"This thing is absolutely beautiful. I am blown away by the combination of the technology, the price, the room and the design of it. I am stunned, honestly stunned." These are the exact words I recorded on video as I test drove the incredible 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid in Brandon about two weeks ago. Here's another quote from my on-the-spot video, "You would honestly think this is a $60,000 vehicle, and yet the sticker price is $36,000."
The positive impression began the moment I laid eyes on the Sonata hybrid. The test example was finished in Silver Frost Metallic, with hybrid-unique chrome inserts and a re-sculptured front end to make it even slippier than the regular car. The all-black roof hid the twin sunroofs, contrasting nicely with the silver paintwork, and the sweeping lines of the body were incredibly pleasing to the eye. I found myself saying "wow" as the salesperson started to put trade plates on the back.
The amazement continued when I sat in the driver's seat. The perforated leather seats were very comfortable, and the sense of spaciousness was accentuated by the expansive stretch of glass over my head, and the light colour of the interior. But it was the silence that confused me, not a single sound came from the front end, so I pushed the button to start the engine, only to remember the thing was already started. I moved the selector into drive, and then lightly touched the accelerator. As we moved forward the only sound was the rumble of the tires on the pavement, the car was in electric mode, and I was in awe.
"This car is gorgeous" I said to my daughter. "It's ugly" she replied, just to show that different cars appeal, or don't, to different people. I disagree with her on this one. To my eyes the Sonata Hybrid is one of the most beautiful machines on the road today. I looked at the instruments and found readings that made no sense to me, a large econometer sat where I expected to find the tachometer, and a display showed me the relationship between battery power being used and gas consumption.
Everything was still quiet; I had not heard as much as a whisper from the motor. I pressed the pedal with more enthusiasm and suddenly internal combustion took over from the Lithium batteries. The engine fired without fuss, smooth as silk, and the transition was only noticeable by the sound, not the experience. On the open road the car accelerated with acceptable power, it's not a road-racer, with 0-100 km/h times of around nine seconds, but I doubt anyone is going to buy the hybrid for enthusiastic driving. If you want that, buy the Sonata turbo, I tested it too and it hit 100 km/h in about six seconds!
We turned onto the trans-Canada highway and I set the cruise at 100 km/h. Now we were into the realm where this car absolutely excels. The technology will either drive on battery alone, gas alone, or a combination of the two, and it showed in the gas mileage. Flipping through the settings on the info screen I finally found a reading for instant economy and actually shouted "That's impossible" as I saw the reading was 4.7L/100km. Hyundai claims 4.6 on the highway and 5.5 in city, and I could imagine that you could do that with great care and attention to what your right foot is doing.
Simply put, of all the cars I have tested to date, this is the one that I would most want to drive across the country from coast to coast. It is exceptionally comfortable, spacious, bright and airy, incredibly good looking, and as inexpensive to run as you're going to find in this class of vehicle. From my personal point of view, this is a world-class automobile at an exceptional price, which literally had me wishing I had the money to buy it on the spot. The ride is superb, the road noise subdued, and the high-tech appointments make you want to sit in it all day. From reversing camera to Bluetooth, from Sirius radio to Navigation system, this fully-loaded tester never failed to impress.
Competition exists in the form of the regular midsize cars in hybrid variants. Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima come to mind, but none of them have the styling of the Korean vehicle. In closing, I am old enough to remember when the Hyundai name meant the Pony and if you owned one you were careful who you admitted it to. Hyundai, more than any other manufacturer, has advanced by leaps and bounds, and with their range today, you'd be proud to say you drive a Hyundai, and with the Sonata you'd get compliments by the barrel-load. My thanks go to Rob Fowler and Bob Dunn at Fowler Hyundai in Brandon for providing the test car.
