I think there is no any doubt to anyone that the all-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata is very important vehicle to the Korean automaker. The all-new Sonata, combining a new exterior with performance that rivals the best, is out to increase market share in one of the hottest-contested classes in the U.S.
Now, Hyundai has launched the requisite eco-friendly Sonata variant, the Sonata Hybrid at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Hyundai has made quite a few visual changes to the Sonata Hybrid’s exterior. Equipment unique to the hybrid version of the Sonata are the bumper fascias, headlights and taillights, rocker panels, ‘eco-spoke’ wheels, front grille, side sills and air dam, badging and paint color.
Some changes are purely cosmetic, but Hyundai says that many are functional which make the Sonata Hybrid more aerodynamic and lowering its drag coefficient to a slippery 0.25. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid marks the first production use of Hyundai’s Hybrid Blue Drive technology that can operate independently on either its 169-horsepower 2.4-liter gasoline engine or its 40-horsepower electric motor, with overall power listed at 209 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.
So, how is the new model?
