At $24,595, the entry-level 2021 Hyundai Sonata undercuts the price of the base 2021 Honda Accord and 2021 Toyota Camry by $1,130 and $1,370, respectively. Logically, the racy Sonata N Line ought to maintain a similar price advantage to the similarly sporty Accord Sport 2.0T and Camry TRD. Except logic seemingly falls short here, as the Hyundai’s $34,195 price makes it $1,330 and $1,015 more expensive than its Honda and Toyota counterparts. That’s right, the Sonata N Line is a Hyundai that fails to undercut key rivals’ base prices.
Still, this doesn’t make the Sonata N Line a bad value. With its 290-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, the Sonata N Line manages to better the output of the Accord Sport 2.0T’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot by 38 horses. Will the Hyundai’s additional power and quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission help it better the Accord 2.0T’s 5.7-second trot to 60 mph we achieved in testing? We’ll have to get our hands on one to find out, but the Hyundai’s extra power certainly won’t hurt. Additionally, the Sonata N Line offers an available set of summer tires for $200, an option that ought to help it run circles (literally and figuratively) around the Accord and its all-season-only factory rubber.
The same can’t necessarily be said about the Camry TRD, which comes with summer rubber as a no-cost option. Likewise, the Toyota’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine has 301 horses, topping the Hyundai’s output by 11. Yet, even with its extra power, the Camry’s 5.8-second run to 60 mph actually falls short of the Accord’s by 0.1 second in our testing. That said, both the Honda and Toyota are plenty quick and we expect no less from the Sonata N Line.
Whereas the Accord Sport 2.0T and Camry TRD fall short of flagship trim status (those titles go to the Accord Touring and Camry XSE), the N Line serves as the top-dog trim of the Sonata line. As such, it comes with all the fixings including a 10.3-inch infotainment system, in-dash navigation, and leather-and-suede-covered seats. The Accord Sport 2.0T and Camry TRD, meanwhile, lack in-dash navigation on their standard 7.0- and 8.0-inch screens, while neither include leather seating surfaces. Heck, the Camry TRD doesn’t even have a sunroof, a feature both the Honda and Hyundai come standard with. Of course, you can always opt for the better equipped Accord Touring or Camry XSE, but at $37,095 and $36,540, these two trims sticker for thousands more than the top Sonata trim.
Indeed, the Sonata N Line is a good deal pricier than the Accord Sport 2.0T and Toyota Camry TRD, however, the Hyundai’s extra price includes additional comfort and convenience goodies both do without.
