2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Any time I’ve taken on a hybrid as a test vehicle, I’ve all but felt that it’s been wasted on me. I live in the country, while these are cars best suited for the city: their best fuel mileage comes from their ability to run on electricity alone at lower speeds and to shut off their gasoline engines when they come to a stop. That’s far less likely to happen on a rural road where speed limits are higher and stop signs can be many kilometres apart.

What’s changing hybrids, and rapidly these days, are advancements in battery technology. It’s the science behind the all-new-for-2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which uses the industry’s first application of a lithium polymer battery. Thanks to this lighter, smaller energy storage unit, I was able to run on electricity alone numerous times at speeds of up to 100 km/h. While it’s also a natural for city dwellers who want a midsize hybrid, the Sonata Hybrid could well open the battery-powered door to those who live in less-congested areas and, up until now, didn’t really get the maximum benefit out of the extra money spent on a gasoline-electric hybrid.

Based on the conventional Sonata, itself redesigned for 2011, the Hybrid’s system was specifically designed to meet the needs of commuters – the company says that, in the U.S., more than half of all driving is on the highway. Unlike most hybrids, the Sonata gets better published fuel economy on its highway numbers than on its city figures. Officially, that’s 5.5 L/100 km (51 mpg Imp) in the city and 4.6 (61) on the highway. I got 6.9 (41 mpg) during my week with it – nowhere near its published figures, but not bad for a midsize sedan in the real world. By comparison, the conventional Sonata with 2.4-litre four-cylinder is rated at 9.4 L/100 km (29 mpg Imp) in the city and 5.7 (50) on the highway.

The Sonata Hybrid uses a 2.4-litre four-cylinder with Atkinson cycle that makes 169 horsepower on its own, and a combined 209 horses with assist from the electric motor, along with 156 lb.-ft. of torque. Unique in its segment is its transmission: while its competitors use continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), the Sonata runs a six-speed automatic transmission, with the hybrid motor built in and an electric oil pump replacing the torque converter. It’s intended to give a more conventional driving feel, which will benefit drivers who don’t like the gearless operation of a CVT. Hyundai also says that it’s a less expensive and less complex unit than a CVT.

Starting at $29,999, with an available Premium Package that takes it to $34,499, it’s also the least expensive among its midsize hybrid sedan competitors. The Camry Hybrid starts at $31,310, the Ford Fusion Hybrid at $34,199, the Nissan Altima Hybrid at $33,398, and the Lexus HS250h at $40,850. “The Kia Optima Hybrid, the Sonata Hybrid’s sibling, also starts slightly higher at $30,595.”

The lithium polymer pack is lighter, runs cooler (excessive heat is the deadly enemy of hybrid vehicle batteries), holds its charge longer and, according to Hyundai, is good for at least 240,000 kilometres. About its only drawback is that its vent runs straight up between the rear seats and the trunk. While there is a small pass-through, the rear seats can’t be folded to increase the cargo area, which is already only 303 litres to the regular Sonata’s 464-litre trunk. A plug-in version is in the works, but for now, the Sonata Hybrid charges its battery itself, using regenerative braking and the engine’s power.

While the published fuel figures don’t look as impressive as those from smaller hybrids such as the Prius, the Sonata Hybrid outperforms most of its midsize competition at the pumps. Only the Ford Fusion Hybrid gets better city mileage, and nothing beats the Hyundai’s highway rating.

The company says that the six-speed automatic was chosen, among other reasons, for its driving characteristics. There are several very good CVTs on the market, but they still don’t provide the experience that many drivers prefer and they can be noisy and droning under certain driving conditions. While it’s no sports sedan, the Sonata Hybrid feels very much like a regular vehicle, and offers spunky performance should you want to put your foot into it. The default is “Blue Drive,” the company’s name for its economy setting; it cuts back on the throttle and transmission response, but isn’t as intrusive as the settings on some of its competition. That’s good, because Hyundai recommends turning it off just for “brief periods of unusual driving, such as steep roads or heavy loads.” (That’s pretty catchy, come to think of it.)

Unless you have a heavy foot, the Sonata pulls away from a stop on battery power much of the time. At lower speeds, the engine can start up with a bit of a jolt – Toyota and Ford are still the smoothest for this – but at higher speeds it’s almost imperceptible and difficult to tell unless you look at the energy flow gauge. The car shifts from battery to gasoline, or a combination of the two, whenever the conditions and throttle pressure from the driver make each one advantageous. I’ve driven other hybrids, both production and prototype, which can switch to battery power at higher speeds. I’d have to put them back-to-back to be sure, but it did seem that the Sonata Hybrid required less fiddling with the throttle to get it to go into electric-only mode. As with all hybrids, it shuts off its gasoline engine when you’re sitting at idle, with electronics such as the climate control, lights and stereo continuing to operate, of course.

The power steering is electric but it’s well-tuned. Almost all hybrids have lost that detached video-game steering feel that was indicative of the earlier ones, but Hyundai has done a nice job of making this one feel nicely dialed in. Likewise, most manufacturers have overcome the hard, nasty feel of those early hybrid brake pedals, and the Sonata’s feels conventional. There is a slight whine on deceleration due to the regenerative braking action, and the car doesn’t freely coast, but this “slowdown” mode isn’t as abrupt as on some other models.

Its electroluminescent instrument cluster contains a screen that uses various displays that can be brought up to indicate the energy flow, fuel economy, range, and an “eco level” that shows a picture of a plant: more efficient driving causes the plant to sprout more flowers. There’s also a “total eco” screen where you can accumulate points that indicate how light your foot has been upon the throttle.

Overall, the driving experience is much like that of a conventional Sonata, which is a compliment. While there are a few buyers who would no doubt like their hybrids to be as otherworldly as possible, I expect that most battery-boost buyers will prefer a car that feels “normal” while it’s passing long lines of gas stations. There is a price premium, of course: the fairly comparable Sonata GLS rings in at $3,750 less than the base Sonata Hybrid. That’s a lot of money to make up in gasoline, but many hybrid buyers, at least for now, accept that environmental footprint and vehicle range are probably a larger part of the equation than the overall savings at the pump.

That said, the Sonata Hybrid’s higher-speed ability on its battery, and the resulting improvement in its highway fuel efficiency, should help to open the gasoline-electric division to a larger range of buyers. If you’ve always wanted a hybrid, but your commute isn’t really the best place for one, it may be time to go test-driving the electric segment again.

Pricing: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

# Base price: $29,999
# Options: None
# A/C tax: $100
# Freight: $1,565
# Price as tested: $31,664

Review and photos by Jil McIntosh
Autos.ca