Value, reliability, and good performance with room for improvement
The 2023 Sonata provides very good value at a reasonable price - especially in today's market. Highway driving is actually fun, with the Sonata engine generating above-average power without complaint. You'll be hitting 100 before you know it. Around town the Sonata works a little harder, tending to shift rather late from first to second a bit noisy. Burst speed is better in the higher gears, where the Sonata runs like a champ. The design improves with every model year, but the comfort doesn't. My 2023 Sonata is only marginally more comfortable than my former 2001 Sonata - specifically the seats. There's plenty of leg room - I'm 6'2" - and width, but the seats are harder than they should be. The shallow tires don't help the ride if you're on a bumpy street. This bow to the popular trend is a mistake, in my opinion. If you like your car to assist you during traffic, the Sonata has features like lane keeping and proximity sensors. While I find the latter useful, I turned off lane keeping as it is not practical - and even detrimental - in heavy traffic when you need to take evasive action. Also, when backing the Sonata will sometimes automatically and abruptly engage the brake whether or not something is coming toward it. This is a "smart" feature I could do without. All that said, I still believe the Sonata is absolutely worth the money. It's super reliable and fairly maintenance-free. Modern, sporty design with excellent gas mileage (I average about 30 in town and 35 highway). Overall, a great bargain compared to similar cars in the same class. That's why this is my third Sonata in the last 25 years.
Recommended