Sedans may not be the powerhouse family vehicles they once were, as SUVs and pickup trucks take over the market, but there are still plenty of great new car options around. The Hyundai Sonata, a long-running midsize sedan, recently entered its eighth generation. It brings bold styling not often seen in its segment, and Hyundai packs the cars with safety and tech features.

The current Sonata competes against heavy hitters that include the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Nissan Altima, the Subaru Legacy, and the Kia K5. Hyundai offers the car in a hybrid configuration and, recently, a new and very sporty N Line trim debuted. The Sonata also boasts Hyundai’s excellent ten-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Generations: Eight

• Hyundai Sonata 1st Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 2nd Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 3rd Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 4th Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 5th Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 6th Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 7th Generation
• Hyundai Sonata 8th Generation

Pros: Value-packed MSRP, long warranty, striking style, generous tech, great fuel economy and safety ratings
Cons: Some drivetrain options feel sluggish, not as lively as some rivals

Hyundai Sonata 8th Generation (2020-Present)

The eighth- and current-generation Sonata debuted for the 2020 model year. Its styling represents a dramatic departure from the attractive but staid family-sedan appearance the car has offered in years past, and Hyundai equips a generous list of standard safety features.

North America gets the Hyundai Sonata SE, SEL, SEL Plus, and Limited trims. A Hyundai Sonata hybrid is available, and the automaker debuted a sportier Sonata N-Line model in late 2020. The 2022 Sonata is available with three engines. The base mill is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. A turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder is available that produces 180 horsepower, and the top Hyundai Sonata N Line model gets a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine that makes 290 horsepower.

Standard features include an 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, USB inputs, SiriusXM satellite radio, and more. Available tech and luxury features include a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Bose audio system, a panoramic sunroof, and upgraded alloy wheels. The long list of safety tech includes adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, rear seat reminders, driver-attention warnings, and automatic emergency braking, among other features. Blind-spot monitoring, parking assist, a head-up display, parking sensors, and other upgrades are also available. Hyundai Bluelink is available as well, bringing with it a digital key feature, new Hyundai apps, and an overview of vehicle specs and service intervals.

Hyundai Sonata 7th Generation (2015-2019)

The 2015 Sonata debuted as a tech-forward, efficient sedan with plenty of great features and solid value. Hyundai also introduced an Eco trim with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and retained the 2.4-liter from previous years.

The Sonata Eco got a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that produced 178 horsepower. It came paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and front-wheel drive (FWD). Both engines delivered good power, but many reviewers and buyers reported that highway driving and passing could use more grunt.

Luxurious upscale features for top trims like the Hyundai Sonata Limited included available leather upholstery, Bluetooth, navigation, and more. On top of that, Hyundai improved the car’s interior quality and materials, making it feel more expensive and premium than its price tag suggested. Later in the model run, an 8-inch touchscreen offered Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Hyundai Sonata 6th Generation (2011-2014)

The Sonata entered its sixth generation for the 2010 model year, which brought new engines, revamped styling, and great safety scores. The cars were sleeker and more modern-looking than their predecessors and offered better interior space and comfort.

The base engine was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produced 198 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. A 2.0-liter turbo-four was also available that made 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. A new six-speed automatic joined the Sonata lineup, and a timing chain was introduced for the first time.

Hyundai’s styling changes turned the Sonata into quite a looker, and many noted that it was a complete transformation. The car took cues both from luxury cars and from competitors like the Toyota Camry, and it gave the impression of motion even when sitting still. A touchscreen infotainment system debuted as an option, and higher trim levels gained navigation with lane guidance and turn-by-turn directions.

Early Hyundai Sonata Generations (1985-2010)

Since its inception in 1985, the Sonata has consistently raised the bar on how much four-banger you should get for your buck. Its historically jaw-dropping style and creature comforts more than make up for what it may lack in the opinion of Mario Andretti or Dale Earnhardt, having won design awards in both Australia and Japan. Although performance never was very high on Hyundai’s priority list for this model, Consumer Reports called it one of the most trouble-free cars.

This is a model tailor-made for the tortoise—comfortable, beautiful, intelligent, and built to go the distance at a pace that allows its perks to be fully appreciated.

