Does anyone watching this review live near or been to Big Bear Mountain? Also, thanks for watching! I just hit 64K subscribers! Let's hit 100K before October! (My birthday) :)
Looking classy! And not gonna lie, this version of the front bumper looks better imo! Also, please do not stop them night shots! Makes your reviews absolutely unique and awesome! Keep it up!!
I liked how this review was around “living with your car on a daily basis” setting than most reviews that only talk about the horsepower and MPG’s. You covered charging of the solar roof and the change in MPG, how it looks during the night, how sensitive the door locks are with the quick demo hands free, how the interior sounds when you close the door, how nice the material feels. Super. I’d like more reviewers do that because if we care so much about the pony power, we can just look up the number, but you can’t just look up living with the car (I guess you could technically) but regardless, such awesome review!!
Hi Forrest, first timer here, you did a great job. Very thorough and pointed out a lot of cool features other channels have not. As a former 2012 Sonata Hybrid owner and a current 2013 Avalon Hybrid owner I want to offer some insight on the “right tool” comment about the transmissions. The toyota ECVT or whatever it is, is exactly what you said, buttery smooth...all of the time. If you need more to hold speed over a hill the revs just increase slightly (more noise) and you maintain your speed. Very smooth. The Sonata by contrast would downshift, bringing up higher revs with a typical surge of power you’d find in any standard automatic transmission car. The Avalon is a much faster car, over a second faster 0-60 and you can feel that off the line. HOWEVER, when you’re out on the freeway that all changes. I live in Utah and drive mountain passes to get to my home. What I’ve learned is that while buttery smooth, the CVT struggles to produce power at speed. All it can do is rev higher to produce more power but it doesn’t seem to be able to get any additional mechanical advantage like you would downshifting. So you floor it and you do go faster but it takes a while, not good for uphill passing of any kind. The Sonata on the other hand would drop a gear or two and have the both the revs and mechanical advantage of a lower gear to give strong acceleration. Way more confidence in the Sonata once at speed. I really like both, the smoothness of the Avalon is very nice for that luxury feel but I definitely miss the passing power of the Sonata to the point that I would say I prefer the Sonata drivetrain with the amazing mileage improvement we’re seeing here. For reference my 2012 had averaged 37.8 mpg over 128K mi. My ‘13 Avalon has averaged 38.9 mpg over approx 72K mi that I’ve owned it (bought used w/45K). Hope that helps.
I have a 2015 Sonota hybrid and live in Pennsylvania. The winter mileage is different from the summer mileage because the engine must run more to maintain cabin temperature and the gasoline blend in the winter is different. For me the mileage drops about 7 or 8 mpg in the winter. I have over 75k on my car and have yet to replace anything for state inspection except the tires and wiper blades.
I bought a 2015 Sonota hybrid new and have had zero problems. Still looks brand new and still gets over 42 mpg. Best car I’ve ever owned. Would not hesitate to purchase another. By the way, you parked the car in a shady place and the solar panels need “Sun”. You should also mention that the brakes on a hybrid last much longer because much of the braking energy is transferred to power regeneration instead of brake wear. You can also jump start this car from the hybrid battery in an emergency.
Great review! You pointed out things about the car that many other reviews left out, so thank you for the great detail. Keep up the good work! The night shots were a nice touch as well.
Honestly can't think of any reason people buy the non-hybrid versions of cars like this, the Camry, the Accord, or any other non-performance car. Personally, it's gonna be split for me between the Accord and Sonata hybrids when I'm shoping a month or so for now, but the Sonata is just so damn PRETTY, even on the smaller wheels of the Blue trim.
The quality is improving with every single video. Keep it up. As for the car looks like a well-rounded package but I'm eagerly looking forward to the N-line more than anything. I really like a good performance family sedan
Very in depth review Forrest! I appreciate you taking the time to go over everything and really giving me a good idea of the car before I even go to test drive it. Keep up the good work man.
