Compare the2024 Hyundai SonataVS 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Sonata 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 Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Sonata are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Giulia doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Sonata and Giulia have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sonata has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Giulia’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Sonata and the Giulia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

The Hyundai Sonata achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Giulia has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 Giulia’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 Alfa Romeo covers the Giulia. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Giulia ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Sonata’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Giulia’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, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Giulia.

There are almost 7 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sonata’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sonata’s reliability 18 points higher than the Giulia.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

The Sonata N Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 10 more horsepower (290 vs. 280) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 306) than the Giulia’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Sonata uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Giulia requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 Giulia 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 Giulia doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The Sonata stops shorter than the Giulia:

For better traction, the Sonata N Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Giulia (245/40R19 vs. 225/40R19).

The Sonata has a standard space-saver spare (not available on N Line) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Giulia; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is 2.4 inches wider in the front than the track on the Giulia.

The Hyundai Sonata may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 200 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sonata a Large car, while the Giulia is rated a Mid-size.

The Sonata has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Giulia (104.4 vs. 95.4).

The Sonata has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Giulia.

The Sonata has a much larger trunk than the Giulia (15.6 vs. 12 cubic feet).

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

On a hot day the Sonata’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Giulia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Sonata, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Giulia isn't recommended.

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 Giulia isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Sonata outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by over 13 to one during 2023.