2020 Honda Civic vs 2021 Hyundai Sonata

The 2020 Honda Civic was a standout in Honda's lineup, offering a compact car with a level of engineering excellence typically found in more expensive brands. It came in three body styles—sedan, coupe, and 4-door hatchback—each with a sharp design that belied its small footprint. The sedan featured an elegant, elongated body with a svelte roofline, while the hatchback had a quirky tall rump. The 2019 model year brought upgrades to the grilles, bumpers, and wheels, which carried over to 2020. The Civic Si sedan and coupe received new matte-black 18-inch wheels, LED fog lights, and updated grilles and bumpers. The interior was simple yet high-quality, with soft-touch materials and pleasing design elements like gloss-black trim and a pulsing red start button.

In contrast, the 2021 Hyundai Sonata was redesigned for the 2020 model year, resulting in a daringly distinctive look. The N Line treatment added functional and stylistic changes, such as larger air intakes, gloss black side mirrors, and bold 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The rear featured a subtle gloss black lip spoiler and a reworked bumper with a four-outlet exhaust system. Inside, the Sonata N Line boasted sport front seats with Nappa leather bolsters and Dinamica suede inserts, red stitching, aluminum pedal covers, and dark chrome accents. A panoramic sunroof added to the car's two-tone appearance and made the interior feel roomier.

The 2020 Honda Civic offered a range of engines and transmissions, all front-wheel drive. The base LX and Sport trims had a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission was standard on the sedans, while a CVT was available. Higher trims featured a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine making 174 hp and 162 lb-ft, with the hatchbacks in Sport or Sport Touring trims making 180 hp. The Civic Si had a boosted 1.5-liter engine with 205 hp and 192 lb-ft, while the Type R boasted 306 hp and 295 lb-ft. The Si and Type R came exclusively with a stick-shift. The Si's adaptive dampers and precise steering made it a thrill to drive, though it had a stiffer ride. The Type R was remarkably composed despite its power. Fuel economy for the Si was rated at 26 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line was powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, making 290 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 311 pound-feet of torque from 1,650 rpm to 4,000 rpm. It featured an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters, rev-matching, and a launch control system. Drivers could choose between Normal, Sport, Sport+, and Custom driving modes. The Sonata N Line also had significant improvements in engine and transmission mount stiffness, faster steering, larger brakes, and a sport-tuned suspension. It sat on 19-inch wheels with 245/40 all-season or summer performance tires. The car proved to be a treat to drive, with responsive steering, firm underpinnings, and sticky tires. Fuel economy was rated at 27 mpg combined, though real-world driving yielded 23.7 mpg.

The 2020 Honda Civic's interior featured a volume knob and better cupholders, with more sound insulation in the hatchback. The EX hatchback had an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat. The three-spoke steering wheel had controls for the central display and instrument panel. The center console offered configurable storage with item trays and cupholders. The Civic felt roomy for rear passengers, though it lacked rear air vents. The trunk offered 15 cubic feet of cargo space in the sedan, 12 cubic feet in the coupe, and 26 cubic feet in the hatchback, expandable to 46 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line had heated front sport seats with Dinamica suede inserts for comfort and lateral support. The front passenger seat had a manual height adjuster. Rear-seat passengers had rear air conditioning vents and a USB port. Interior storage was generous, though the center console design was inelegant. The trunk offered 16 cubic feet of space, with a 60/40-split folding rear seat for added utility. The Smart Trunk hands-free release feature was convenient, though the lack of an inside handle meant getting your hands dirty when closing the trunk.

The 2020 Honda Civic's infotainment system was outdated, with a 7-inch touchscreen standard on all models except the base LX. It included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The navigation on top-end trims was Garmin-based. The Civic Si featured Active Sound Control, push-button start, keyless entry, a power moonroof, and heated front seats. LaneWatch provided a live feed of the blind spot. Automatic climate control and Honda Sensing were standard on all models, with leather seats on the EX-L and rain-sensing wipers on the Touring trim.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and a Bose premium sound system. It included HD Radio, SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a three-year subscription to Blue Link connected services. The lack of a tuning knob and the placement of the volume control knob were frustrating. The voice recognition technology was mostly accurate. The Sonata N Line also offered Sounds of Nature for ambient noise tracks and Hyundai Digital Key for Android devices.

The 2020 Honda Civic came with Honda Sensing, which included forward collision warning, emergency forward braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. Improvements to the optional LED headlights earned the Civic a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS for all body styles except the Type R. The Civic earned the top "Good" rating in all six crash tests. The NHTSA rated the 2020 Civic five stars in all categories, except for four stars in the passenger frontal crash rating on the coupe.

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line was equipped with Hyundai’s SmartSense, including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, lane-centering assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, driver-attention warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. It also had Rear Occupant Alert, Safe Exit Warning, and Highway Drive Assist. The standard Sonata rated high for occupant protection, though the N Line had not been rated by the NHTSA or IIHS at the time of review.