I’m glad you actually tested the solar sunroof. It did gain one bar from your test, but stayed at 28 miles. My hybrid Ioniq will actually gain mileage when you get under 100 miles based on your driving. I’m guessing the range might increase a mile or two when you got it out on the road. Another solid review Forrest.
Hyundai did great with this car . Tech is awesome. But if that solar panel goes bad, it might prove costly to fix . Still when it comes to ride quality the camry hybrid has it beat .
scaldon2 Ride is admittedly a bit softer and plush in the Camry but because of the louder road noise in the Camry it brings the overall ride experience back down. The Camry may seem like a quiet vehicle if you have not driven this new Sonata. However, after driving this, the Camry feels very loud in comparison. That definitely plays a huge factor in the overall perception of ride quality.
Great review! I really like the chrome grill on the Hybrid better than the shiny black on the gas version. Even though it lacks the sunroof (a nice feature I admit) I like the looks, quietness & more efficient hybrid powertrain over the gas version. I do like that gold yellow color though which I think is only available on the SEL Plus gas version. :-(
Bought one last week. The solar roof is no gimmick...but if you live in Seattle or some other state where you get massive hail (it's glass after all) or dark winters, you're probably not going to benefit. If you live someplace sunny, I assure you the solar roof is all business.
I love this car so much! I feel like I've seen every video on this car lol! I am scraping and saving to be able to buy one of these cars and I'm going to have it forever until the wheels fall off or it rusts out. Right now I have a car with a 4.6 l. V8 and I'm averaging like 14 miles per gallon lol. So 52 would be very nice! Hahaha! I really want the Oxford blue with the light gray interior. :-)
Great Review Bro! I am not sold on the solar panel roof. Hyundai needs to offer either a pano roof or even a regular sunroof option to people as an alternative. Otherwise, the interior design looks very upmarket.
Have a 2018 Sonata Hybrid. The 6 speed transmission has worked flawlessly so far. Never been a fan of the CVTs. Not sure I would want the solar panel given the small benefits it provides.
Really good review, I only wish the vehicle was able to really break ground and be the first hybrid to hit 60+ MPG, which would be even more than the Ioniq. Also, 2 miles a day in solar is not impressive, if they can figure out a way to get that closer to 5-7, that would be groundbreaking.
I saw an interesting article on the solar roof that makes me thing about it a bit differently. First, it will charge both the 12V and the hybrid battery, until each are full. This is a huge advantage on a sunny day when you might need to wait in the car, as the roof is allegedly capable of powering all the accessories in the car -- so you can be in the car with it on without the engine turning on (so long as you remain in bright sunlight).
I would definitely get the hybrid over the gas version. I have an ioniq already and this would be a nice compromise for more space, but still driving a hybrid.
Had the last gen hybrid Ultimate for 70k trouble free miles. Great car the only issue was refuse downshift after let go of gas pedal for a half second then kick down again. It won't shift for good 3+ second. Only happened to me twice when merging and that was very scary. Not sure if Hyundai fix it this gen.
Looks decent... But a bit too much like a Ford. I like the Genesis G90 much more. But an informative video again. Some nice shots indeed. Greetings from the Netherlands...
I don't need no stinkin smaht pahk. After buying a Palisade for the wife and liking it as much as I do, I have my eye on either a Sonata N-line, or Elantra N-line. Possibly even a Kona N. The Veloster N's 4 dr design, including hatch, would upset my ocd way too much. Not sure I want 2 different profile looks on 1 single car. That Hybrid (capital H) is really nice, and the mileage is amazing though. I am also a huge fan of that gray color, the wheels on the other hand, not so much. Front end styling is better, but unfortunately in hybrid form, it has way too much chrome.
