Winners of this year’s Autobytel & AutoPacific Consumer Awards have been
released and the top-rated hybrid car winner is the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
This is the 16th edition of this annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.
Based solely on input from actual owners—more than 75,000 of them—taken
during the first quarter of the year, AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction
Awards (VSAs) provide a unique look at which vehicles provide the most
satisfying overall ownership experience. Many other awards focus solely on
specific aspects of that experience, or the subjective opinions of the media,
and can’t identify the vehicles that really satisfy real drivers.
For example, when looking at the top-rated hybrid car in this year’s VSAs,
the winner wasn’t the one with the absolute highest mpg ratings. Yes, the main
reason people buy hybrids is to save on fuel costs, but, at this stage in the
game, people expect that plus all the benefits found in a traditionally powered
vehicle, too. And that’s exactly what they get in this year’s highest-rated
hybrid car, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
Part of the equation is Hyundai’s satisfying price tag of $25,850 that is the
lowest MSRP of any hybrid mid-size sedan on the market.
The Sonata Hybrid also delivers the highest net horsepower in its class, and,
thanks to Hyundai’s “Blue Drive” hybrid powertrain, EPA marks of up to 35 mpg
city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined.
Another Blue Drive benefit comes from the
system’s advanced battery technology that relies on polymer gel electrolytes
instead of the typical nickel-metal hydride setup. In plain English, the result
is a battery that is 25 percent lighter, takes up 40 percent less space,
delivers 10 percent better efficiency and can maintain available power for 1.7
times longer than traditional hybrid batteries.
An impressive list of standard content also contributed to the vehicle’s
recognition as the highest-rated hybrid car in the 2012 VSAs.
Competitors included the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which was completely redesigned
for the 2012 model year, as well as two luxury choices: The Buick LaCrosse
eAssist and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The highest-rated dedicated hybrid was the Lexus
CT 200h, which tied the Camry Hybrid for second place in the segment.
The most satisfying EV was the Chevrolet Volt, coming in just a few points
behind the Buick and Lincoln.
In the Hybrid SUV category, the 2012 Lexus RX 450h was named the top-rated
hybrid truck. Showing the diversity of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system, all
of the entrants in the hybrid truck category used this advanced technology, but
while the 2012 Lexus RX 450h.
