Hyundai recently announced yesterday ( Feb. 20, 2013) pricing for there 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Base model's MSRP starts at $26,650 and Limited trim Hybrid’s run you $30,550. Surprisingly base model’s are $200 cheaper then last year (but adjusting for inflation these days, who knows if that’s the case)
The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has had a relatively short history, being first shown at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show before being sold to the public in 2011. During its first year of production, it was a top 5 finalist for Green Car of the Year according to Green Car Journal (losing out to the Chevy Volt) and even surpassed the Honda Insight in total sales.
Now in its second generation, the 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid boasts improvements in driveability and fuel efficiency.
According to Hyundai,
“The 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid increases fuel efficiency and operates in all-electric mode more often and for longer periods of time, with an advanced version of the brand’s Hybrid Blue Drive architecture. The improved architecture optimizes electric-only driving by adding a larger capacity 10.5 kW Hybrid Starter Generator (HSG), higher output 35 kW electric motor, a more powerful 47 kW Lithium Polymer battery pack and an optimized hybrid operating strategy. These upgrades are paired with a 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder engine that now runs on a more efficient Atkinson cycle and an enhanced transmission to generate 206 total horsepower. The new Sonata Hybrid Blue Drive system offers greater fuel efficiency by increasing the overall amount of available electrical drive power, allowing drivers to go further between fill ups.”
Fuel efficiency comes in at 36 City and 40 Highway.
Driveability and power delivery are improved by,
- Improved hybrid system clutch control
- Improved vehicle response by throttle tuning
- Optimized regenerative braking shift pattern
- Decreased friction in the compact six-speed automatic transmission
The real feature that no other hybrid car offers as good as Hyundai is a lifetime warranty on the battery. That means if for any reason your battery fails, Hyundai will replace it free of charge. Combined with the best industry warranty in America. (10 year/ 100,000 mile power train and 7 year/unlimited mile corrosion warranty) and this Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is a real winner in anyone’s pocketbook.
We hope to see some reviews from test drives soon as many journalists criticized Hyundai’s Hybrid integration to be a hastily put together that ruined overall driving, braking, and made navigating the Hybrid down right dangerous. According to Car and Driver’s road test of the 2011 Hybrid Sonata,
“The hybridization has adversely affected the driver’s every interaction with the car. Hyundai’s achievements with the gas-electric system are commendable from an objective standpoint, and with this car, the company has the (very) crude beginnings of an impressive hybrid sedan. But this hybrid doesn’t so much need a polishing as it needs its rough edges attacked with an angle grinder—or a sledgehammer. Hyundai has proven unusually quick to address the shortcomings of its products. It needs to put this car at the top of its list."
Let’s hope Hyundai’s engineers have improved the driving experience enough to get people in the showrooms.
Souce: Hyundai Press release
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