2021 Toyota Camry Vs 2021 Hyundai Sonata: Which is a better mid-size car?
- rogermoore1415
- Mar 25, 2021
- 5 min read
There are some sedans in the market that are holding their ground firmly and still sell in good numbers. And two of those sedans are the 2021 Toyota Camry and the 2021 Hyundai Sonata and both of them happen to be arch-rivals.
The Toyota Camry is one of the most common cars on the streets of the United States and it basically needs no introduction. Extremely functional and utterly frugal- that’s perhaps what best defines the Camry. The Sonata on the other hand hasn’t always been on top of the sales charts, however, the redesigned 2021 Sonata has been gaining quite some attention from buyers.
Let’s find out which one of them is better and help you decide which one to buy?
Engine, Transmission, and Performance:
Both, the 2021 Toyota Camry and the 2021 Hyundai Sonata are offered with two engine options. Both the Camry and the Sonata on their base trim levels are offered with a 2.5 liter, normally aspirated, 4 pot engine. The engine on the Camry is slightly more powerful and makes 203 horses and 184 lb-ft of torque. The Sonata’s 2.5-liter unit makes 191 horses and 181 lb-ft of torque but that doesn’t quite have a drastic impact on the car’s performance. With both the cars equipped with the 2.5-liter unit, the Sonata is just one-tenth of a second slower than the Camry that does 0–60 mph in 7.6 seconds and covers the quarter-mile distance in about 15.7 seconds.
The other engine on offer with the Camry is a brawny 3.5 liter, naturally aspirated, V6 unit. This V6 unit makes 301 horses and 267 lb-ft of torque. When equipped with this power unit, the Camry goes pretty fast and does a 0–60 in just 5.1 seconds, and hits the quarter-mile in about 14.3 seconds. If you’re looking for a practical and frugal and yet fun-to-drive car, then the Camry with the V6 unit is one of the best cars in the market you can get. On the flip side, the other engine on offer with the Sonata is a 1.6 liter, turbocharged, 4 pot unit. This smaller unit makes even 180 hp and delivers 195 lb-ft of torque.
Fuel Economy:
The 2021 Camry offers far more fuel-efficient than the Sonata. With the 2.5-liter, 4 barrel unit under the hood, the Camry goes for 29 miles in the city and 41 on the highway on a single gallon. If you opt for the larger, V6 engine trim on of the Camry, you certainly will end up spending more on fuel. The 3.5 liter unit of the Camry chugs about a gallon of gas for every 22 miles it goes around the city and on the highway, it can haul up to about 33 miles.
The Sonata with the 2.5-liter engine delivers 27 MPG in the city and 37 MPG on the highway which is clearly lower than the Camry. The Sonata’s smaller, the turbocharged engine also has lower fuel economy numbers than the Camry. The Sonata with the 1.6-liter turbo engine goes for about 28 miles in the city and 38 miles on the highway.
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Exterior Design and Dimensions:
Looks ultimately are a matter of taste and so we’ll let you decide on which car looks better. The Camry on one hand looks mature and sophisticated with its grinning grille at the front and has a very well laid out proportionate three-box design. The Sonata on the other hand looks more rad and has that large grille at the front with lots of lines flowing across its body. The Sonata looks modern and aggressive and futuristic while the Camry still retains its classic charm.
The 2021 Hyundai Sonata is slightly longer and wider than the Camry while the Camry offers a bit more ground clearance. The Sonata’s larger exterior dimensions and fancy design just give it a better street presence and that just helps it grab more eyeballs than the Toyota.
Interiors:
The larger exterior dimensions of the Sonata help it offer a bit of extra passenger space than the Camry. The Sonata overall feels more spacious than the Camry and 5 people will be more comfortable in the Hyundai. On the flip side though, the Sonata has a slightly lower cargo capacity on offer. It’s not that the Camry is not spacious on the inside or feels cramped but it rather balances passenger and cargo volume better than what the Sonata does.
We find the Sonata’s interior more plush and premium than the Toyota’s. The design of the cabin and the colors and the texture used inside help make the Sonata more premium than the Toyota. The materials on the Hyundai are better and feel high quality and even the levels of fit and finish are better. The seats of the Sonata are also very supportive and feel really snug and it just feels really nice to be seated inside the Sonata.
Safety features:
In terms of safety, both the cars can be deemed to be equally good. The Camry and the Hyundai both get 5-star ratings in almost all the tests conducted by the NHTSA which is pretty impressive. However, the Camry was named as IIHS’ ‘Top Safety Pick+’ for its advanced driver assistance features that it comes with and that just gives it an edge over the Hyundai in this area. We’ve listed out some of the standout safety features offered on both the cars in the table below.
Final Verdict:
While the Toyota offers better engines, it is the Sonata that trumps in terms of passenger space and creature comfort. And then there’s Toyota that again beats the Hyundai in terms of safety features and equipment.
If you’re looking for something very functional frugal, then the Camry with its standard 2.5-liter unit can be a good buy given that it balances power and fuel economy well and comes loaded with lots of features. Though for more power Camry V6 is the right choice.
However, if you need something fancy and something that stands out then the Sonata is the car to go for. It looks dashing on the outside and is plush on the inside. Further, the Sonata comes with infotainment and interior features that no other car in the segment offers and so you get added exclusivity.
The competition here is really tight and it is difficult to judge a clear winner. Both the cars are close to each other and while the Toyota beats the Hyundai in one area, the Hyundai beats it in another. Nonetheless, for the sake of arriving at a conclusion, we think that Toyota Camry offers a better package and would give the Camry a slight edge over the Hyundai. However, it’s not that the Sonata is a bad car, but it’s just that the Camry makes just a little more sense but hence we would recommend you the 2021 Toyota Camry over the Hyundai Sonata.
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