2016 Sonata Hybrid Regenerative Braking questions

I'm doing some research on the 2016 Sonata Hybrid for a family member; reviews are generally very positive, but a couple of them have been critical of the brakes. For instance:

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"Our only gripe, and the reason performance gets a nine rather than a 10, is with the brakes. The regenerative braking system causes braking to feel soft and delayed when compared with standard non-hybrid sedans of similar size. This is a typical byproduct of electrified cars and one we find customers could quickly adjust to; we simply felt it noticeable enough to mention."

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"Yes, most of this hybrid?s operation is seamless. But those brakes are terrible. Let?s start there. On the expressway, there?s a decent bite right at the top of the stroke. Nothing happens for about 5 more inches, and then the sedan finally grinds to halt. On the street there?s basically nothing, until you get several inches in. I locked the tires up in the wet recently trying to avoid a car that didn?t sneak up on me at all."

This second quote from autoweek.com is particularly concerning. I have to wonder if there's inherently more risk with regenerative braking because of the interaction between battery charging/braking and traditional hydraulic braking? TIA for your thoughts.

Reply to
Victek
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I thought folks might like to know that the brakes turned out to be a nonissue and the Sonata Hybrid SE was purchased. It is a very nice vehicle for a very good price at the moment (excellent rebates/incentives). Hyundai continues to amaze with the quality they offer at such reasonable price points.

I'm doing some research on the 2016 Sonata Hybrid for a family member; reviews are generally very positive, but a couple of them have been critical of the brakes. For instance:

formatting link
"Our only gripe, and the reason performance gets a nine rather than a 10, is with the brakes. The regenerative braking system causes braking to feel soft and delayed when compared with standard non-hybrid sedans of similar size. This is a typical byproduct of electrified cars and one we find customers could quickly adjust to; we simply felt it noticeable enough to mention."

formatting link
"Yes, most of this hybrid?s operation is seamless. But those brakes are terrible. Let?s start there. On the expressway, there?s a decent bite right at the top of the stroke. Nothing happens for about 5 more inches, and then the sedan finally grinds to halt. On the street there?s basically nothing, until you get several inches in. I locked the tires up in the wet recently trying to avoid a car that didn?t sneak up on me at all."

This second quote from autoweek.com is particularly concerning. I have to wonder if there's inherently more risk with regenerative braking because of the interaction between battery charging/braking and traditional hydraulic braking? TIA for your thoughts.

Reply to
Victek

Glad it worked out for you. Hyundai also offers the best warranty on the batteries.

I hope yo report back in a few months to give you opinion of driving a hybrid. It appears my original concerns are unfounded. Such as how well the climate control works and how long the batteries truly last. Good luck with it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Thanks Ed; so far so good :-) I will try to remember to post again in a few months about how it's going with the Sonata. I don't know how much I'll be driving it though. I went back to the dealer and bought a 2017 Elantra SE (with the A/T Popular Equipment and A/T Tech packages) and all of my attention is on it :-)

Reply to
Victek

Those packages really make it a nicely equipped car. You'll enjoy it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

replying to Ed Pawlowski, sawdustdood wrote: Ended up with a 2016 Sonata Hybrid Limited a couple of weeks ago. So far I'm very impressed with the quality and have no problems with the feel coming from a Volvo S60R (sports tuned everything). It is a very different style of driving with using the brakes and trying to milk it for mileage. I have also found good results actually going up and down significant inclines @ 25-35mph using the cruise control. The cruise actually applies (regenerative) brakes to keep you at set speed going downhill.

What I really want to know is WHERE in the power gauge the physical brakes actually are getting applied.

Reply to
sawdustdood

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