The death of the sedan has been greatly exaggerated.

For all the talk of the SUV takeover of the automotive industry, a few brands continue to push the sedan as one of the segments where they hope to continue for a long time to come.

The sedan segment still accounts for about 20 percent of new vehicle sales in the U.S., which is a significant number of vehicles (roughly 3 million).

One of those brands still battling in the segment is Hyundai, whose sedan offerings include the midsize Sonata — which has the pleasure of competing with big-name rivals such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Kia K5 and Subaru Legacy.

The Sonata is the largest sedan in Hyundai’s portfolio, and features a healthy amount of room for all five passengers. (Note: I tested a 2023 Sonata; and there have been some further design updates made for the 2024 model)

With such strong competition, the Sonata aims to stand out in the category with its strong looks, excellent tech features and strong safety record.

Read on to learn more about how it holds up vs. the remaining sedan stalwarts battling for their piece of the pie.

Mazda has always aimed higher than its status.

While not officially a competitor in the luxury class, it has long designed its vehicles to look and perform at a level that will make people think of Mazda as a luxury-level purchase, even if the price is lower.

That applies to their smallest vehicles too, including the 2023 Mazda3, which is available as both a sedan and a hatchback.

There have been some updates to the engine lineup for 2023 to further improve drive quality, more tech features are standard, and there is an attractive new trim level offered called Carbon Edition — which I was recently able to test.

When you’re going against major players like the Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Nissan Sentra and more, you have to come strong.

And to put it simply, Mazda’s compact sedan and hatchback options continue to deliver performance over and above their competition, while also maintaining a distinct looks advantage.