I was thinking of the prius prime or this hybrid sonata for my daily commute from Palmdale to Santa Monica... Which would you choose? Both get 640 miles per full tank
I feel it'm more of a gimmick for the solar panel. I'm assuming they used a lab tested solar cells. Assuming you have perfect sunlight 24/7/365.25 then you will be getting 800 miles lol. Also one thing with these hybrid cars versus plugin hybrid. The hybrid car does not hold the charge for long time. it will charge but it will lose it even when the car is off. Versus Plugin hybrid cars tend to keep the charge longer than hybrid only cars. so technically with this car you will get improved fuel economy, but it may not worth the extra cost for the roof.
Not sure where you saw that hybrids won't maintain their battery charge while turned off -- this is not true of any hybrid I've owned. More to the point, for most cars (like the Sonata) the HEV uses the same battery as the PHEV, just that the PHEV has more cells. There should be no "vampire" drain on the hybrid battery, either, on the Sonata, as the hybrid battery is electronically "disconnected" when the car is turned off (the circuit is opened).
Maybe you needed to drive out for 1 second so the milage changes ? Happens with my Lexus. I get the old estimated range before the new one after refueling.
I'm surprised you brought the gas all the way down to 11 miles of range left. Although most cars have a little more range than what they show is left. Still at nearly 48 mpg and just over 600 miles driven would give a fuel tank capacity of just under 13 gallons. Seems pretty small, unless you weren't starting with a full tank. I tend not to trust the computer for mpg and calculate fuel added divided by miles driven. Now some pumps shut off at different fill levels (unless you always fill at the same pump at the same station and even then...), but if you're really careful, some pumps will let you fill gas slowly enough to completely top off a tank. So then you can get a more accurate mpg rating, although i hear that topping off a tank all the way actually gives you some free miles because of the expansion of gas fumes in the tank, although i don't think that has a real effect on mileage...
The gas tank is listed as 13.2 gallons. While on the small side, 600 miles of range is very good for a sedan. My guess is that the numbers were relatively accurate, and that you have at least a half gallon of "reserve" fuel when the range hits zero.
Nice car dude. That's my dream car, it's very techie...What does your car have that the blue trim does not have and the difference? 2nd, how much is the blue trim? Importantly, if i leave the sonata solar for like 2 months parked along the street, what will happen to the batteries? You can also respond me back through my messenger JOJO MERCADO or JOSEPH MERCADO.... Thanks-Salamuch,
Does anyone watching this review live near or been to Big Bear Mountain? Also, thanks for watching! I just hit 64K subscribers! Let's hit 100K before October! (My birthday)
:)
Congrats and well deserved. Keep up the good work.
Been going to Big Bear my whole life since I live in the Riverside area.
Wow I went to Big Bear about 10 years ago. It was incredible! Enjoy! And nice review! Edit: I hope you enjoyED😂
Gz
Looking classy! And not gonna lie, this version of the front bumper looks better imo!
Also, please do not stop them night shots! Makes your reviews absolutely unique and awesome! Keep it up!!
I liked how this review was around “living with your car on a daily basis” setting than most reviews that only talk about the horsepower and MPG’s. You covered charging of the solar roof and the change in MPG, how it looks during the night, how sensitive the door locks are with the quick demo hands free, how the interior sounds when you close the door, how nice the material feels. Super. I’d like more reviewers do that because if we care so much about the pony power, we can just look up the number, but you can’t just look up living with the car (I guess you could technically) but regardless, such awesome review!!
very nice review, I like the hybrid better than the gas model.
Gary Cooper Thanks!
Hi Forrest, first timer here, you did a great job. Very thorough and pointed out a lot of cool features other channels have not.
As a former 2012 Sonata Hybrid owner and a current 2013 Avalon Hybrid owner I want to offer some insight on the “right tool” comment about the transmissions.
The toyota ECVT or whatever it is, is exactly what you said, buttery smooth...all of the time. If you need more to hold speed over a hill the revs just increase slightly (more noise) and you maintain your speed. Very smooth. The Sonata by contrast would downshift, bringing up higher revs with a typical surge of power you’d find in any standard automatic transmission car.
