Hello, I plan on purchasing a 2024 Hyundai Sonata SEL (no convenience package; gas). If anyone who owns this car has anything they hate or dislike about the car, please let me know. Please be as nitpicky as possible–every car has its flaws, so I’d love to hear about all the flaws no matter how big or small the flaw is before I purchase it. And if anyone would like to talk me out of buying a 2024 Hyundai Sonata SEL, please do so as well (I will appreciate all honest opinions since this is the first car I’ll be purchasing).
If you do own this car, please let me know what your OTD price was. For context, I live in Southern California (so if you have any dealerships you recommend, please let me know). Thank you.
I have an Elantra and do not own a Sonata. The only thing I will tell you is to cross shop other competing cars and see how you feel before making a final decision. While the Sonata is good, it seems like the competitors (Accord / Camry / K5) have much better online reviews and ratings. Check consumer reports, car and driver, Edmunds etc.
@Kingsley
I have the last gen accord. Unfortunately the new accord and current Honda lineup are pretty behind in terms of tech which to me I find important. It’s crazy how my 2018 has the same exact features and system as the new gen.
Camry has been ugly for generations and has the same problem as Honda for being behind in tech and modern features.
K5 is the same company so not sure how much it matters.
Don’t trust consumer reports. Pretty flawed company with biased reviews and terrible quality control with their ratings.
@Bennett
I was cross shopping the Sonata N Line with Camry and Accord; was unable to find an Accord 2.0T or Mazda6 anywhere near me to test drive, but I did take a ’23 Camry XSE out for a test drive and its interior felt very dated compared to, and was nowhere near as fun to drive as, the ’22 Sonata N Line that I ended up buying.
No car in the $25-30k price range I was shopping in is going to be perfect but the Sonata had the best balance of tech/features and driving experience that I found, and it has the majority of its warranty remaining.
@Kingsley
Bought a consumer report magazine last week, the '24 Sonata looks good across the board, according to them. Haven’t looked anywhere else personally.
What year is your Elantra, I have a '21 myself and I haven’t had any major issues yet. Curious how other Elantra owners like their car.
@Hayes
I have a '23 Elantra with the convenience package, purchased November 2022 and I love it! I haven’t had a single issue except I got a leaf stuck in my air filter once, and that was a very concerning noise until I figured out what it was lol…
I think my only gripe about it, and probably with any new car, is the automatic braking. Driving in rush hour and something is turning right, the car will beep and yell and scream at me if I don’t brake and keep a fairly large distance behind them. In my old car, I would just keep driving at mostly the same speed if someone was turning right, since, well, they’d be out of the way by the time I got there.
Hayes said: @Teal
Same with me, I only had the auto brake happen to me a couple times, but every time it scares the crap out of me lol.
Every day when I back out of my driveway there is this little plant that is like 1 foot tall harmless little stem and my car screams at me and emergency brakes when I get close to it and scares me all the time; it makes me feel as if I’ve hit something.
@Kingsley
I disagree! The Sonata far exceeds the competitors you mentioned! Trust me, I’ve owned Camrys and Accords, and they are not in the same league as the new Hyundai Sonata in terms of efficiency, engineering, design, performance, and reliability! Period! Please get your facts straight before making wild and ambiguous comments and conclusions! PS4L!!! Go Steelers!!! It’s Lit!!!
I love my Hyundai Santa Fe 2023 - 35+ mpg is about the lowest I get, great features, overbuilt 2.5 engine meant for turbos, arguably the most reliable in a reliable series.
I have the '24 Preferred (base) Sonata here in Canada which would be equivalent to a SEL with convenience package.
My only complaint about the car after 3 months of use is road noise, no rear vents, and I wish the driver and passenger seats were a bit wider, but that’s literally it lol. Solid sedan overall.
@Luca
Did the road noise become an issue after 3 months of driving? Or was it always an issue that you hadn’t noticed until 3 months in?
The main reason why I don’t want the convenience package is because I think cars with a sunroof are more susceptible to road noise. Do you think that’s the case with your car?
@Wynne
The road noise was apparent right away even during my initial test drive. I don’t know if the moon roof has anything to do with it, but I was told Sonatas are not really all that insulated for noise compared to others in its class.
That didn’t stop me from buying tho; it still has all the features I need, where the Camry and Accord charge an arm and leg for the extras.
@Luca
That’s true. I like that the powered driver seats come standard with the Sonata. Thanks for your input! If you discover anything else you don’t like about your Sonata, please comment! I won’t be buying for a few more months.
Wireless charger overheats the phone so it’s kinda useless for long drives with wireless Android Auto.
AFAIK, it’s a common issue across a lot of car manufacturers though. Other than that, hard to think of any so far.
If I had to be nitpicky, the B-pillar makes the left blind spot a bit bigger than I would like. My previous compact sedan had a narrower pillar. Ended up getting a blind spot mirror to compensate.
