Midsize sedans are becoming less common as buyers flock to crossovers, but solid entries like the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata provide a nice option to those who aren’t sold on the crossover craze. These sedans are still drawing numbers in the showroom with plenty of room, good fuel economy, and a stylish appearance. Let’s take a look at how they compare.
Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Altima: Altima Overview
The Nissan Altima has a lot to offer buyers looking for a midsize sedan. Its base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that has plenty of horsepower at 188 to move the Altima around town. This engine also gets 31-32 MPG combined, so it’s quite fuel-efficient as well. A 2.0-liter turbo engine is also available, and it increases the Altima’s horsepower to 248. The MPG rating is still respectable on this engine at 29 MPG combined.
The Altima comes in five trims. AWD is available on the three middle trims and standard on the Platinum trim. If you get AWD, it will cost roughly 2 MPG in fuel economy, and it’s not available on the turbo engine. A CVT is the only available transmission, which might be offputting to some buyers.
Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Altima: Sonata Overview
The Hyundai Sonata was recently redesigned to include an edgier exterior, new engine choices, and more tech features. The standard engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 191 horsepower. An optional 1.6-liter turbo-four makes 180 horsepower but more torque than the standard engine. Both engines come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. EPA ratings are 30-31 MPG combined for the base engine and 30 MPG combined for the turbo.
However, the Sonata also comes in a Hybrid version, which gets up to 52 MPG depending on the trim. Yet another version of the Sonata is the N Line, which features a 2.5-liter turbo engine that makes 290 horsepower. All Sonata models feature a long list of safety systems, but only the top trims offer the Highway Driving Assist system, which is essentially a semi-autonomous steering option.
Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Altima: Consensus
Both of these models should be on your shortlist if you’re shopping for a midsize sedan. Which one is better? It somewhat depends on what your priorities are. The Altima offers available AWD, a comfortable interior, and its exterior is more classic and less polarizing than the Sonata. However, the Sonata really does have more to offer versus the Altima. The Hyundai sedan gets better fuel economy, has both a Hybrid and performance model, includes more tech features, and finally, it offers the hard-to-beat Hyundai warranty, plus three years or 36,000 miles of free maintenance.
While both sedans are practical and reliable choices, we will have to side with the Sonata for simply providing more features and options for discerning car buyers.
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