Compare the2025 Hyundai SonataVS 2024 Volkswagen Arteon

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 Volkswagen Arteon doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear 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 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, 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, 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 Arteon 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 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’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 With 69 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Sonata N Line’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 295) than the Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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 for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Sonata, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Arteon.

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:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Arteon.

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 600 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 (.3) 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, .3 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 7.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Arteon.

The Sonata is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Arteon doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata and the Volkswagen Arteon, 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 Arteon isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Sonata outsold the Volkswagen Arteon by over 19 to one during 2023.