The Avalon is a much faster car, over a second faster 0-60 and you can feel that off the line. HOWEVER, when you’re out on the freeway that all changes. I live in Utah and drive mountain passes to get to my home. What I’ve learned is that while buttery smooth, the CVT struggles to produce power at speed. All it can do is rev higher to produce more power but it doesn’t seem to be able to get any additional mechanical advantage like you would downshifting. So you floor it and you do go faster but it takes a while, not good for uphill passing of any kind. The Sonata on the other hand would drop a gear or two and have the both the revs and mechanical advantage of a lower gear to give strong acceleration. Way more confidence in the Sonata once at speed.
I really like both, the smoothness of the Avalon is very nice for that luxury feel but I definitely miss the passing power of the Sonata to the point that I would say I prefer the Sonata drivetrain with the amazing mileage improvement we’re seeing here. For reference my 2012 had averaged 37.8 mpg over 128K mi. My ‘13 Avalon has averaged 38.9 mpg over approx 72K mi that I’ve owned it (bought used w/45K).
Hope that helps.
I have a 2015 Sonota hybrid and live in Pennsylvania. The winter mileage is different from the summer mileage because the engine must run more to maintain cabin temperature and the gasoline blend in the winter is different. For me the mileage drops about 7 or 8 mpg in the winter. I have over 75k on my car and have yet to replace anything for state inspection except the tires and wiper blades.
I bought a 2015 Sonota hybrid new and have had zero problems. Still looks brand new and still gets over 42 mpg. Best car I’ve ever owned. Would not hesitate to purchase another. By the way, you parked the car in a shady place and the solar panels need “Sun”. You should also mention that the brakes on a hybrid last much longer because much of the braking energy is transferred to power regeneration instead of brake wear. You can also jump start this car from the hybrid battery in an emergency.
Great review! You pointed out things about the car that many other reviews left out, so thank you for the great detail. Keep up the good work! The night shots were a nice touch as well.
Honestly can't think of any reason people buy the non-hybrid versions of cars like this, the Camry, the Accord, or any other non-performance car. Personally, it's gonna be split for me between the Accord and Sonata hybrids when I'm shoping a month or so for now, but the Sonata is just so damn PRETTY, even on the smaller wheels of the Blue trim.
First review of your that I've watched. I really like your editing and style! Very much appreciated!
The quality is improving with every single video. Keep it up.
As for the car looks like a well-rounded package but I'm eagerly looking forward to the N-line more than anything. I really like a good performance family sedan
Very in depth review Forrest! I appreciate you taking the time to go over everything and really giving me a good idea of the car before I even go to test drive it. Keep up the good work man.
I’m glad you actually tested the solar sunroof. It did gain one bar from your test, but stayed at 28 miles. My hybrid Ioniq will actually gain mileage when you get under 100 miles based on your driving. I’m guessing the range might increase a mile or two when you got it out on the road.
Another solid review Forrest.
Egan Fo Thanks Egan! Glad you noticed the bar increase because I surely did not. Lol
Nice review, seems like a decent car for commuting
Hyundai did great with this car . Tech is awesome. But if that solar panel goes bad, it might prove costly to fix . Still when it comes to ride quality the camry hybrid has it beat .
scaldon2 Ride is admittedly a bit softer and plush in the Camry but because of the louder road noise in the Camry it brings the overall ride experience back down. The Camry may seem like a quiet vehicle if you have not driven this new Sonata. However, after driving this, the Camry feels very loud in comparison. That definitely plays a huge factor in the overall perception of ride quality.
Great review! I really like the chrome grill on the Hybrid better than the shiny black on the gas version. Even though it lacks the sunroof (a nice feature I admit) I like the looks, quietness & more efficient hybrid powertrain over the gas version. I do like that gold yellow color though which I think is only available on the SEL Plus gas version. :-(
Bought one last week. The solar roof is no gimmick...but if you live in Seattle or some other state where you get massive hail (it's glass after all) or dark winters, you're probably not going to benefit. If you live someplace sunny, I assure you the solar roof is all business.
