Hyundai’s slick 2025 Sonata makes an in-your-face statement against any suggestion that an affordable family sedan is, by definition, dull. Sonata’s bold aerodynamic styling achieves head-turning status.
There’s a little bit of harmless pretense going on, because Sonata’s driving demeanor is more subdued than its racy appearance. An exception is the top-tier Sonata N Line model with its powerful turbocharged 2.5-liter engine worth 290 horsepower.
Sonata’s standard engine is a 191-horsepower four-cylinder.
I drove the fuel-efficiency champion, the 2025 Sonata Hybrid model, powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and 51-kW electric motor producing a total 192 horsepower. Its EPA rating of 44 mpg city, 51 mpg highway, and 47 mpg combined gave me more satisfaction than some extra horsepower. I’d rather conserve fuel, and the performance aura of Sonata’s aggressive styling was still intact, so it didn’t feel like too much deprivation.
Ride comfort is high quality inside the Sonata. It handles road bumps and rough patches with grace. Wind and road noises aren’t 100-percent suppressed, but they’re nowhere near being distracting.
For a midsize sedan, Sonata provides liberal amounts of legroom and headroom. The 15.6 cubic-feet trunk is deep and has a wide opening. It can hold a lot of stuff and is easy to load and unload. Rear seats are split 60/40 and be folded down if extra cargo space is needed.
As standard tech features go, Sonata is loaded. Everything works well, is handy and helpful. Nothing comes across as gimmicky or purely tech-for-tech’s sake, which is worse than no tech.
For 2025, Hyundai resurrects the base SE trim, priced at $27,800 including destination charge. It’s the price-point champion and comes standard with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, six-speaker stereo system, keyless entry, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, and hands-free trunk lid opening.
As I was going over the list of standard features on my Sonata Hybrid Limited tester in preparation for naming some of them here, I was struck by how many desirable items were on the list, and yet how reasonably the car is priced. Here’s a little sample: a full suite of safety and driver-assistance technology, remote smart parking assist, 12-speaker Bose premium audio, SiriusXM, panoramic sunroof, power front seats with heat and ventilation, heated steering wheel, surround view monitor, and sunshades for the rear side windows. Ideally there’d be all-wheel drive too, but it isn’t available on the Sonata Hybrid. Some other 2025 Sonata models do offer it, however.
Sonata’s value is further increased by Hyundai’s generous warranty, one of the best in the business.
2025 HYUNDAI SONATA LIMITED
Base price, including destination charge: $38,600
Price as driven: $39,280
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
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