Making a Case to Consider a Sedan
Great style. Drives as well as it looks. Gets more than 50 mpg. Now in its second year, the 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid sets the bar high for five-passenger sedans. With the coupe-like design, the sleek lines will cause you to pause about buying a crossover SUV.
Exterior Statement
Hyundai can rightly claim the Sonata Hyundai Hybrid looks like no other sedan, highlighted by a distinctive LED headlight design, which is edged by a very unique and compelling daylight running light strip. The light strip runs up the fenders from beneath each headlight, then becomes a chrome strip that extends to the outside rearview mirrors. The strip appears to be chrome during the day, but lights-up at night.
The 2021 Sonata Hybrid comes in three trim levels of Blue, ES and Limited. Clean Fleet Report was driving the highly optioned Limited, which had the standard solar panel roof that charges the 12-volt and hybrid batteries, producing two miles of electric driving range for every six hours the car is left in the sun. Over the course of a year, Hyundai says it could add more than 700 miles of driving range. The solar roof means getting a sunroof is not possible, but we feel it is a good tradeoff for this added level of high-tech wizardry.
Clean Fleet Report’s Sonata Hybrid, which Hyundai says has a “seductive silhouette,” was painted in Calypso Red; the smooth sides had a tasteful chrome strip around the windows. The swept-back coupe-look leads to a distinctive rear end design dominated by a LED strip, stretching from edge-to-edge of the trunk lid. This horizontal lighting connects the brake lights, which have small air flow fins. The advent of LED lighting has opened a new world of design possibilities for Hyundai.
Clean, Refreshing Interior
Upscale is a term tossed around loosely at times when it comes to interior design. In the case of the Sonata Hybrid, the word fits perfectly. The clean lines are handsome and refined. Our black on black interior color scheme had soft touch materials, with some of the plastic surfaces having a pleasant grain feel. The Limited, which is the top trim level, comes standard with leather-trimmed, heated and ventilated front seats. The driver’s seat has eight-way power adjustments with lumbar and memory while the passenger gets four-way power adjustments, but lacking one to raise the seat height.
Access to the comfortable rear seats with sculpted seat backs was excellent, and also featured ample head and leg room. The rear window privacy shades were a nice touch. By placing the batteries under the seat, the trunk room was large with a low lift-over for easy loading. Oddly, the trunk lid did not have an inside handle, which meant, when closing, your hand would get dirty touching the paint.
The low slung dash has a 10.25-inch horizontal color touchscreen housing the navigation, surround-view camera and the Bose premium audio system with 12 speakers. This great-sounding system has SiriusXM, AM/FM/HD radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Bluetooth, aux and USB ports complete the audio system. The leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel has controls for audio, telephone and the adaptive cruise control. For ease-of-use, we would have liked to see a channel sector knob to accompany the volume knob.
Other features are a 12.3-inch color LCD instrument cluster that includes easy-to-read gauges with white backgrounds and black numbers, a proximity key with push button start, dual automatic temperature control, a color head-up display, heated and power side mirrors with turn signals, rear vents and USB charge port, and wireless phone charging. The cabin was quiet with Hyundai adding soundproof glass on the windshield and front door windows, thicker carpet and sound absorption materials throughout the car.
Technology features continue with the Hyundai Blue Link app, which provides access to vehicle systems, including remote start, and the Digital Key providing extra convenience and safety. The Homelink auto-dimming rear view mirror is an integrated transceiver (a transmitter and receiver) that can be programmed to activate radio frequency (RF) devices such as garage doors, estate/community gates, entry door locks, home/office lighting, security systems or other RF devices. Make sure to check-out the four different ways to open the Smart Trunk.
Effortless Efficiency
The front-wheel drive Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 150 horsepower (hp) and 139 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque. The 39 kilowatt (kW) electric motor and the 56 kW/270-volt lithium-ion battery adds-in 29 hp and 151 lb.-ft. of torque, for a total system 192 hp.
The shift-by-wire six-speed automatic, which is engaged by pushing buttons on the center console, has a Shiftronic mode and paddle shifters. The Drive Mode Select helps you get the most performance and fuel efficiency from the hybrid system, offering choices of Smart, Normal, Sport and Custom. The system defaults to Normal when restarting the engine so, for the most performance opt for Sport, where the steering effort is increased and there is added responsiveness of the engine and transmission. Smart mode will give you the best fuel economy while compromising slightly on performance.
