We recorded the Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium's 0-100 km/h at 9.6 seconds, which is nearly a second quicker than the Toyota Camry. The reverse took 37.7 metres to complete.
Not only are the gear shifts from the six-speed auto ‘box seamless, power delivery is also buttery smooth. Steering is light and effortless to manoeuvre, making the Sonata an easy car to drive on a daily basis.
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium: Ride Comfort – 37/50, par for the course
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium - Cabin noise
0 km/h (AC off)
39 dB
0 km/h (AC on)
45 dB
60 km/h (AC on)
60 dB
90 km/h (AC on)
63 dB
110 km/h (AC on)
68 dB
Cabin insulation is as expected from a D-segment sedan, with low levels of noise in general. Wind and engine noise are well surpressed at any speeds, but tyre noise can be noticeable at times.
Ride quality of the Hyundai Sonata is quite decent, with a suspension tuning that's biased towards comfort. Road imperfections are well-managed to keep cabin intrusion to a minimal.
Although the front seats offer sufficient back and thigh support, the same cannot be said for the back seats, as thigh support at the rear is slightly lacking.
Paint thickness consistency is commendable with a standard deviation of 9. Panel gap consistency is also above average.
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium - Exterior Material Use
Bonnet
Soundproofing Material
Thick
Struts
Gas
Front Fenders
Soundproofing Material
Yes
Doors
Front Windows
Single Glazed
Rear Windows
Single Glazed
Construction
One Piece
Tailgate/Boot
Opening
Manual
While the interior is stylish, perceived quality is ironically let down by the faux stitching on the dashboard. Though build and selection of materials are decent for its class.
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium - Cabin Material Use
Seat
Seat Cover
Leather
Armrest
Armrest Cover
Leather
Dashboard
Upper Section
Soft Plastic
Lower Section
Hard Plastic
Front Doors
Upper Section
Soft Plastic
Middle Section
Leather
Lower Section
Hard Plastic
The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and its user interface is easy to navigate. Wireless charging is available.
While all passive safety features such as stability control and 6 airbags are accounted for, the Hyundai Sonata lacks the all-important ADAS in Malaysia. However, it does feature the Blindspot View Monitoring (BVM) camera.
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium: Space and Practicality – 32/50, airy cabin
Space in the Hyundai Sonata is par for the D-segment course, with a little over 3 tennis ball of kneeroom and 1 tennis ball of headroom for a 170 cm tall individual.
Practicality of the Hyundai Sonata is decent, with relatively large centre storage space and glove compartment, though door bins are small. The Sonata is equipped with the Smart Trunk feature, which releases the boot when it detects the key fob within the area for about 3 seconds.
Two fuel consumption tests were conducted for the Sonata, both in different driving conditions and traffic. The 2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium returned an average fuel consumption figure of 9.1-litre/100 km.
Based on the average figure, Hyundai Sonata is more frugal than the Toyota Camry (10.5-litre/100 km), but is behind the Accord (8.8-litre/100 km) and Passat (6.5-litre/100 km).
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium - Fuel Consumption Test Breakdown
Fuel Consumption
9 / 15
Eco Mode
2 / 2
Indicator Accuracy
2 / 3
Total points
13 / 20 pts
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium: Purchase and Cost – 17/30, above average maintenance cost
Fuel cost is based on RON 95 price @ RM 2.05/litre
The fully-imported 2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium is priced at an introductory RM 189,888 (OTR without insurance, with SST incentive), and will retail at RM 206,888 with full SST in place. This makes the Sonata pricier than most of its rivals.
2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium service costs
Month
Mileage (km)
Cost (RM)
1
1,000
515.60
6
10,000
515.60
12
20,000
515.60
18
30,000
726.40
24
40,000
607.30
30
50,000
515.60
36
60,000
1219.80
42
70,000
515.60
48
80,000
939.30
54
90,000
863.30
60
100,000
618.10
Total
7,552.20
Warranty given is 5 years/300,000 km, whichever comes first. Based on the information extracted from Hyundai Malaysia's website, service costs are higher than the segment's average which is around RM 5,000.
The 2021 Hyundai Sonata 2.5 Premium scored well in most areas, with good ride comfort as well as quality and features.
The only aspect in which points were deducted is maintenance cost that is higher than segment's average. Also, it lacks ADAS, which puts the Sonata at a disadvantage against its Japanese rivals.
The Hyundai Sonata may not have a standout quality objectively but subjectively, its design sets it apart from the competition. And it may well tilt buyer's favour towards the Sonata.
The quest for automotive knowledge began as soon as the earliest memories. Various sources information, even questionable ones, have been explored including video games, television, magazines, or even internet forums. Still stuck in that rabbit hole.
