Compare the2023 Hyundai SonataVS 2023 Dodge Charger

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Charger doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Hyundai Sonata has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Charger doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Sonata’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Charger.

The Sonata Limited has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Charger only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Sonata has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Charger’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sonata has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Dodge charges extra for Rear Cross Path Detection on the Charger and the Charger’s Rear Cross Path Detection does not include automatic braking.

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 Charger doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sonata and the Charger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata is safer than the Dodge Charger:

	Sonata	Charger
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22%	26%
Neck Stress	171 lbs.	230 lbs.
Neck Compression	33 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	321/341 lbs.	582/440 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33%	33%
Neck Stress	98 lbs.	155 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/21 lbs.	267/469 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata is safer than the Charger:

	Sonata	Charger
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	96	222
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	26 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.7/.1 kN	3.7/3 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.61/.45	1.21/.58
Tibia forces R/L	2.6/.5 kN	3/4.7 kN

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata is safer than the Dodge Charger:

	Sonata	Charger
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.4 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	577 lbs.	692 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sonata the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Charger is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

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 Charger’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Charger. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Charger ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Sonata’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Charger’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Charger.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Sonata have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Charger.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sonata has a standard 760-amp battery. The Charger’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 8th.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sonata
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy
		SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/38 hwy
		SEL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
Charger
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/30 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	16 city/25 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	15 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.6 V6	18 city/27 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sonata SE’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Charger doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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

Environmental Friendliness

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 Dodge Charger (1 to 5). This means the Sonata produces up to 47 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Charger every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 Charger doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Sonata’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Charger Scat Pack’s (35.9 feet vs. 37.5 feet). The Sonata’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Charger Scat Pack Widebody’s (35.9 feet vs. 39 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Sonata may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 pounds less than the Dodge Charger.

The Sonata is 5.5 inches shorter than the Charger SXT, making the Sonata easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Hyundai Sonata amounts to more than styling. The Sonata has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Charger (.304 to .38) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Sonata get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Sonata Limited is quieter than the Charger Scat Pack:

	Sonata	Charger
At idle	37 dB	52 dB
Full-Throttle	78 dB	87 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	71 dB

Passenger Space

The Sonata has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 4.3 inches more front legroom and 1.8 inches more rear headroom than the Charger.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Sonata easier. The Sonata’s trunk lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Charger’s liftover is 30.1 inches.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sonata SEL/SEL Plus/Limited/N Line’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Charger doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

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 Charger doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Sonata’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Charger’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Sonata has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Charger doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sonata’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Charger’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Sonata’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Dodge charges extra for heated mirrors on the Charger.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Sonata (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Charger doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Charger doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Sonata owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sonata will cost $790 to $11985 less than the Charger over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sonata is less expensive to operate than the Charger because typical repairs cost much less on the Sonata than the Charger, including $464 less for a muffler, $126 less for front brake pads, $265 less for a fuel pump and $1 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Sonata will be $10214 to $24972 less than for the Dodge Charger.

Recommendations

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sonata second among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Charger isn’t in the top three in its category.