2023 Hyundai Sonata Reviews, Pricing & Specs

As the Hyundai Sonata has come into its own, it’s become a leader in the midsize car segment, offering tremendous value and adding interest with its sporty N Line variant.

Even as the midsize sedan segment shrinks, the remaining competitors grow even better, and the Hyundai Sonata is an excellent example both of this trend and of this type of vehicle. It competes against standbys like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry by offering tremendous value, and it adds interest to the segment with the sporty N Line model.

What’s New for the 2023 Hyundai Sonata

The Sonata was last redesigned for the 2020 model year, and it has had only minor changes over the past few years. Though it’s considered a carryover model for 2023, the latest Hyundai Sonata does get some equipment changes, including a panoramic sunroof on the Limited trim hybrid model and a larger touchscreen on the SEL trim.

Design

The 2023 Sonata’s exterior design is elegant, marked by a rounded-off front fascia that pairs with a wide grille. A sloped rear roofline helps the Sonata stand out from other midsize sedans. For an even more distinctive look, the N Line adds exclusive front and rear fasciae, a rear spoiler, gloss black trim, LED rear lighting, a dual exhaust, and N badging.

Powertrain

The base Sonata SE and SEL models come powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine that’s rated for 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. It provides a steady and stable, if somewhat dull, driving experience, and it’s rated for 32 mpg combined. Consider upgrading to the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that comes in SEL Plus and Limited trims, which shifts output in favor of torque, with ratings of 180 hp and 195 lb-ft, to provide a more energetic commute. This powertrain shaves just one mpg off the combined rating. Both engines get an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive (FWD). And then there’s the Sonata N Line, which boasts a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine good for 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), sport suspension, sport exhaust, and selectable drive modes. Fuel economy drops to 27 mpg combined here. Sonata Hybrid models get up to 52 mpg combined in Blue trim and 47 mpg combined in the rest of the lineup from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

Interior

Inside, the Sonata’s design is more functional, with spacious seating for five and a variety of attractive-yet-value-oriented finishes and materials. The N Line gets front sport seats with supportive bolsters and a combination of leather and synthetic suede upholstery, red contrast stitching, aluminum pedals, and dark chrome accents.

Technology

The Sonata SE comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, a six-speaker audio system, HD Radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Every trim level above the base model upgrades to a 10.25-inch touchscreen (new in the SEL for this year), a 12-speaker Bose stereo, voice recognition, and wireless device charting.

Safety

The safety package is where Hyundai really crams in the value. Every 2023 Sonata gets a rearview camera, automatic high-beam headlights, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, driver-attention warning, and a rear seat reminder system to warn the driver of passengers or objects that may have been left behind in the car. Options include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, vehicle-exit warning, a surround-view camera system, front and rear parking sensors, perpendicular park assist, and a head-up display (HUD).

Pricing

Starting MSRP for the 2023 Hyundai Sonata in its base SE trim is $26,365 as of this writing, including destination fees. The sporty 2023 Hyundai Sonata N Line starts at $34,625, and the range-topping Sonata Limited starts at $35,125.

As the Sonata has come into its own, it’s become one of the leaders in the midsize car segment, rather than a follower.