I love this car so much! I feel like I've seen every video on this car lol! I am scraping and saving to be able to buy one of these cars and I'm going to have it forever until the wheels fall off or it rusts out. Right now I have a car with a 4.6 l. V8 and I'm averaging like 14 miles per gallon lol. So 52 would be very nice! Hahaha! I really want the Oxford blue with the light gray interior. :-)
I’m here for the Hair! 😍
You will get that in barber shop too !
Gay
2:32 I love that shot! I hope you do it for your other reviews too.
Even if the solar roof isn't that great. It's great to get this technology out there so it becomes better overtime.
Great Review Bro! I am not sold on the solar panel roof. Hyundai needs to offer either a pano roof or even a regular sunroof option to people as an alternative. Otherwise, the interior design looks very upmarket.
Your reviews are getting better and better! Keep up the great work! You knocked this one out of the park!
B L Thanks!!
Have a 2018 Sonata Hybrid. The 6 speed transmission has worked flawlessly so far. Never been a fan of the CVTs. Not sure I would want the solar panel given the small benefits it provides.
Really good review, I only wish the vehicle was able to really break ground and be the first hybrid to hit 60+ MPG, which would be even more than the Ioniq.
Also, 2 miles a day in solar is not impressive, if they can figure out a way to get that closer to 5-7, that would be groundbreaking.
I saw an interesting article on the solar roof that makes me thing about it a bit differently. First, it will charge both the 12V and the hybrid battery, until each are full. This is a huge advantage on a sunny day when you might need to wait in the car, as the roof is allegedly capable of powering all the accessories in the car -- so you can be in the car with it on without the engine turning on (so long as you remain in bright sunlight).
I have the 2019 Sonata Hybrid and it seems to drive much better than the Sport also.
Forrest I've been watching your car reviews for quite some time I think you are doing and excellent Job keep up the great work 👍
onelove396able Thank you so much! I appreciate that more than you know!
Love the paint color and the rear lights at night
the best review on TH-cam
When are these gonna be available again??? Cant find one in CA & AZ
Great review!
I would definitely get the hybrid over the gas version. I have an ioniq already and this would be a nice compromise for more space, but still driving a hybrid.
I absolutely want the Hybrid limited model; I just can't find one to buy
Great review. Would u suggest saving over 10k and getting the SE gas ⛽ version as it has the chrome grill just like the hybrid?
Great review! What’s the color? Seriously debating between this, and the 2019 Sonata plugin hybrid. Thoughts?
Reza Shaeri Hampton grey
Goonster72 thanks :)
Wow! It will for sure not have the reliability of a Toyota Camry but I like it a lot.
I hope, the hybrid comes to Germany soon.
Had the last gen hybrid Ultimate for 70k trouble free miles. Great car the only issue was refuse downshift after let go of gas pedal for a half second then kick down again. It won't shift for good 3+ second. Only happened to me twice when merging and that was very scary. Not sure if Hyundai fix it this gen.
Looks decent... But a bit too much like a Ford.
I like the Genesis G90 much more.
But an informative video again. Some nice shots indeed.
Greetings from the Netherlands...
I'd prefer this to the gas version -- it's better looking as well. Really not sold on the interior though. It seems a bit too dark in all black.
Hybrid for sure!👍🏾👍🏾
3+ months later and I still cant buy it in Austin
Be careful to not show the gps with the speed limit and the speedometer on the same shot when doing the 0 to 60.
I don't need no stinkin smaht pahk. After buying a Palisade for the wife and liking it as much as I do, I have my eye on either a Sonata N-line, or Elantra N-line. Possibly even a Kona N. The Veloster N's 4 dr design, including hatch, would upset my ocd way too much. Not sure I want 2 different profile looks on 1 single car. That Hybrid (capital H) is really nice, and the mileage is amazing though. I am also a huge fan of that gray color, the wheels on the other hand, not so much. Front end styling is better, but unfortunately in hybrid form, it has way too much chrome.
