Comments on: The 2011 Sonata Hybrid’s Secret Ingredient: Six-Speed Automatic Transmission

By: E

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:58:53 +0000

Sorry, but your wife is right. Your Prius is not powerful.

By: Chang

Chang — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 07:09:48 +0000

I completely agree with you. I appreciated my Nissan Altima’s CVT from the beginning. To me, it is quicker and more exact to respond to my accelerator operation. Though many modern 6 speed AT successfully minimized gear hunting, they still show inefficiency in choosing right gear in high speed uphill situation, which results in slower response to the operation and lower gas mileage compared to CVT. If 6 speed is perceived more powerful than CVT, it is based on uneducated myth.

By: My First Hybrid

My First Hybrid — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:34:38 +0000

I predict the mileage for the 6-speed transmission will not be as good as the EPA ratings (just like for most gas version cars). They will try to sell on the great ‘highway’ mileage, but most owners will end up getting closer to the ‘city’ mileage instead. That would put it sub-par in terms of fuel economy, compared to the other hybrids that emphasize better city mileage.

The ’11 Camry is my first hybrid vehicle, and I keep wondering why the EPA fuel ratings (31/35 mpg) are lower than Fusion’s… I’m averaging better than 40 MPG in mixed driving (25/75), and that’s a whole lot more than the EPA estimates. So, it seems Comsumer Reports is right when they reported that Camry and Fusion both get similar mileage, with Fusion actually costing more than the Toyota! Maybe it’s all in the marketting and publicity generated for the Fusion… Such as is now occurring for the Sonata…

By: LordKinbote

LordKinbote — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:41:33 +0000

In response to veek, I have a 2004 Hyundai Sonata with close to 108,000 miles on it and have not had problems with it. I bought it pre-owned with 14,000 miles on it from a dealer in 2006. I’ve had regular maintenance with it and the mechanics I take it to said that they have come to really appreciate Hyundais because they are really well built. Much more so than any of the guys in the shop assumed they would be because you hear more about the reliability of Toyotas or some classic American cars. They said the Hyundais that come in tend to all hold up really well considering their age and they say something to this affect for the last 3 times or so that I bring it in for an oil change. They suggested a 100k electrical tune-up since it’s over that, but they said, “It’s in really good shape though.” I feel confidence that it will be all right for the time period I have to save up for the tune-up. If I could get a Sonata as a hybrid or EV, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

By: Cezar P

Cezar P — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:11:04 +0000

1 - Design is 100% very nice in & out, I wish Toyota & Lexus will learn at once to design futuristic more contemporaneous cars!

3 - Toyota sold about 6 years ago (2004 I think) the hybrid patent to Ford (the Hybrid Synergy) so in exchange to let them sell in US so many hybrids (a market underground agreement)

2 - Hyundai just try to make excuses for not using the High Teach 100% perfect efficient mechanically CVT - Continuous Variable Transmission with an infinity of gears, versus the old much cheaper since no need for developing, just only 6 gears!
Now compare # 6 with an infinite # to see what is best efficient! Simple as that.

By: Hybrid King

Hybrid King — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:19:57 +0000

CVT and cruise control. OK you are the driver – not the passenger! Try this – before reaching a hill tap the cruise control up 3 to 5mph and then as you climb the hill tap it down 5 to 10 mph – depending on length of the hill. You will find your revs stay more constant and you trade speed for better MPG overall. Plus you will be driving instead of sleeping at the wheel!

By: MM

MM — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:53:04 +0000

Even with Sonata Hybrid “better designed” and more net horsepower, the old grandfather of the group the Camry Hybrid motorboat pass the pokey sonata Hybrid and the Fusion Hybrids form 0-60.

Sonata Hybrid 9.2
Fusion Hybrid 8.4
Camry Hybrid 7.7

Also in real world mileage tests conducted by Consumer Reports the Camry Hybrid matched the Fusion Hybrids on it highway/city test loop, the Sonata Hybrid has yet to be tested by Consumer Reports.

I will say the Sonata Hybrid is an attractive car.

By: John K.

John K. — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 03:00:52 +0000

Why does the article say, "The Sonata has better lines, cooler LED head and taillights" when you can clearly see a light BULB in the middle of both of the rear turn signal (yellow) and backup light (white)??? If they mean only the brake light portion of the taillights, they should say that.

Frankly, I think w/a new 2011 model hybrid, there should NOT be any light bulbs used, inside or out, except for the headlights and fog/driving lights. LEDs are so much more energy efficient, but esp reliable. No more having a cop pull you over and give you a $200 fix-it ticket for a stupid, burnt out $2 light bulb.

By: Rob Acree

Rob Acree — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:57:06 +0000

I fail to see how the Sonata's styling is "hands down" better than the Fusion. I prefer the Fusion styling "hands down" to the outdated two-tone photo that's shown of the Sonata. The amount of information fed to the driver in the Fusion Hybrid is incredible and judging on the photo in this article, I doubt it comes close to that of the Fusion.

As for the transmission, why do you want to feel the gear shift when you hit the gas? I find that quite an annoyance especially when using cruise control going uphill for quite some distance. Set the cruise control on a six-speed transmission and drive up into the mountains. See how much you like the transmission shift up and down after about 5 minutes. Chances are, you'd be quite annoyed and would be begging to have the smoothness of a CVT.

The transmission shift sound is something that drums up thoughts of a traditional gasoline powered car. You're buying a hybrid...not a traditional gas powered car. If you're buying a car for the sound, a hybrid is probably not what you're in the market for anyways...

By: Hex Head

Hex Head — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:11:55 +0000

It sounds like it is time for a transmission tutorial. It is true that hybrid cars and some non-hybrid cars both use CVT transmissions, however this is where the tranmission similarity ends! The CVT used in a Toyota hybrid or Ford hybrid has absolutely nothing in common with a CVT used in a non-hybrid. A CVT transmission in a Toyota/Ford hybrid uses an extremely siimple SINGLE plantary gear set. You see, it turns out that you can build a CVT with just a single planetary gear set when you have three sources of power under the hood – namely an engine & two electrical motors. A CVT in a non-hybrid uses a fancy metal belt with variable size sprockets. These are realtively expensive and, due to the belt, cannot handle a lot of torque. A non-CVT automatic transmission such as your typical 4, 5, or 6 speed automatic uses MULTIPLE planetary gear sets and MULTIPLE clutch packs. These have a whole lot of parts and therefore tend to be the largest in size and I would say certainly less reliable than a hybrid CVT and probably less reliable than a non-hybrid CVT. The single planetary gear set transmission in the Ford/Toyota hybrids is an extremely ELEGANT device and I cannot imagine a more efficient and capable design. Hyundai problably went with a standard type of auto transmission becasue they did not want to license the hybrid single planetary gear set design from Toyota. Note that the Hyundai hybrid gets worse MPG in the city compared to the highway – this is becasue of no CVT and definitely is not a selling point.

hybrid single plantary gear set link: http://eahart.com/prius/psd/