Blue is how Hyundai calls the entry-level yet frugal grade, which is EPA-rated at 52 miles per gallon (4.5 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined driving cycle. To put these numbers into perspective, the Toyota Camry Hybrid LE also averages 52 MPG but the retail price kicks off at $28,430.
Right off the bat, Hyundai is playing the value card in order to steal customers away from the most popular mid-size sedan in the United States. The South Korean automaker also took a jab at Toyota as well as Honda.
In the press release with the pricing information for the 2020 Sonata Hybrid, the peeps at Hyundai boast more safety features as standard than the Camry Hybrid and Accord Hybrid. Front headroom and legroom also favor the South Korean interloper, and then there’s the automatic transmission with six gears.
Both Japanese competitors use CVTs, a type of transmission that takes away a lot from the driving experience. Hyundai, however, showed this different approach when it rolled out the Ioniq Hybrid with a dual-clutch box instead of a CVT. It’s also a six-gear unit like the Sonata’s transmission.
The 2.0 GDi HEV engine and the e-motor deliver a combined system output of 192 horsepower (195 PS). 150 horsepower (152 PS) and 139 pound-feet (188 Nm) of torque at 5,000 revs come from the four-cylinder mill.
“Like Sonata and Sonata Turbo launched last year, Sonata Hybrid demonstrates Hyundai’s unique approach melding innovative technologies and emotional design into products that people increasingly want to put in their driveways,” said Brian Smith, COO at Hyundai Motor America.
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