Very good review
I couldn’t find a hybrid for sale, bought a traditional gas limited
I was thinking of the prius prime or this hybrid sonata for my daily commute from Palmdale to Santa Monica... Which would you choose? Both get 640 miles per full tank
Would you choose this over a Tesla Model 3 SR+?
Awesome review
Sushil narain Thanks!
you would think it would get more mpg because of the solar roof.
Love the review, but Camry Hybrid fully loaded is just about 40k. Sonata is cheaper.
Hyundai has a much better warranty as well.
It seems to me you did not taking Physics class. You put Sonata wrong place to charge using solar panel.
Are you going to review the sonata n line?
At about 21:45 you totally contradicted yourself as to which trim level gets better mileage.
wait, you dont have to use the paddle shifters to use sport mode?
on a different note,
ford an Lincoln pull out from rivian, not good
Where did you find this car? No one has it.
Do it having a sunroof
I feel it'm more of a gimmick for the solar panel. I'm assuming they used a lab tested solar cells. Assuming you have perfect sunlight 24/7/365.25 then you will be getting 800 miles lol. Also one thing with these hybrid cars versus plugin hybrid. The hybrid car does not hold the charge for long time. it will charge but it will lose it even when the car is off. Versus Plugin hybrid cars tend to keep the charge longer than hybrid only cars. so technically with this car you will get improved fuel economy, but it may not worth the extra cost for the roof.
Not sure where you saw that hybrids won't maintain their battery charge while turned off -- this is not true of any hybrid I've owned. More to the point, for most cars (like the Sonata) the HEV uses the same battery as the PHEV, just that the PHEV has more cells. There should be no "vampire" drain on the hybrid battery, either, on the Sonata, as the hybrid battery is electronically "disconnected" when the car is turned off (the circuit is opened).
Hun Day ? The eight day of the week!
What color model is this?
What is your source for the price of the limited trim? I hear it is around 40k?
Subramaniam Seshadri The price I listed was the MSRP of my tester. This was sticker price before delivery & dealer mark ups.
What color is that ?
I love mine.
Hybrid any day!!!
Maybe you needed to drive out for 1 second so the milage changes ? Happens with my Lexus. I get the old estimated range before the new one after refueling.
Hi. What state do you live in? Very beautiful nature
let'splay game Southern California 🙂
do you guys think the look of this car is going to age well?
I'm surprised you brought the gas all the way down to 11 miles of range left. Although most cars have a little more range than what they show is left. Still at nearly 48 mpg and just over 600 miles driven would give a fuel tank capacity of just under 13 gallons. Seems pretty small, unless you weren't starting with a full tank. I tend not to trust the computer for mpg and calculate fuel added divided by miles driven. Now some pumps shut off at different fill levels (unless you always fill at the same pump at the same station and even then...), but if you're really careful, some pumps will let you fill gas slowly enough to completely top off a tank. So then you can get a more accurate mpg rating, although i hear that topping off a tank all the way actually gives you some free miles because of the expansion of gas fumes in the tank, although i don't think that has a real effect on mileage...
The gas tank is listed as 13.2 gallons. While on the small side, 600 miles of range is very good for a sedan. My guess is that the numbers were relatively accurate, and that you have at least a half gallon of "reserve" fuel when the range hits zero.
Nice car dude. That's my dream car, it's very techie...What does your car have that the blue trim does not have and the difference? 2nd, how much is the blue trim? Importantly, if i leave the sonata solar for like 2 months parked along the street, what will happen to the batteries? You can also respond me back through my messenger JOJO MERCADO or JOSEPH MERCADO....
Thanks-Salamuch,
Hyundai has improved in quality but it’s not as good as Honda. Try harder Hyundai
robest? dafuk is robest?
😂 Yeah I meant to say robust but I’m pretty sure I was thinking of two different words at the same time.
too ugly car - won't even get both versions of it, the Front design of the grill and the headlights ,just too ugly