2022 Hyundai Sonata Reviews, Pricing & Specs

In the early years of the Sonata's existence, it was evident that Hyundai was doing its best to mimic the leaders in the midsize car segment, in particular the Honda Accord. Indeed, the two cars looked so much alike, right down to the capital "H" badge on the hood and trunk, that they could easily be mistaken for one another. As a result, one could argue that the Sonata lacked originality. Quality was a sore spot, as well.

But, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. By wisely benchmarking the Accord, Hyundai learned valuable lessons and applied them to its midsize sedan, improving it along the way while undercutting the competition on price and slowly, steadily improving quality. With each passing generation, Hyundai has given the Sonata a little more flair—and a little more personality—giving the car a look all its own, further differentiating it from the Accord and the rest of the competition.

This brings us to the current, seventh-generation Sonata, redesigned for the 2020 model year. The Sonata features a wide grille, rounded front fascia, and a sloped rear roofline. While the look is distinctive, not everyone will love it. As they say, design is subjective; what one person finds attractive, another may find repulsive. One look at the car's exterior and shoppers will know right away whether the Sonata is a beauty or a beast.

Step inside the 2022 Sonata and a functional, spacious cabin with seating for five passengers greets you. Gauges and dials are clearly marked and easy to read, and material quality is about average for the segment. Our Limited trim test car had leather seats that were comfortable and supportive, but we weren't crazy about the tan upholstery colour, which seemed a bit too orange for our tastes. It's a good thing our test car had a tan and black two-tone interior to break things up; otherwise we'd have felt like we were stranded in the desert, awash in a vast landscape of unending tan.

For shoppers looking for a more aggressively styled midsize sedan, Hyundai offers the Sonata N Line. Sporty touches include a body kit with revised front and rear fascias, gloss black side mirrors and window surrounds, a rear spoiler, and N badging on the grille, front fenders, and wheel centre caps. The N Line also sports full LED taillights and dual exhaust with four outlets. Together, the upgrades transform the Sonata's look from mild to wild.

The N Line's cabin has dark chrome trim and red stitching on the steering wheel and seats, which gives the car some added personality. Front-seat occupants nestle into unique N-brand sport seats with premium leather bolsters and simulated suede inserts. At the same time, drivers enjoy a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel with an N logo, as well as aluminum sport pedals

When it comes to performance, the 2022 Hyundai Sonata has a split personality. On one side, there's a quiet, non-threatening, almost docile midsize sedan that never acts out. On the other side, there's the Sonata N Line. If personified, the Sonata would undoubtedly be the spitting image of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Sonata's base engine, a direct-injected 2.5-litre four-cylinder (standard on Preferred), produces power specs of 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Like Dr. Jekyll, there's nothing flashy about it. It goes about its business and doesn't complain. A turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder making 180 hp and 195 lb-ft paces the Sport and Luxury grades. Like the 2.5-litre, it, too, is adequate and would also be an ideal choice for the good doctor.

Both engines pair with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are standard with the 1.6-litre turbo engine, but like most people, Dr. Jekyll would likely never use them. The Sonata also comes standard with a drive mode selector.

In stark contrast to all the other Sonata trims, the N Line is an edgy, boisterous, almost mysterious car with seemingly sinister intentions. While Dr. Jekyll would certainly disapprove, the Sonata N Line's 290-hp, turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), sport suspension, and tuned exhaust would surely put a sly grin on Mr. Hyde's face.

All Sonatas are front-wheel drive (FWD); an all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain is not available. It's too bad because, like Cousin Eddie, we think an N Line with the sport suspension, wet DCT, and AWD would be "real nice, Clark."

In terms of ride, handling, and noise abatement, the Hyundai Sonata is competent in all departments. The car offers a smooth ride in town and on the highway, it handles competently if not pushed too hard, and the cabin is a very serene place to be, offering near Genesis-like levels of quiet.

Offering 2,956 litres of passenger space, the Sonata's cabin is among the most spacious in the midsize sedan segment. It's so large, in fact, that Natural Resources Canada classifies it as a "Full-size Car" along with the likes of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord, Kia K5, Subaru Legacy, and the Volkswagen Arteon. Of course, NRCan also classifies the Honda Civic five-door hatchback as a large car, so go figure. In fairness, size classifications are based on total interior volume, which doesn't always jive with real-life market dynamics.

As you might expect, front-seat headroom and legroom in the Sonata are at the top of the class, but shoulder room is about average. Likewise, rear-seat space is adequate but not particularly commodious. Two normal-sized adults can sit comfortably in the back seat, but adding a third will likely cause some grumbling from the unlucky individual in the middle. If you do find yourself stuck in the middle rear seat, take solace in the fact that there's no driveshaft tunnel further cannibalizing your personal space.

The Sonata's 453-litre trunk is also quite spacious and is partly responsible for the Sonata's size rating. Though not quite as large as the Honda Accord's trunk, which measures 473 litres, the Sonata's holds a complete three-piece set of rolling luggage with plenty of room to spare.

