It really is survival of the fittest in the midsize sedan world. What was once North America’s most popular genre of family car has now dwindled to just a handful of options, and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is one of the more interesting ones. It promises huge value and highway fuel economy, but considering how good the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are, Hyundai will need to bring its A-game.
Powertrain and Hybrid Setup
- Engine: 2.0L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder + electric motor
- Total Output: 192 horsepower
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic
- Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive
- Battery: 1.62 kWh lithium-ion
- Fuel Economy: 51 MPG highway (4.6 L/100 km)
- Estimated Range: Up to 620 miles (998 km)
Hyundai tends to do hybridization a little bit differently, and the Sonata Hybrid is another great example. Under the hood, you’ll find a two-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with a tiny little 51-horsepower electric motor. With electric power provided by a 1.62 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, it all adds up to 192 horsepower. Smaller figures all-round than a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord Hybrid, but six forward ratios make all the difference.
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Highway Comfort and Real-World Efficiency
Not only does the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid move into the fast lane with perfectly sufficient urgency, it’s eager to glide along on silent drive for proper highway stretches. This results in both class-leading highway fuel economy of 51 MPG (4.6 L/100km) and a bladder-busting cruising range of 620 miles (998 kilometres). Maybe skip that Super Big Gulp.
“What Hyundai’s built with the Sonata Hybrid is an incredibly comfortable, remarkably efficient sedan with an extremely competitive price tag.”
Supporting that range, pillowy suspension tuning and great advanced driver assistance systems melt away the miles and make this midsize sedan a supreme long-distance warrior. Okay, the steering’s on the light side and the rear suspension could use more damping, but you aren’t qualifying for the Indy 500 in a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, are you? Worth noting, all-wheel drive came to the Hyundai Sonata as part of the 2024 refresh.
Interior Practicality and Everyday Use
Inside the Sonata Hybrid, it’s mostly user-friendly. A litany of radio and climate control knobs plus hard shortcut keys for infotainment functions are useful, but the heated seat and steering wheel controls are in a little climate control touchscreen. That caveat aside, everything else in this sedan is well-laid-out. A column-mounted shifter frees up huge storage space in the centre console, the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system is responsive and glare-free, and there’s excellent legibility to the basic digital gauge cluster. Comfy seats, loads of space, and unexpected available toys like ventilated front seats round out a tempting package. Oh, and there’s no nasty, scratch-prone high-gloss black plastic anywhere. Huzzah!
Styling That Won’t Be for Everyone
Just about the only polarizing part of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is how it looks. It’s far and away the most aggressively-styled midsize sedan out there, having traded its earlier baleen mouth for a sharkish face. This traditional form is adorned with angles and tusks and creases, imbuing it with the visual personality of an accountant raised on D-Generation X-era wrestling. The end product’s Ginsu-sharp, but it might be a bit extroverted for the grey flannel suit crowd.
Takeaway
What Hyundai’s built with the Sonata Hybrid is an incredibly comfortable, remarkably efficient sedan with an extremely competitive price tag. It starts from $30,445 including freight in America and $39,121 in Canada, undercutting the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Toyota Camry. If you’re in the market for a new midsize sedan and gas prices have you feeling low, test-drive one of these. It’s absolutely worth a look. Read all our sedan reviews here.
