Mid-size sedan buyers will have a new high-efficiency option this fall with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid sedan.
At the Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai unveiled their next entry in a coming line of hybrid models with a plug-in version of their already popular Sonata Hybrid.
With a lithium polymer battery pack five times larger than the Sonata Hybrid it’s expected to offer up an all-electric range of up to 22 miles, which would be class leading.
Like the Sonata Hybrid, the Plug-In has a 2.0 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a powerful electric motor mounted between it and its six-speed automatic transmission.
In EV mode, the gasoline engine is disconnected from the drive unit. When the battery becomes depleted, the system switches back to normal hybrid operation with the gasoline engine operational.
With 202 total system horsepower, the combination offers a more traditional driving experience than hybrids with a CVT as you get a normal shifting feel.
Hyundai says the new 2016 Sonata Plug-In Hybrid can achieve 93 MPGe combined in EV mode. In hybrid mode, it should achieve 38 mpg city, 43 mpg highway and 40 mpg combined. EPA tests have yet to be finalized however.
You can charge the battery in two and a half hours with a 240V Level 2 charger of five hours using a standard 120V outlet.
Pricing will be announced closer to when the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid goes on sale next fall.
