2005 Hyundai Sonata Review

Name: 2005 Hyundai Sonata Review
Brand: Hyundai
Price: 945 USD
Rating: 4.7 (120 reviews)

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Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Excellent warranty, pleasant highway ride, refined V6 engine, lots of storage space.

Cons

Noisy four-cylinder engine, bland interior design and materials, tight rear-seat legroom, tepid handling.

What’s new

For 2005, trim levels have been slightly revised, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a HomeLink remote transmitter has been added to the LX.

Edmunds says

A decent buy if you can't spend over $20,000 on a midsize sedan, but the Sonata offers no revelations in performance or interior accommodations.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Hyundai Sonata GL 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$178/mo

$176/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2005 Hyundai Sonata.

5 (77%)

4 (16%)

3 (6%)

2 (1%)

1 (0%)

4.7

120 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 120 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Reliable cross country, in city, and in snow

Kyle, 05/18/2016

2005 Hyundai Sonata GLS 4dr Sedan (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

I bought the car used in 2005 with 18000 miles on it in New Mexico. Today I have 213000 miles on the car. I drove the car cross country over the mountains of Colorado and California and the high deserts of New Mexico. In New Mexico I easily made 31 MPG in this car because I do not speed and accelerate easily. However in 2007 I moved to Wisconsin. I towed a Uhaul cross country from New … Mexico to Wisconsin without a problem. In Wisconsin I can not get better than 26 mpg no matter how easily I drive. The octane in NM was 86, here I use 89. I attribute the loss in MPG to ethanol. I have spent LESS THAN 2000 dollars total in maintenance and this includes planned maintenance at 150000 mile with a tune up, belts, hoses, and timing chain. (No issue just replaced them all at 150000 miles.) This car has been a superb and reliable vehicle for me. There are quirks in the vehicle that are not important to me but you may find of interest. The faux wood trim is peeling away from the central air vents, the paint has completely came off all 4 door handles, my drivers side rear chrome ripped off in a severe wind storm later claimed to be F1 tornado. All these issues are not important to me because in the last 11 years EVERY TIME I started the car (EVERY TIME) it has started on the first try and has performed excellent. A few cosmetic issues for this quality of operation is worth it to me. The only concerns I have for this vehicle are: The A.C. seals failed at about 150000 miles. I moved from New Mexico to Wisconsin so guess what I never fixed it. It does not get hot here. If I lived in New Mexico still this would be a problem. The fuel gas cap solenoid failed and Hyundai wanted 95.00 JUST for the solenoid labor was extra. I finally fixed it after enough people chased me down to let me know my gas cover was open. (Nice people up here, tired of worrying them) The headlights burn out quickly in the car and the springs that hold the lights into the headlight fixtures could have used some simplicity instead of elaborate spring design. I have to remove the battery from the car to change the driver side headlight because my hands are too big for the small space. Other than this, the car has been excellent! If you can live with these superficial issues and want a car that has the quality where it counts, the 2005 V6 is a definite SURE THING for me. I once thought of looking for a 2010 V6 to replace this one, but the car still starts every time and why pay for a newer car when this one is still so darned reliable.

Very Good First Car

blackboxmike, 07/26/2014

2005 Hyundai Sonata GL V6 4dr Sedan (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

First car. Purchased used at approximately 112k miles. Even with so many miles, an absolute smooth ride. Brakes made a loud scraping noise every morning after first starting the car but then went away. Seems the body dented somewhat easily. But not a huge problem. Very very quiet ride. Surprised, actually, at how quiet the car was. Even on the highway. Had a problem with the automatic …

Very Good Car

05_hyundia, 07/02/2014

2005 Hyundai Sonata GLS 4dr Sedan (2.7L 6cyl 4A)

Bought New. At 75000 changed timing belt n plugs. CV Shaft, was under the 100k warranty. O2 sensor twice but under warranty as well. I got 114k out of the front braKe pads. turned the rotors and new ceramic pads and we're good as new. The electronic tuned suspension really holds down the g forces in curves. I a bigger guy so the front seat is a little crowded but my shorty wife has …

its a good basic car

sal96, 01/24/2015

2005 Hyundai Sonata GL 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

05 sonata purchased at 166k miles (mostly highway), previous owner serviced it at the dealership, car is very reliable if maintained well, people who complain didn't service their cars. Overall the ride is comfortable, acceleration, braking is good. The interior feels a little cheap, but comfortable. (That is how older hyundais and kia are so don't be surprised). Trunk is very …

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2005 Sonata Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$16,449
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	23 MPG
Cost to Drive	$178/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.1 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Key safety features on the Sonata include:

Alarm

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of RolloverNot Rated

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Not Tested
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Not Tested
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Acceptable
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Poor
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Not Tested
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Poor

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2005 Hyundai Sonata Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Hyundai Sonata GL 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2005 Hyundai Sonata.

Trending topics in reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Reliable cross country, in city, and in snow

Very Good First Car

Very Good Car

its a good basic car

2005 Sonata Highlights

Safety

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2005 Hyundai Sonata Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2005 Hyundai Sonata GL 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.

Most helpful consumer reviews

Reliable cross country, in city, and in snow

Very Good First Car

Very Good Car

its a good basic car

2005 Sonata Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2005 Hyundai Sonata info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Hyundai

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2005 Hyundai Sonata GL 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}