The torque comes on smoothly at a low 1,800 rpm, giving unexpected spirited acceleration with 0-60 times around 8.0 seconds. This is ample power to get up to speed, but it is not a sports sedan, even though the hybrid system is peppy and the handling is quite good for a five-passenger car weighing in at 3,530 pounds.
The EPA estimates fuel economy to be 45 mpg city/51 highway/47 combined: numbers that make Clean Fleet Report smile as we are happy to drive a car that is a serious fuel sipper. During our week in the Sonata Hybrid we drove 210 miles through Southern California, averaging 48.6 mpg. Our freeway fuel economy test loop of 160 miles, traveling round trip from Dana Point to the San Ysidro Mexican border crossing, averaged a very impressive 55.8 mpg. We got this stellar number by setting the adaptive cruise control to 65 mph, which is the posted speed on Interstate 5.
The slippery aerodynamics are partially due to the 0.24 coefficient of drag, with deflectors of smooth underbody panels that block air going to the engine when in electric mode and tiny rear lamp fins to improve air flow. Since this is not a plug-in hybrid, the Sonata Hybrid doesn’t have a dedicated EV mode. But you are rewarded for a light touch on the accelerator pedal, as it runs in electric mode when cruising on the highway, and much of the time when driving in town. Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience using the dash gauge computer. Your numbers may differ.
The Sonata Hybrid has a solid and confident ride on the 17-inch wheels and the 215/55 all-season tires. The ride is comfortable, with little wind noise, and only the harshest road imperfections transmit sounds to the cabin. Cornering was capable when pushed, but not sporty, so searching-out mountain corners should be replaced with hitting the open road. The power-assisted steering was direct and gave good road feedback, while the regenerative brakes (the system that puts electricity back into the battery when coasting or stopping) had a progressive feel, producing straight and true stops.
A safety feature on the Sonata Hybrid is the whirring sound made when stopping, and when driving at very slow speeds. This sci-fi sound is there to warn pedestrians that a completely silent vehicle is approaching. It works exceptionally well at crosswalks and in shopping center parking lots. Plus, my neighbors gave me a “what the heck!” look when coasting into my driveway in full EV mode.
Safety and Warranties
The Sonata Hybrid comes with an extensive list of standard safety features. They include nine airbags (front, knee, side air curtain) along with lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, forward collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic avoidance assist, hill start assist, surround view monitor with parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring system, and electronic stability control. One very cool feature is, when using the right or left turn signal, a camera comes on showing the front and side views of the Sonata, depending on which direction is being turned.
The 2021 Sonata Hybrid earned a Five Star, its highest safety rating, from the National Highway and Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the Sonata Hybrid its Top Safety Pick.
The 2021 Sonata Hybrid comes with these warranties:
- Hybrid Systems – 10 years/100,000 miles
- Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
- New Vehicle – Five years/60,000 miles
- Complimentary Maintenance – Three years/36,000 miles
- Roadside Assistance – Five years/Unlimited miles
- Anti-perforation – Seven years/Unlimited miles
Pricing
The 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid comes in three trim levels, with these base prices that include the $1,005 freight charges.
- Blue $28,775
- SEL $30,805
- Limited $36,305
Clean Fleet Report’s Sonata Hybrid Limited, with $155 in options and the $1,005 freight and handling fee, had a final MSRP of $36,460.
Observations: 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited
Clean Fleet Report doesn’t have a ranking system for the cars, crossovers, minivans and trucks we review. However, if we did, I would like to go on the record as saying the 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is my favorite four-door, five-passenger sedan. As noted earlier, the 2021 Sonata Hybrid Limited makes me smile, from the sleek slippery design to the excellent interior, the well-earned safety ratings, and of course the stellar fuel economy. And all of this for a base price under $29,000. Summary: Affordable and efficient with a long list of standard features.
Go into a Hyundai dealer for a lengthy test drive and see how this hybrid sedan fits your lifestyle. Make sure to have the sales associate walk you through the outstanding and inclusive warranty, and show you the cool solar roof. These are only two elements on the 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid that should put it at the top of your list.
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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Hyundai.
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Disclosure:
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
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