The Sonata was born in 1985 exclusively for the South Korean market. With a body based on the Hyundai Stellar and an engine by Mitsubishi, it was little more than Hyundai's first step toward engineering its own technology.

The US market first laid eyes on a Sonata in 1988, when it finally met emissions standards, although the model was already a year old to South Koreans. Sporting a Galant platform and engine, the 1989 Sonata was still primarily Mitsubishi-engineered, but it successfully replaced the Stellar as Hyundai’s large family car in both South Korea and North America. Total sales were over 250,000, but that wouldn’t last long—they gradually dipped and were below 100,000 by 1998.

This version was manufactured in Canada and South Korea until 1994, getting a GLS trim with a 3.0-liter V6 engine that put out 146 hp for 1991 and a facelift for 1992 with a 2.4-liter I4 producing 110 hp for the GL. Before the facelift, the GL had a 2.0-liter I4 engine producing 131 hp—arguably the better powertrain. The 1994 release saw a significantly improved style strikingly similar to the Mazda 626 of the time, with a 2.0-liter, 126-hp I4 engine. A 3.0-liter, 142-hp V6 was available in some markets.

Hyundai stopped production at its Quebec plant in late 1993, leaving Sonata production entirely up to South Korea until 2005. Although the Quebec plant had the capacity to produce 100,000 Sonatas, the peak demand was just over 28,000 in 1991—and other years were lucky to reach half that. With poor quality plaguing the Sonata’s reputation, sales were too low in North America to warrant keeping the Quebec plant open.

The next Sonata (known as the Sonata 2 in South Korea and the Sonica in Italy), began production in 1994 with basically the same engine line-up, but much-improved style. The 1995 model, also known as the Sonata 3 in South Korea, was born to be a true luxury-brand competitor, borrowing Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz style for the front and rear ends and setting the Sonata standard on elbow room for the next 11 years.

Under new management, Hyundai struck gold with the 1999 Sonata—and dug out a few nuggets for its drivers. This is the model that started the EF series and the Sonata legacy we know and love today, stuffed with all the trimmings of a luxury car for a lot less than the typical arm and leg. The engines were at long last Hyundai-engineered, including 1.8-liter, 2.0-liter, and 2.4-liter engines producing up to 138 hp, and a 2.5-liter V6 throwing out an impressive 159 hp. Unfortunately, the V6's automatic transmission had a defect in the speed sensors, but sales volume picked up massively thanks to the improved quality and special 10-year warranty.

The 2002 facelift kept the 2.4-liter, 149-hp I4 and upgraded the V6 by entire three horses, but the body style was vastly improved—so much so that Kia borrowed bits for its Optima, and the platform was also shared by the Hyundai Santa Fe. Sales totaled over 300,000 units in 2001 and 400,000 for 2003, implying Hyundai was smart to keep the Sonata essentially unchanged from ‘99 to ‘05—and then they got daring.

Hyundai launched a major expansion and the NF series in 2005, opening assembly in the US, India, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, Russia, and Sudan. The Montgomery, Alabama, plant was built to handle five times the volume of its Quebec predecessor, and it is kept pretty close to capacity with the latest models. The 2010 Sonata is poised to become the first Korean car to become a top-10 bestseller in the US. However, of the fourth-generation Sonatas, the 2006 through 2008 models are most popular by far.

Inspired by the 2005 Audi A6, this Sonata was noticeably roomier, with a modernized suspension that dramatically improved control, ride, and handling. Until this version, the Sonata trim line-up included a GL, GLS, and LX, but that changed to GLS, SE, and Limited for this generation. Available engines included the first Theta, a 162-hp, 2.4-liter all-aluminum I4, and a beastly 3.3-liter, 234-hp V6. The 2009 facelift improved the exterior and dash styling, and a few nifty gadgets like satellite radio, Bluetooth, and iPod connectivity got stuffed into the mix. In fact, the only significant change from the 2009 to the 2011 model—aside from the slightly improved engines and exclusion of a V6—is that the GLS and SE trims now include formerly Limited features standard.