Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Hyundai Sonata

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Sonata doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

The Camry has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sonata doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sonata doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Camry offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Sonata doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Camry and the Sonata have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Camry	Sonata
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	514
Neck Injury Risk	20%	22%
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	33 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	335	346
Neck Injury Risk	21%	33%
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	189 lbs.

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

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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Hyundai Sonata:

	Camry	Sonata
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	134	163
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	305 lbs.
Hip Force	296 lbs.	498 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	289	301
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	72 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	20 inches
HIC	164	288
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	38 G’s

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Sonata:

	Camry	Sonata
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.54 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	982 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1049 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sonata is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Warranty

There are over 49 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 13th.

Engine

The Camry has more powerful engines than the Sonata:

	Horsepower
Camry AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	202 HP
Camry 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	203 HP
Camry XSE AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	205 HP
Camry XSE 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	206 HP
Camry 3.5 DOHC V6	301 HP
Sonata SEL Plus/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder	180 HP
Sonata 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	191 HP
Sonata N Line 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	290 HP

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Camry 4 cyl. is faster than the Sonata SEL Plus/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Camry	Sonata
Zero to 30 MPH	2.7 sec	2.8 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	7.8 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.6 sec	13.2 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.9 sec	4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.4 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Camry
	FWD	LE/SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/38 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
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

Brakes and Stopping

The Camry stops shorter than the Sonata:

	Camry	Sonata
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Camry has larger standard tires than the Sonata (215/55R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The Camry LE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sonata SE’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Camry LE has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Sonata SE.

Suspension and Handling

The Camry TRD handles at .94 G’s, while the Sonata Limited pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Camry SE is quieter than the Sonata Limited (72 vs. 78 dB).

Passenger Space

The Camry has .8 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear hip room than the Sonata.

Ergonomics

The Camry’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sonata’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Sonata SEL/SEL Plus/Limited/N Line’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Camry the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Sonata can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Camry is less expensive to operate than the Sonata because it costs $27 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Camry than the Sonata, including $267 less for a muffler.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Camry	Sonata
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

The Toyota Camry outsold the Hyundai Sonata by over five to one during 2022.

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