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Used 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Consumer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
54 reviews
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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

The 2016 Sonata Hybrid is AMAZING!

Douglas George, 07/22/2016
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6A)
209 of 209 people found this review helpful

We have 2 other Hyundai ('07 Accent & '13 Elantra GT) and they've been good cars. We ended up with a Sonata Hybrid SE as a service loaner car and really liked it. It was getting 40+ MPG on the same driving mix that the Elantra GT got 28-29. We decided to make a change, trading in the Elantra GT and our '07 Audi Cabriolet. We opted for a Limited (for the leather interior, heated/cooled seats) with the Ultimate package (panoramic sunroof, 400W stereo, saftey gadgets). We got great deal! MSRP of $36K and we got it for under $30K. 900 miles so far and still 200 miles left on the 2nd tank of gas. I've seen as high as 56mpg reported on a few trips and consistently getting in the low 40s. Very quiet ride, it drives very sporty for its size, and the acceleration is very reasonable since the electric motor provides instant torque.

Performance
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic MPG, exceptional comfort, 5 star safety

SonataHEV2016WJB, 10/26/2015
updated 10/27/2017
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6A)
28 of 28 people found this review helpful

UPDATE**10/27/17 Best overall value. A UPDATE 2/26/16 still enjoy this wonderful car. Quiet, comfortable, luxurious and no visits to the dealership other than an oil change. 650 miles per tank and still 46 MPG's. Major gripe is that the blind spot monitors don't work below 19 MPH and that Android Auto update is STILL not available. So excited for Android Auto and can't hardly wait (even though Hyundai said they would have it to us by 2015. Feels like Hyundai could be doing more to light a fire under Google to get that to us. Also, and this might end up being a big one...something no one at Hyundai told me about when I bought the car, is that after 12 months of not subscribing to Blue Link, it self destructs and can not be turned back on unless you pay $500+ for a new head unit. That is crazy in my mind and apparently others as Hyundai is currently involved in litigation over this matter. I hope there is good resolution to this matter for unsuspecting Hyundai owners. EVERY HSH owner, PLEASE KEEP ASKING FOR ANDROID AUTO UPDATE! Original review** Fantastic MPG. Took possession of our new 2016 Sonata Hybrid Limited Ultimate with 8 miles on the odometer. What an amazing car! So far overall average MPG is 46.4 with my most recent 13 mile commute (50% freeway, 50% city) being 61.4 MPG per the onboard computer. Such a pleasure to be going down the freeway (most all of the time in pure EV mode) in a hushed cabin (trully as if a rolls or MBZ) all while achieving phenomenal fuel economy. Car drives and feels fantastic. Seamless transition of power plants. Even when the 2 liter internal combustion engine is operating in generator mode, it is quiet. Only when truly pushed does the engine come to life, but even then it is extremely reasonable, better than our Accord and the 6 speed transmission (thank goodness and finally, a hybrid with no CVT) provides you with great power. Imagine, a Hybrid with actual power! It is a wonderful car to drive and a safe car to drive. I highly recommend that folks seriously consider purchasing the Ultimate package. The parking aids, the active and passive safety is great. Lane keep assist is well calibrated and does not cry wolf. The adaptive cruise control is very well done and driver adjustable. The blind spot monitors are nice, but I do wish they would work at low speeds as well. The backup sensors and predictive backing monitor is absolutely a must have, city or suburbs. Last but not least, rear cross traffic alert should be standard on all modern cars. No one should be guessing if a car is approachi while backing out of a parking space. This car has it all. From a tech perspective, the 8" NAV screen is great. Fairly easy to use and with a lot of great Hybrid viewing modes. Only gripe I have about the NAV is the traffic. The XM data is not real-time and it lags far behind Google maps or Enricks. Despite this the display works very quickly and is very responsive. The ability to do split screen is nice as well. There are a whole host of subscription services, Blue Link and XM, which, but of course, eventually at a cost. The Blue Link phone app functions are especially nice. To be able to heat and or cool your, as well as send route plans to your NAV before you ever set foot in the car is great. In addition to that, to have the ability to check the health of your car, to find your car in a crowded parking lot after being gone on a long flight, to be able to set an electronic boundary for either a teenage driver or a valet, are all great features. You can of course, remotely honk the horn, flash the lights, unlock the doors, all from your smart phone. The ability to review telematics (driving style and performance measures) is also great, especially if you aren't sure how your teenager is driving when you are not there. So many features, but the best part is Hyundai's commitment to their buying public via their warranty. We cross-shopped Honda and Toyota, but neither were willing to back their Hybrid battery the way Hyundai is. LIFETIME! Yes, that's a lifetime Hybrid battery warranty, part and labor to replace the battery should it falter. This is in addition to their 10yr/100,000 warranty. I realize nothing can be guaranteed forever, but Hyundai sure does a nice job with making a customer feel like they are not alone when making a $30,000 plus purchase. Last but not least are the little details such as, actually having a true trunk with a 60/40 split. Such a nice and versatile thing for families. And the courtesy LED lights, hidden in the front door handles, make life just that much easier to enter your palace on wheels when the sun has set or you find yourself in a dark parking garage. Every little detail seems well thought out and well executed. Take it from someone who actually spent the money to buy a Sonata Hybrid and drive one. You will be very pleasantly surprised and happy you did. 46.4 MPG average so far and loving it.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Hyundai still the best bang for the buck!

kevin chung, 09/09/2016
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6A)
22 of 22 people found this review helpful

