2009 Hyundai Sonata Review

Hi, I'm Mike Hanley with Cars.com and I’m here with 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata
is Hyundai mainstay family Sedan and it competes with familiar models like the Honda
Accord and Toyota Camry. For 2009 the cars received a number of significant updates
including a revised interior. Even though the 2009 is not a looks a lot like its predecessor
it does have a number of new exterior features including new headlights and new grille
and new front bumper.

And you can see on this limited trim level here, it has chrome trim strips on the front and
the sides and also 17-inch aluminum wheels. It’s not as available with the four-cylinder
or V6 engine but the four-cylinder is probably going to generate more interest nowadays
with gas prices above $4.00 a gallon in many places.

Unfortunately, gas mileage is a high point of the engine. It gets 22/32 miles per gallon
city highway with the automatic transmission. It also makes more power for the 2009
model year and it is now rated at 175 horsepower.

The previous Sonata’s interior came up short to competitors like the Honda Accord, but
with the redesigned 2009 now, Hyundai has done a nice job of addressing those issues
and coming out with cab design that’s really with the best in the class. You can see here
that the aesthetic appeal has really been improved just with the layout of the buttons and
controls. It features high quality materials and fit in finish is really good as well.

Hyundai has gone to this blue backlit design for its displays and also for its trip computer
which is kind of interesting you don’t see that a lot. But it seems to work okay and it also
comes now with a standard USB port for plugging in an iPod if you have one or it also
includes an auxiliary jack if you just have at traditional MP3 player.

The Sonata has good backseat space like a lot of its competitors. It’s pretty large for an
adult person. And in this limited model you have standard leather upholstery as well. The
Sonata’s trunk measures 16.3 cubic feet. And this space is larger than what you’ll find in
an Accord, Camry or Chevy Malibu. And just as important as that for the most part the
space is pretty unobstructed. There is nothing that’s going to catch your luggage except
for this one speaker that hangs down. But you see the struts for the trunk lid or outside of
it so they don’t dip down into it.

And the lift over height is also pretty loud so it’s easy to grab a bag, just set it inside. The
Sonata also comes standard with the 60/40 split folding your rear seat so if you need
more space you can fold down the backseats. There is however a pretty substantial ledge
between the cargo area and the folded portion of the back seats.

Hyundai addressed what it had to with the 2009 Sonata making it more competitive in
one of the most competitive segments in the market. It’s still a good value though as it
offers the number of standard safety and comfort features and that fact along with its
good gas mileage and long warranty should make in a an appealing option for buyers
looking to make their dollars go further.

For additional information on this car or any other go to Cars.com in our blog, Kicking
Tires.