Every year, J.D. Power releases its ratings of new cars entering the marketplace based on consumer-reported data, complaints, and analytics. Recently, the new 2022 Hyundai Sonata received its Consumer Rating, and although the Sonata has historically been a wonderful midsize car for families, there are a few things that consumers do not like about the new Hyundai Sonata that has caught J.D. Power’s attention. Here are the three main things that owners don’t like about the 2022 Hyundai Sonata according to J.D. Power.

Rear seat comfort

While J.D. Power was surveying new 2022 Hyundai Sonata owners after their initial 90 days of ownership, there was a consensus among consumers that the rear seats of the Sonata were not very comfortable.

The new 2022 Hyundai Sonata is a midsize sedan, and being in the midsize category, it is assumed that the owners of this car will be using the backseat fairly regularly to haul passengers, much more than owners of compact or subcompact cars. With uncomfortable rear seats, passengers could be left with a bad experience after sitting in these seats for long road trips. 

What makes this rear seat comfort issue even more surprising, is the fact that the new Hyundai Sonata has available front heated and ventilated seats, along with a power-adjustable passenger seat, and leather seating surfaces. To have all of this attention given to the driver and passenger seat without the same amount of care given to the rear seat passengers has left some consumers disappointed.

Overall fuel economy

The Hyundai Sonata throughout the years has been a wonderfully fuel-efficient vehicle. However, some consumers may not be as impressed as they used to be. According to J.D. Power, the new 2022 Hyundai Sonata achieves a fuel economy rating of 23 mpg to 38 mpg combined.

In the same class as the Hyundai Sonata is the Subaru Legacy, which starts at a lower MSRP, comes with all-wheel drive as a standard feature; it achieves about the same amount of fuel efficiency at 24 mpg to 35 mpg combined. While the Hyundai Sonata is still fuel efficient, it may be left in the dust shortly as the industry continues to get more fuel efficient.

Ride comfort

The Hyundai Sonata has stepped it up over the years when it comes to ride and comfort, but for some consumers, the ride quality still leaves a lot to be desired. According to Car and Driver, the Hyundai Sonata generally rides worse than other cars in its class and falls behind both the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord in ride quality.

At times, the new Hyundai Sonata can be unsettled on the road and be a little slow to respond when it comes to handling, but for the average consumer, the new Sonata handles it well enough for daily driving scenarios.

Is the 2022 Hyundai Sonata a good car?

Despite some of the issues that some consumers have had with the Sonata, it is a feature-filled, comfortable car that is affordable and safe, receiving five-star crash ratings from the NHTSA, and high praise from J.D. Power, coming in second place in its class.