Looking for a good fuel economy car to replace the CT200h. Need 40mpg+ in NYC traffic (CT did 42mpg average); comfortable seat with lumbar support; and a full speed (stop&go) adaptive cruise control (best thing for a daily 2 hours stop and go traffic!). That left us with Toyota Prius Four, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and Audi A3 e-tron. Prius feel about the same to our CT with less comfortable seat and ugly styling. Ford Fusion ride a little too bumpy and interior design seem old. Both Fusion and MKZ have nonlinear brake pedal that feels odd. A3 is of course very European while comfortable. Sonata doesn't drive as impressive as A3 but Sonata is very quiet and the ride is very comfortable without being floaty. A3 got kick out because additive cruise only available on Prestige trim which cost $46k+ msrp plus it feels even smaller than our CT. Between the Sonata and MKZ we were able to get the loaded Sonata Ultimate for $27500 while MKZ would be at least $13k more so drive home the Sonata! The value is unbeatable; 40mpg average so far; huge sunroof sunroof, cooled and heated seat + heated steering + heated rear seats, Android auto, much more usable trunk (no hump and a full folding rear seats), 10yrs warranty with lifetime on battery, and no more CVT drone!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Excellent vehicle so far - Large mid size car!!!

SZ - Wisconsin, 12/05/2016
updated 02/15/2024
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6A)
28 of 29 people found this review helpful

Owned the car for 3 months and so far not a single problem. I have a long commute and the mileage has been great. While the Honda Accord says it get's better mileage the cost is quite a bit more!!??? Love the space - front and back seat and even the trunk with the battery is still very large. Wouldn't know the trunk is smaller, but the regular sonata's trunk is HUGE. The hybrid is big!!! Very comfortable. Some of the electronics - lane departure, collision warning a bit intrusive but better safe than sorry. Very good Car, plus the warranty as well as the lifetime warranty on the hybrid battery is wonderful. Only 8,000 but so far very happy. Owned the car for over 9 months. Not a single issue. The car has not seen a dealership for any warranty repairs. Regular oil changes only. I changed the Air filter and cabin filter myself - total of 5 minutes. Very easy to get to. A little wear on the drivers side seat, very little. Otherwise no problems at all. nearly 30,000 miles now. Have turned off the lane departure warning - just too annoying. Otherwise all electronics and safety stuff really good. Winter was getting around 36-37 on the highway now getting 42-44 on the highway. Would still recommend it to anyone!! Actually have recommended to many many people. Owned for the car for over 15 months now and not a SINGLE problem. No warranty or non-warranty repairs. Nearly 50,000 mostly high way miles. Mileage drops 15-20% in the winter - but part of that could be because I installed Blizzak tires. Not a huge issue but when you drive 160 miles 5 days a week every MPG helps or hurts. Would recommend this car in a minute.. AND have!!!!! Owned the car now for just under 2 years. Not a single warranty repair with nearly 70,000 majority of HIGHWAY miles. Mileage is back up to 41-43 on the freeway now that the weather is nicer. The car does burn between 3/4 and 1 1/2 quart of oil between oil change - mainly after the 1st 3500 miles after an oil change. Hyundai says this is normal. Not thrilled but can't really do anything and I know some cars use more.. Just find it crazy as my Suburban with 190,000 uses less. The drivers seat is starting to show some wear. Again, I think this is a bit early given that I drive longer distances. Still very happy with the car overall. Owned for over 2 years now have just over 91,000 miles. again mostly highway. Not a single issue!!! I have now owned the car the 3 1/2 years and the biggest issue is that is now burning oil 1 qt every 1,000 miles on average. Right after an oil change for the first 1100 to 1300 miles almost no oil is consumed. After that, 1/2 to 3/4 of a qt of oil every 500-800 miles. I am checking the oil all the time now. Had it to the dealer, which was very helpful, they worked with Hyundai that said that it is within spec. Crazy... MPG has dropped as well into the mid to upper 30's which is really disappointing. No other problems, however. As long as I can get another 24-30 months out of it, I guess I will be okay. Now have owned the car for over 4 1/2 years. In Sept of 2020, had significant driving issues. It was just outside of the warranty. After 4 months in the dealership for multiple repairs - some partially paid by Hyundai and some by me and some the dealership ate. Two engines, entire exhaust from front to back, multiple wiring harnesses, manifolds, etc. Not fun. It should now last for another 5-7 years for certain since everything is brand new. Well except for the transmission. Even though Hyundai paid part and the dealshipp ate part it still cost me nearly $4,000. Since my crazy repair story - things have calmed down - no issues at all. Car is driving great. Mileage is down a bit only getting about 34-36mpg in mostly city driving. Still good but not as good as during the first year - I was getting 40-41 mpg. Everything is holding up very well, interior is good shape; drivers seat is showing some wear but nothing crazy. I have now owed the car for 5 1/2 years. The mpg has gone down to the mid 30’s upper 30’s. From low 40’s. I now have cruise control issues which I need looked at. Otherwise, been great. Extremely roomy, still drives well, and everything else is holding up well. Have nearly 145,000 miles in it. Original brakes!!! Owned the car now for 6+ years - no new issues - car is running great. No new problems to report. Just keeping our fingers crossed that things continue this way for another few years since there was so much done previously. Did change the brakes just because, probably could of gone another 5,000 miles. 6.5 years of ownership - At 158,000 miles the water pump decided to not work. Through all kinds of codes. Took them 2-3 days to figure out it was just the electric water pump, which of course was not in stock. Once they got the part, installed no further problems. Still driving good and getting good gas mileage.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
2 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Excuse my language

Victor Tom, 09/22/2016
updated 03/30/2020
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6A)
120 of 139 people found this review helpful

Hyundai Dublin maintenance service is terrific. Manual still sucks & is not user friendly.phew scheduled timing updates defective & irreparable after 2 1/2 years!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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