One feature we found particularly amusing was the Remote Smart Parking Assist. This feature was standard on our test car, which was in U.S. specification; in Canada, this feature is only available on the Ultimate grade, which comes with the hybrid powertrain, covered in a separate review. It makes getting in and out of tight parking spots more manageable and can be operated from outside the vehicle. With the simple press of a button on the key fob, the Sonata can drive itself forward or backward until there's enough room to open the doors and climb in. We didn't use it once in a real-world parking situation, but we did demo the feature several times, eliciting oohs and ahhs from spectators of all ages.

As one might expect, the level of infotainment technology in the Sonata is directly proportional to the sticker price. Base SE versions come standard with an 8-inch touchscreen display, six speakers, HD Radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, USB port, 12-volt outlet, and a rear-view camera. The Sport grade adds SiriusXM satellite radio and BlueLink connected services.

Building on those items, the N Line and Ultimate Hybrid trims upgrade to a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system (also on Luxury), and wireless charging for smartphones.

Pairing an iPhone via Bluetooth was quick and easy. Making and receiving calls and sending text messages via Apple CarPlay was drama-free. We loved the Bose audio system that came in our test car. It's one of the better audio systems on the market, providing unexpected power and clarity. And you simply can't beat it for the price—yet another example of Hyundai delivering unexpected value.

Like most other modern Hyundai models, the Sonata comes equipped with a comprehensive package of safety features and driver assistance technologies, even on the base trim. Standard features on all 2022 Sonatas include forward collision avoidance assist with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, driver-attention warning, automatic high-beam headlights, rearview monitor, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and a Rear Occupant Alert system designed to prevent children or groceries from being left behind in the car. Hyundai's Safe Exit Warning, which alerts occupants that traffic is approaching from behind and it might not be safe to open the doors, is also standard.

Highway Driving Assist lane-centring assistance is standard on N Line and Ultimate Hybrid, as is a blind-spot view monitor.

With such a healthy menu of advanced driving assistance aids, we expected at least one of them to harsh our mellow when we least expected it. On the contrary, all the systems worked behind the scenes, and the car sounded nary a false alarm during our week of testing.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2022 Hyundai Sonata gets five stars (out of a possible five) for overall crash protection. The Sonata gets a combined four stars for front crash protection and five stars for both side crash protection and rollover resistance in the individual tests.

Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the 2022 Hyundai Sonata top "Good" ratings in all six crash tests, including driver and front-passenger small overlap, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats.

Regarding crash avoidance and mitigation, the IIHS gave the 2022 Sonata N Line and Ultimate Hybrid with LED projector headlights a "Good" rating, but all other trims—equipped with LED reflector headlights—received a "Marginal" rating. The 2022 Sonata received the highest-possible "Superior" rating for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention. Additionally, the Sonata's child-seat anchors received an "Acceptable" rating (testers found the lower anchors too deep in the seat for their liking).

The 2022 Hyundai Sonata caters to a wide range of buyers, from economy-minded to driving enthusiasts and everything in between. In all, there are four trim levels from which to choose: Preferred, Sport, Luxury, and N Line. There's also a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which is the Sonata Ultimate in Canada and is reviewed separately.

The Hyundai Sonata is a relative bargain among midsize sedans. The Sonata's main competitors, including the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry, are priced higher than Hyundai's midsize sedan.

Pricing for the entry-level Sonata Preferred starts at an MSRP of $27,549, not including the $1,825 destination charge. It comes standard with LED headlights, daytime running lights, and taillights, automatic high-beam headlights, premium cloth seats, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, hands-free smart trunk, an 8-inch touchscreen display, a 6-speaker audio system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, Bluetooth, adaptive cruise control, rearview monitor, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Stepping up to Sport trim ($32,049) nets you, among other items, a panoramic sunroof, revised front and rear fascias, power driver's seat, dual automatic climate control, satellite radio, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Luxury ($36,249) highlights include leather seats with ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system, a 4.2-inch TFT LCD instrument display, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

In addition to the powertrain and styling-related items mentioned earlier, the sport-oriented Sonata N Line ($38,699) builds on the Luxury's equipment by adding 10.25-inch touchscreen with a navigation system, a panoramic sunroof, gloss black side mirrors, LED taillights, Highway Drive Assist, a 12.3-inch gauge display, wireless phone charging, and N unique 19-inch alloy wheels.

According to NRCan, combined city/highway fuel consumption for the 2022 Sonata ranges from 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres for the lower trims to 8.8 L/100 km for the N Line. These numbers are right in line with the competition. During our test of the Sonata, we averaged 7.7 L/100 km. Based on the Sonata's 60-litre fuel tank, this equates to a range of nearly 780 kilometres on a single tank of gas.

Hyundai equips the 2022 Sonata and every new vehicle with a five-year or 100,000 kilometre powertrain warranty.

Note: Images show a US model.