2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Sonata Hybrid’s projected best-in-class highway fuel economy of 39 mpg offers significant benefit to hybrid owners with highway commutes, while also offering outstanding city fuel economy of 37 mpg. Government studies have shown that the typical U.S. driver operates in a highway mode 57 percent of the time. Hyundai’s approach to deliver class-leading fuel economy in highway mode provides a unique solution in the mid-size sedan hybrid market, and differentiates Sonata Hybrid from the likes of Toyota Camry Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid. Sonata Hybrid delivers typical hybrid fuel economy gains in the city like its competitors, but also gives owners outstanding fuel economy on the highway, where these competitors fall short.

Sonata Hybrid delivers class-leading electric-vehicle operation at steady-state speeds of up to 62 miles per hour. Gasoline engine engagement depends on state of charge, acceleration and vehicle speed. Its two propulsion units develop a total output of 209 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, exceeding all mid-size competitors, and 195 lb-ft of torque. The weight-efficient architecture of the new Sonata platform, combined with the lightweight lithium polymer battery pack, make the Sonata Hybrid the lightest vehicle in the segment, at just 3,457 pounds, 263 pounds lighter than the Fusion Hybrid. Combined with Sonata’s best-in-class horsepower rating, Sonata Hybrid has a significant advantage in power-to-weight ratio, a key enabler of both performance and efficiency.

Hyundai’s proprietary parallel hybrid drive system is the heart of the Sonata Hybrid. The competition uses a power split system with a planetary-geared Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This is where the Sonata Hybrid gains a key advantage. Competing hybrid models use electric motors that have to power a planetary gear set. By utilizing a full parallel drive system, Sonata Hybrid uses the power from the electric motor more efficiently to directly control the vehicle, allowing it to be operated at much higher speeds than the competition in EV-only mode. This technology is also a key enabler of Sonata Hybrid’s best-in-class highway fuel economy.

NY Auto Show Preview: Hyundai 2011 Sonata Hybrid

Car buyers now only have two choices if they are looking for a midsize hybrid sedan. There is the 2010 Fusion Hybrid from Ford and the Toyota made Camry Hybrid. That fact will change when Korean carmaker Hyundai unveils the 2011 Sonata Hybrid at the New York Auto Show in six weeks time.

This Hyundai release will somehow declare its intention of meeting on with the rival Japanese car maker Toyota that has been experiencing some setbacks with global recalls recently.

The new Hyundai Sonata was showcased during the Los Angeles Auto Show a few months ago. They also announced that to achieve better fuel mileage with their compact crossovers and midsize cars, V-6 engines will no longer installed for these vehicles.

The hybrid variant of the Hyundai Sonata will be its next best step to improve the fuel mileage of its range of products. The designers are making use of lithium polymer battery packs instead of nickel metal hydride that other carmakers like Ford, Honda, and Toyota use

Ford Fusion Hybrid Declared Most Eco-Thrifty

The old measuring tool for “economical” cars used to be “miles per gallon”. That was back in the days when all vehicles used to be powered by petroleum. Now, with the invention of plug-ins, hybrids, and other alternative-fuel vehicles, that measuring tool no longer suffices. It’s safe to say that the only way for you to measure a car’s efficiency is to measure the cost of its power source per mile.

With that in mind, the San Francisco Chronicle compiles a list of popular hybrid vehicles and reviewed them for what they truly are. We’ve heard only too many claims of “power-saving” from these hybrid models. But considering their initial cost? Who can say which ones are really giving you your money’s worth?

The compiled review included seven hybrids that are considered by most consumers to be the most “ideal” for them. The publication estimated just how long it would take for the consumer to get what s/he paid for in terms of “fuel savings”, and they found a winner. By a mile, the Ford Fusion Hybrid won the fuel saver’s race by letting its future owner save enough fuel to “break even” in 5.6 years.