2005 Hyundai Sonata Review
2005 Hyundai Sonata Review
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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 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.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$178/mo for Sonata GL
Sonata GL
vs
$176/mo
Avg. Midsize Car
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2005 Hyundai Sonata.
5 star(77%)
4 star(16%)
3 star(6%)
2 star(1%)
1 star(0%)
120 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
5 out of 5 stars
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.
3.75 out of 5 stars
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 … locks not always engaging after pressing the lock/unlock button. Might have been a problem with my specific car. Owned it for only a little over a month before hitting a deer and totaling it. Everyone in the car was safe. The deer though--pretty much, it was splattered. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars
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 … plenty of room and loves all of the extras. I've had it to 120mph. The car settled down quite nicely and maintain that speed with ease. It doesn't look sporty but it can hold its own if you need it to.
4.88 out of 5 stars
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 … spacious.
The engine does have plenty of power. Many 6 cylinders Sonatas out there (they are actually cheaper than 4 cylinder cause they have worse gas mileage) I strongly recommend the 4 cylinder, easier to service, maintain, better gas mileage.
I even towed a small U haul Box with a washer using the sonata
2005 Sonata Highlights
GL
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 |
Safety
Key safety features on the Sonata include:
- Alarm
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover5 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalAcceptable
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalPoor
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintPoor
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