MT-1. VW Passat. 2. Toyota Camry. 3. Hyundai Sonanta NOW PART 3 Page 4
10-20-11, 08:22 PM
#33
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170 hp is woefully underpowered for a car in this class but 9 sec 0-60 is nothing to get embarrassed about. I spent last weekend checking out several newly introduced cars and I think the Passat is the better looking bland car if such a thing can be said. I also think it has a much more elegant interior than the Camry. But with Passat there are a few things you don't get for the price of many competitors, some of which are mentioned in the article. One thing I did notice is that you have to step up to one of the higher trims for a moonroof to even be an option.
10-21-11, 01:18 AM
#34
170 hp is woefully underpowered for a car in this class but 9 sec 0-60 is nothing to get embarrassed about. I spent last weekend checking out several newly introduced cars and I think the Passat is the better looking bland car if such a thing can be said. I also think it has a much more elegant interior than the Camry. But with Passat there are a few things you don't get for the price of many competitors, some of which are mentioned in the article. One thing I did notice is that you have to step up to one of the higher trims for a moonroof to even be an option.
10% slower
10% worse brakes
10% worse fuel economy
I think people will notice :-).
10-21-11, 01:38 AM
#35
Lexus Fanatic
for me all these comparos dont really mean much, im a toyota fanboy, my first car was a toyota and i've run the gamut from celica/4x corollas/Hiace when i lived in japan to supra and now lexus... Camry could come dead last and if i needed a car like these i wouldn't even bother going to any other dealership, TOYBOY 4LIFE!!! 
Last edited by llamaboiz; 10-21-11 at 01:42 AM.
10-21-11, 02:14 AM
#36
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10-23-11, 05:12 AM
#37
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10-23-11, 12:06 PM
#38
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10-24-11, 11:29 AM
#40
urgh... Camry Hybrid just sent competition into oblivion.
0-60:
Sonata Hybrid: 9.5s
Camry Hybrid: 7.2s
PASSING, 45-65 MPH
Sonata Hybrid: 4.9s
Camry Hybrid: 3.7s
Real world mpg:
Sonata Hybrid: 27 MPG
Camry Hybrid: 36.9 MPG
0-60:
Sonata Hybrid: 9.5s
Camry Hybrid: 7.2s
PASSING, 45-65 MPH
Sonata Hybrid: 4.9s
Camry Hybrid: 3.7s
Real world mpg:
Sonata Hybrid: 27 MPG
Camry Hybrid: 36.9 MPG
We first clicked said pumps at Hyundai's proving ground in California City, out in the toasty Mojave Desert. Nearly 300 miles later, we were back at the proving ground to close our fuel logs. I wish I had better news for Hyundai, but its Sonata Hybrid, EPA-estimated to return 35 city/40 highway, mustered a disappointing 27.0 mpg observed, almost 10 mpg less than its hybrid foe from Toyota. What gives?
"Both the gas engine and electric motor really need to be wrung out to even keep up with the Camry and Passat," judged Kong. "The poor electric motor, which serves as the six-speed auto's torque converter, is overworked, and, as a consequence, the car really struggles under high-load conditions and overall integration is not smooth. If the electric motor were more powerful (it's outpaced by the Camry Hybrid's primary tractive motor by 101 hp), it might help." Not only did the Sonata's fuel economy suffer, so did its track performance, trailing the Camry to 60 by a monstrous 2.3 seconds--and Hyundai claims 6 horsepower more than Toyota with similar weight-to-power. Hyundai also touts its use of a conventional automatic and lighter lithium-polymer batteries, both of which are supposed to work better than their CVT and nickel-metal hydride/lithium-ion counterparts. But the net results say the opposite. Making things worse, we rated the Sonata's steering too rubbery, the brakes too grabby, and the throttle too jerky.
Read more: 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE vs 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE Comparison - Motor Trend
"Both the gas engine and electric motor really need to be wrung out to even keep up with the Camry and Passat," judged Kong. "The poor electric motor, which serves as the six-speed auto's torque converter, is overworked, and, as a consequence, the car really struggles under high-load conditions and overall integration is not smooth. If the electric motor were more powerful (it's outpaced by the Camry Hybrid's primary tractive motor by 101 hp), it might help." Not only did the Sonata's fuel economy suffer, so did its track performance, trailing the Camry to 60 by a monstrous 2.3 seconds--and Hyundai claims 6 horsepower more than Toyota with similar weight-to-power. Hyundai also touts its use of a conventional automatic and lighter lithium-polymer batteries, both of which are supposed to work better than their CVT and nickel-metal hydride/lithium-ion counterparts. But the net results say the opposite. Making things worse, we rated the Sonata's steering too rubbery, the brakes too grabby, and the throttle too jerky.
Read more: 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE vs 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE Comparison - Motor Trend
Better yet, for heavy-footed pilots, the Camry XLE can still deliver in the neighborhood of 37 mpg (we saw 36.9 observed), not to mention surprisingly brisk acceleration times. How brisk? With its new 2.5-liter 156-hp I-4 and 141-hp electric motor, the XLE whirred from 0 to 60 in just 7.2 seconds, only 0.2 behind the 274-hp Sonata 2.0T.
Click to view Gallery
Perhaps more impressive than its quickness, the Camry is a model of seamless operation. Save for the slightest of vibrations from its engine start/stop system, the Camry keeps its hybridness a secret; the regenerative brakes are progressive, the throttle response linear, and the steering light and direct. Compared with the developmental-league Hyundai, the Toyota plays in the pros. If you didn't know it was a hybrid, the Camry would lead you to believe it was a deftly executed gas-only sedan with some extra pop under the hood.
Read more: 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE vs 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE Comparison - Motor Trend
Click to view Gallery
Perhaps more impressive than its quickness, the Camry is a model of seamless operation. Save for the slightest of vibrations from its engine start/stop system, the Camry keeps its hybridness a secret; the regenerative brakes are progressive, the throttle response linear, and the steering light and direct. Compared with the developmental-league Hyundai, the Toyota plays in the pros. If you didn't know it was a hybrid, the Camry would lead you to believe it was a deftly executed gas-only sedan with some extra pop under the hood.
Read more: 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE vs 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE Comparison - Motor Trend
10-24-11, 12:19 PM
#43
funniest part is that Camry was also fastest on their figure 8 track :-)... and thats not SE model.
10-24-11, 09:29 PM
#45
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Flipside808 took me to Longo and I checked out the Camry, the interior is well done but don't expect Lexus like plastics.
Hyundai is all fluff, which is fine, a lot of people like plywood and not real wood and have the attention span of a goldfish. Their real world MPG is well documented, not even close to their EPA ratings.
The Camry hybrid is clearly the superior hybrid. If you think the Sonata looks better inside/out, I won't argue with that.
The Camry hybrid is clearly the superior hybrid. If you think the Sonata looks better inside/out, I won't argue with that.
