Compare the2022 Hyundai SonataVS 2021 Volkswagen Arteon

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sonata are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Arteon doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Sonata’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Arteon doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sonata and the Arteon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sonata the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 121 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Arteon has not been fully tested, yet.

The Sonata comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Arteon’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Arteon. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Arteon ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Sonata’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Arteon runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Arteon (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 29 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sonata’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 62 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 18 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Sonata N Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (290 vs. 268) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl. is faster than the Volkswagen Arteon:

On the EPA test cycle the Sonata gets better mileage than the Arteon:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Sonata uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Arteon requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Sonata higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Arteon (3). This means the Sonata produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Arteon every 15,000 miles.

The Sonata offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Arteon doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Sonata N Line’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Arteon doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Sonata N Line’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Arteon:

The Sonata stops much shorter than the Arteon:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Arteon.

The Sonata N Line handles at .93 G’s, while the Arteon SE 4Motion pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Sonata N Line executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion (25.8 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sonata’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Arteon’s (35.9 feet vs. 39 feet).

The Hyundai Sonata may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 550 pounds less than the Volkswagen Arteon.

The design of the Hyundai Sonata amounts to more than styling. The Sonata has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the Arteon (.29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sonata get better fuel mileage.

The Sonata has 7.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Arteon (104.4 vs. 96.5).

The Sonata has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 4.9 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Arteon.

The Sonata Limited has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Arteon doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Sonata Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Arteon SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata and the Volkswagen Arteon, based on reliability, safety and performance.