Photo: Hyundai
The new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is not really big news. We've already seen the model thanks to its South Korean debut late last year. However, the sedan arrives in Chicago to prove sedans are not dead in America while also promising a very impressive mpg number.
And that number is 52 mpg combined for the base Blue trim level. I think the old Sonata Hybrid SE was rated at 42 mpg combined, so they've made some pretty big improvements.
Pop the hood and you'll find orange cables for the battery and an engine cap that reads "HEV Smartstream Technology." This is indicative of a 2.0-liter GDi, which makes 150 hp and 139 lb-ft (188 Nm) of torque on its own, but is also helped by an electric motor that adds 52 hp and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) of torque. Combined, they make 192 horsepower, which is about 20 less than the equivalent Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
Those are obviously two very popular mid-size sedans, but the Sonata Hybrid feels 5% more modern. We're speaking purely subjectively, mainly based on the dashboard design and those unconventional headlights. But there are a couple of hybrid-specific features we don't love. One is the little rectangles they punched into the grille bars and the second are the fussy turbine-shaped wheels. Obviously, a hybrid needs aero wheels, but we prefer the ones on the Kona Electric.
Maybe compensating for that tiny deficiency, the Sonata Hybrid sports a really cool Solar Roof System (SRS). It makes the car look like a real tree-hugger, not a pretend hybrid. This charges up the normal 12-volt and the hybrid battery and supposedly adds up to 2 miles of range every day.
Two free miles per day every day forever? We'll take that. And we know that not everywhere is sunny enough to charge solar cells all the time, but in places where they buy hybrids (California)... it kind of is.
Pop the hood and you'll find orange cables for the battery and an engine cap that reads "HEV Smartstream Technology." This is indicative of a 2.0-liter GDi, which makes 150 hp and 139 lb-ft (188 Nm) of torque on its own, but is also helped by an electric motor that adds 52 hp and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) of torque. Combined, they make 192 horsepower, which is about 20 less than the equivalent Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
Those are obviously two very popular mid-size sedans, but the Sonata Hybrid feels 5% more modern. We're speaking purely subjectively, mainly based on the dashboard design and those unconventional headlights. But there are a couple of hybrid-specific features we don't love. One is the little rectangles they punched into the grille bars and the second are the fussy turbine-shaped wheels. Obviously, a hybrid needs aero wheels, but we prefer the ones on the Kona Electric.
Maybe compensating for that tiny deficiency, the Sonata Hybrid sports a really cool Solar Roof System (SRS). It makes the car look like a real tree-hugger, not a pretend hybrid. This charges up the normal 12-volt and the hybrid battery and supposedly adds up to 2 miles of range every day.
Two free miles per day every day forever? We'll take that. And we know that not everywhere is sunny enough to charge solar cells all the time, but in places where they buy hybrids (California)... it kind of is.
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