintenance and repairs. Gone on several long road trips. Comfortable reliable car.
Economic
Early engine dead
I bought this 5 years ago is an excellent car.
Good gas miledge
Overall junk
Save yourself headaches and buy a reputable import. These will work in a pich but the 16 I had was just problematic, period. Recalls, defective paint, side mirrors innoperative, oil consumption etc, just to name a few.
Performance, stylish & good gas
Engine will blow
I bought mine in 2019 with less than 20k miles on it, was absolutely amazing performance wise and gas mileage. Very spacious and had little to no issues with it. Had recalls that were fixed immediately, did routine maintenance and absolutely loved driving it. I always did long roadtrips (military) and was always confident with it. After 100k miles it was driving great no lights on the dash, just had an oil change done and the engine blew randomly and went into limp mode. I was quoted 10 grand for a new one, no thanks. It was a great car for 5 years, but be mindful that once you hit 100k you could be stranded on the side of the road lol
Excellent condition and run well, no known issues. One owner and everything works properly, thanksss
Purchase Price, Fuel Economy
Reliability, Quality
We bought it brand new in 2015. It was good and trouble free for the first few years. Regular services performed at the dealership. Lots of recalls needed along the way. There was always hesitation when accelerating from a stop. Never had it looked at, thinking it was normal. Front left coil spring rusted through and broke at about 65,000 miles. Fuel door release stopped working about the same time. First transmission replaced at 78,000 miles under warranty. Hybrid relay failed at 124,000 miles ($1700 to repair). Second transmission having issues at 125,000 miles.
Super comfortable, Great MPG
High chance of engine failure
This car is a big gamble. If you know anything about Hyundai's in general, you know what I mean. Car gets amazing MPG at 37-38 mpg on the highway. Also very comfortable and it had a lot of tech features for a base model. I commuted 120 miles a day for work and did all routine maintenance on this car. Never missed an oil change, tire rotation, etc. Car's engine blew at 103K miles. Rod connector bearing failed and destroyed the engine. Very common problem with these Hyundai's. A recall for this exact problem was put out for Hyundai's, but my specific model was not part of the recall.. Somehow.. I shelled out 6500 for a new engine and immediately got rid of it. I later learned that it's considered a miracle if these cars make it past 150K miles on the OG engine..
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