2005 Hyundai Sonata Review

The Hyundai Sonata is a refined midsize family sedan, with a roomy interior that's comfortable for four and can accommodate five. Its classic styling emulates high-end luxury cars, and it offers interior features and details well above its budget price.

Interior accommodations in the Sonata are comfortable, with detailing and workmanship above what's expected in this price range. The Sonata is easy to drive, with well-designed controls that are easy to reach and operate. The styling is distinctive, sleek and rounded with rich-looking details.

The Sonata cruises comfortably, even at highway speeds. Both the four-cylinder and V6 versions are pleasant to drive, with good handling and responsive steering. The V6-powered Sonata GLS and LX are more than competent for city and highway driving.

Overall, the Hyundai Sonata offers a strong value among midsize sedans. That's particularly true when you factor in Sonata's impressive warranty, with bumper-to-bumper coverage for five years/60,000 miles and 24-hour roadside assistance for a five full years. Hyundai's warranty includes limited powertrain coverage for 10 years/100,000 miles and corrosion coverage for five years/100,000 miles. Even if the car is pre-owned, Hyundai still backs the Sonata's powertrain for five years or 60,000 miles.

The Hyundai Sonata looks expressive without being oppressive, with graceful lines and rich details suggesting an upscale sedan. The Sonata's overall shape suggests the feline form of a Jaguar; while its headlight treatment could have been borrowed from a Mercedes-Benz. It's better looking than the Kia Optima, which shares the Hyundai's architecture.

The waterfall grille is formal but not pretentious. Like jewelry tastefully worn, chrome enhances rather than distracts from the appearance and is used around the grille, over the doors and on the trunk. The bold headlight design is more than stylish. The small low-beams are halogen projector lamps that produce a uniformly bright pattern, and the complementary high beams are bright, an excellent safety feature, especially on dark and stormy nights.

The Sonata's pull-type door handles feel solid. The doors close with a solid thunk. Sonata comes standard with a keyless remote fob.