I just happened to finish reading a fairly detailed press release (admittedly a few months old) on the 2011 Sonata Hybrid. From the PR it seems they definitely want to outshine the TCH (and Fusion/Altima) as their main competition in the sedan hybrid market. I have to admit, the specs sound very good in comparison and the car looks pretty good too. Of course, the current TCH design is 5 yrs old now, so matching or exceeding those specs shouldn't be worthy of too much self congratulations. But if their build and durability match their design and specs, it should be a very decent addition to the hybrid marketplace.

I was a bit amused however about the amount of self praise they heaped on themselves for their brilliance in the simplicity and durability of using a 6 speed auto transmission with electric torque converter instead of those (implied) nasty and complicated CVT power split devices and the comforting feel of an automatic transmission shift. To me their setup sounds a fair bit more complicated, plus I've always had a loathing for automatic transmissions, especially in the later years with more gears and more electronic guess work in the shift decisions. After 5 yrs of TCH ownership I still have a special appreciation for the feel of a CVT, which was one of the selling points when I bought the car in the first place. Unless I happened to afford myself a nice play toy with a manual trans or other special purpose, I just can't see ever buying a car with a shifting auto transmission again with CVT choices now available in several cars.

In any case, I hope in their 1st hybrid foray that their lithium polymer pack and tranny design works out for them...

 

Altima utilizes Toyota HSD implant. I test drove it, suspension felt much stiffer and bumpier, dash design was plain ugly (personal opinion).
Mazdas are moving away from Ford hybrid drive and will switch over to HSD this year or so.
Ford had numerous patents bought from Toyota, 16 i think, for its hybrid drive.
Basically, it's Hyundai vs HSD vs Honda drives, if they came up with something original.. Will see how goes it.
new Sonata is good looking car...

yeah, they did do come up with their own "Blue" drive.

 

Battery technology sounds great, if it meets the expectation (300k miles), more power to them, it should shut up the biggest concern voiced against the hybrids, battery longevity, since as far as I know, very few cars actually last anywhere near 300k and in theory it should be the last thing anybody should worry about.
From personal experience, no automatic transmission ever lasted me more than 120-150k and it's very expensive to fix and just forget about clutch, in the traffic I drive. So I'm not sure how long those will last, I would bet TCH CVT should be more reliable in the long run.
I wonder what were they smoking at PM, when they said transmission with electronic clutch system in Sonata is simpler than TCH, or maybe they just never bothered to learn how it works and frankly not sure which one would be worse.
There are probably more gears used in the first gear of automatic transmission, than there are gears in the whole Camry's CVT.
Anyhow, it's good to have more options.

 

stabs competition, that's for sure. they get lazy...

 

We just bought a 2010 TCH with 8K miles and we love it; but I have to say that the new Sonata was a very close second. (not the hybrid version)

Very well designed car, absolutely gorgeous exterior and drove great. Had a very sporty feel while still giving you the room of a sedan. Definite hit on their hands as our dealership can't keep them in stock and I am starting to see them all over the place.

 

new Sonatas are very good looking vehicles indeed. every time i see one i turn my head. sort of got that BMW look to it. interior is also very rich, with all the wood cladding.
of course, only very adventurous ones will buy the first issue hybrid drive, esp from a still "under question" manufacturer. i'd let them have bugs worked out first.
but if you tried Sonata with V6, it's a very good hi-tech DFI engine. i'll keep my eyes on them. see how goes it with their Blue drive, give it about a year, then maybe swap.

 

I agree with everything you said except for 'under question' manufacturer. Hyundai has been around for 25 years now (in the US)
In 2004, Hyundai was ranked second in "initial quality" in a survey/study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hyundai is now one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide.

Their vehicles are very well made now and your bang for the buck is almost unmatched.

For its price point personally I would have no problems buying a Hyundai over practically any other brand in terms of quality.

 

agreed. still too new to consider. bugs must be worked out. btw, mpg is not that great either. it's 35/40, and i have better than that on my paid for TCH.

 

I still have a graph from Consumer Reports April 2009 issue that shows "Problems Per 100 Vehicles" graphed against "Age of vehicle (years)". In the first year, they're all bunched together. In year 2, Toyota and Honda are lower (fewer problems) than the others, which are still somewhat bunched.

At year 5, most are still bunched together, with Toyota and Honda having half as many problems per 100 vehicles. At year 6, the slope of most manufacturers gets notably steeper, especially Hyundai's, such that by year 9, only VW has more problems.

So it seems like if you're the type to keep a car 5 years or less, Hyundai might be just fine for you. But if you tend to keep cars longer, Toyota and Honda are tough to beat!

 

I set inside of one an hour ago, just out of curiosity. Has slightly less knee room on the right side, maybe 3/4 of an inch. Now, I am 6'5'' and very broad shouldered. I fit in well. Steering wheel is a little lower too. Otherwise, very good fit.
But folks, do we have BORING cars!!! It's nice inside. And that was just a regular Joe one. I can imagine souped up one.

Here's the thing though. 40 GRAND AFTER TAX? Kidding?