New Hyundai Sonata hybrid fuel economy rating is 37 / 39 mpg
New Hyundai Sonata hybrid car changes the hybrid game by offering unique styling approach, innovative battery and powertrain technology and segment leading fuel economy rating of 37 / 39 mpg!
The all-new Hyundai Sonata hybrid is the automaker’s first attempt into the hybrid market on the U.S. soil. With its impressive styling and state-of-the-art powertrain technology, the Sonata hybrid represents a big leap for Korea-based automaker.
According to Hyundai, hybrid version of popular Sonata sedan delivers segment-leading horsepower output and best-in-class fuel economy rating of 37 / 39 mpg. In addition, the Sonata hybrid packs a breakthrough lithium polymer battery technology and unique exterior design, which set the model apart from the conventional Sonata sedan, as well as the rest of the hybrids in the segment.
To differentiate the all-new Sonata hybrid from its gasoline-powered sibling, Hyundai designers took the brand’s latest “fluidic sculpture” design language a bit further, says John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America.
Exterior styling updates on the 2011 Sonata hybrid include re-designed sets of headlamps and tail-lamps, attractive hexagonal grille, revised rocker panel, Hybrid Blue Drive badging and uniquely designed alloy wheels. New light-blue exterior color, exclusive to Sonata hybrid, is also available.
Inside the cabin, Sonata hybrid benefits from several minor updates and refinements. Those include Supervision cluster with eco-display, mounted in-between the tachometer and odometer. The 4.2-inch LCD display is called the Hybrid Technology Display and provides the driver with information regarding the energy flow within the vehicle, battery power levels, fuel level and average and instant mpg.
New Hyundai Sonata hybrid drivetrain technology
The 2011 Sonata hybrid sedan is propelled by the automaker’s in-house developed proprietary parallel hybrid drive system, which mates a 169-hp 2.4L Theta II engine with Hyundai’s six-speed automatic gearbox and 30-kW electric motor. Electric motor and gasoline engine together develop a total output of 209 horsepower at 6.000 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is more than other hybrid sedans in the segment.
The weight-efficient architecture of the new Sonata’s platform, combined with the lightweight lithium polymer battery pack, make the Sonata hybrid also the lightest vehicle in the segment. It weighs only 3.457 pounds!
The combination of highly advanced powertrain technology and light-weight structure enables Sonata hybrid to achieve impressive fuel economy ratings of 39 mpg on the highway and 37 mpg in the city!
Hyundai Sonata hybrid is also the very-first hybrid car in the world that uses lithium polymer batteries instead of nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries. Those are 20 percent lighter than nickel-metal hydride batteries and deliver 10 percent greater efficiency over the batteries found in today’s hybrids.
New Hyundai Sonata hybrid gallery:
