2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid consumer reviews

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid with Premium Package is a stunningly beautiful car with a luxury car level of comfort. The gas mileage has been disappointing though; not much better than my previous non-hybrid Sonata. The most disconcerting problem, however, is my Check Engine Light has been coming on since 451 miles. (I now have 1381 miles on my odometer.) My Dealership is still trying to determine the cause of the Check Engine Light. Also, the XM Radio did not initially work. The Dealership installed a new antenna, then a new radio. The XM Radio now works, but the display screen for the Radio is different than the original one. The other concern I have had with 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is that when you put the car into reverse when parking on an incline, the car continues to roll forward for several feet. My Dealership has told me this is normal. I feel this is dangerous & most definitely should not be normal. I bought my Hyundai Sonata Hybrid on May 25, 2011. My prior car was a 2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS 4 Cylinder & it was the perfect car (no problems at all durig the 6 years I owned the car). I was expecting another great car, because the 2011 Sonata Hybrid was made in the same auto plant in Assan where my 06 Sonata was made. So far I have been disappointed in the reliability of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

Appearance - the striking lines and sleek contours evoked completments from my friends and family. The car even turned the heads of parking attendants and co-workers in the parking lot. Ride - The ride is very smooth, yet controlled. The car absorbs road bumps, which are aplenty in Cleveland, yet maintains excellent control and feel in curves and during avoidance maneuvers. Braking is very sure and controlled - the regenerative braking system that recharges the battery does not compromise function. In an emergency braking situation the car braked without pulling to either side and I felt in full control of the car. I had read prior owner comments that earlier Sonatas tended to pull to the left. I have not experienced any tendency for the car to pull to one side during driving or braking. I have driven about 1,000 miles. So far the tires have good gripping and are quiet. Interior - The interior is very well appointed. The switches are where they should be and they are easily accessable. The car is designed to enable the driver to keep an eye on the road at all times. The standard Bluetooth enables the driver to keep vision on the road while receiving and making calls, The voice interface enables you to utilize the phonebook from your phone to conveniently make calls. The head, leg, hip and shoulder room are excellent. The access for entering and leaving the care are also excellent - this was particularly important for me because with knees that do not bend well, I need a car to have a large entry profile. The motorized driver seat is extremely comfortable and its controls are intuitive. FueL economy - I am getting 40-42 mpg in city driving and 45+ on the highway. The car will cruise using the electric motor up to about 60 mph, albeit for about a mile or so before engaging the gas engine to run the car and recharge the battery. The instrument display enables one to learn how to drive more economically.

Great car performance and fuel economy are everything Hyundai says. The car give a confortable ride, low road noise, and being 6'1" tall back seat has plenty of room.

The negative first, passenger seat is not adjustable in height & sits very low. Not comfortable for shorter people. Bought the Premium package model. The positives seem to have no end as I drive the car. Acceleration is very good, fun to drive, radio great, handling excellent, quiet cabin, trunk more than adequate. Gas mileage is about right on target with the 35/40 window sticker. Mixed driving I have averaged 39.6 - 70% Hwy. Driver's seat is comfortable & electric adjustments. Controls are easy to read, navigation easy. I am totality impressed. Miles driven 600.

I just bought this vehicle 05/29/11 and I love it! The exterior of the car is gorgeous and I have been stopped several times as to what kind of car I am driving. I have been told it looks like a Lexus and a 5-series Mercedes. I bought the GLS w/ package 3 in the Pearl White. The interior is like no other. Every upgrade you could imagine in a high end vehicle is in this car. I LOVE the Bluetooth function for hands free talk as well as listen to the music on my iPhone. The gas mileage is unprecedented, I am averaging 27 - 29mpg. This is by far the greatest vehicle I have ever purchased Hyundai really went above and beyond on this car!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Likes: Exterior styling; relatively low price; standard equipment; list of options; friendly sales staff and service department. Dislikes: Great exterior design makes for snug interior, blind spots and rear passenger discomfort with surprisingly little head room feel; seats that are far too low and uncomfortable; not-so-great MPG for what the company claims; some tugging of the right front wheels upon take off and when cruise control is on (a common issue, per other Sonata owners and our service tech); usual new car teething pains; leaky windshield (still not fixed after a day in the shop); and poor power, even for a hybrid. Once the flaws are worked out, I can live with some of the shortfalls. Our Chrysler 300 Limited is the car we take on long trips, so we decided that the Sonata would be our car pool to work sedan. Observations: We were surprised that the Nissan Altima Hybrid has taken the year off! Our previous drive was a sharp looking black-on-black Altima Hybrid (one of the best) and we were saddened when visiting our Nissan dealership to buy another. The Camry Hyrid we drove was solid, refined and very comfortable, but the Toyota dealer could not locate one with the options we wanted - leading to what would have been a long wait for a factoring order. The super sweet Honda CR-Z EX was a delight to test drive, but we needed more room than Honda's two-seater. The Honda Insight was another good ride, but we wanted a car with more luxurious content, coming on the Insight for '12, as we understand it per dealer. In retrospect, the Prius would have been a better choice than the Hyundia, as it does EVERYTHING perfectly and has a fun, edgy look. We felt the nice looking Sonata would be the best of all worlds, but unfortunately, it does not impess us, except for the outer look.

It has everything period. Gas mileage for such a large car is great. Smooth shifting transmisson. Great looks.

Beautiful Car,nice lines all around,good gas miles,price is very good and the standar equipments in this car is fantastic and much safaty features.good luck.

I recently purchased a 2011 2.4L 4 cylinder Hyundai Sonata SE. This was my first time ever buying a Hyundai and I was HIGHLY skeptical of the brand at first, having been a VERY loyal Honda owner for the past 10 years. However, looking through the future product lineup coming out of Honda, I was not very excited nor interested in the way Honda was doing things. And soon I, grudgingly, looked away to other brands. Toyota was the next brand. However, they Camry, too, just wasnt feeling right. It was too sloppy during the test drives and felt "boring". I checked out the Ford's Fusion and although quite nice as in terms of driving, I felt the interior quality just lacked the high quality standard I was used to in a foreign made car. I skiped the Malibu, Altima and Mazda 6 because I just didnt feel the design at all. Then a friend suggested I take a look at the Hyundai Sonata. At first, I was almost instantly dismissive. But he kept insisting to take a look and to forget about my preconceived notions of the brand. Boy, was he right. The moment I drove into the local Hyundai dealership, there was my car. A GORGEOUS, Venetian Red Sonata SE just sitting there sparkling in the Sun. My jaws dropped. I could not for a good 10 minutes come to terms that the car that I was looking at was from Hyundai. Paint quality was EXCELLENT. So was the design and how everything flows so smoothly. The wheels had a great character that perfectly matched the overall shaped of the car. The car was sleek and looked much more expensive than was the asking price was for. Of which was only $23k. What? This car for $23K? Are you kidding me? Then I got into the interior and things got REALLY impressive. The layout of the driver's cockpit and the smooth soft touch finishes in the interior and the overall design of the inside just had me at hello. If you had closed your eyes or hidden the car brand logo, you would NOT believe that you are in a Hyundai AT ALL. It was that impressive. There were so many places to put things in, trays, cupholders all over the place, USB and iPod integration comes STANDARD, something you have to get extra for almost all Hondas. The test drive was even better. The car has an extremely short turning radius. I was quite shocked at how nimble this mid size sedan can turn ALMOST as well as a small car. The ride quality was excellent, not too floaty like in the Camry and not as rough as the Accord. It was right in between. The power coming out of the 4 cylinder was mighty impressive as well. For a 4 cylinder naturally aspirated engine producing 200 hp is something ,about 10 years ago, you could not even imagine. Technology sure advances quickly. However, coming from a V6, I was just slightly disappointing in the passing power department. But that is partly due to my heavy right footed nature. :D However, at least now, those people shouldn't worry too much as Hyundai has an even more powerful engine with the 2.0 T turbo edition just about to be sold. The fuel economy was excellent. I averaged around 30 mpg on both city and highway stints of a good 20 minutes test drive. Coming back to the dealership, and sitting back at the salesman's desk, it was increasingly getting difficult to NOT like the car. It had everything that I was looking for: style, interior quality, decent power, great fuel economy, safety, price, top notch warranty, and overall reliability according to consumer reports, I just had to sign the dotted line right then and there. So that is my story of how a VERY skeptical and loyal Honda owner of 10 years, came away changing his perception of Hyundai as a brand but also getting a fantastic deal on a fantastic car. I highly recommend this car to anyone in the market for a family sedan. You will not be disappointed. And trust me, I have done my homework. UPDATE: For those who do not "like" the styling of the Sonata, I suggest you take a look at the 2011 Kia Optima. It essentially has the same mechanical underpinnings of the Sonata but with a radically different exterior/interior design. Good luck on your car shopping! :D