2012 Hyundai Sonata Gls Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Autoblog Podcast #362

Episode #362 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert cover the year-end news, including the surprise resignation of Hyundai Motor North America CEO John Krafcik, strong early sales for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and 2015 Ford F-150 rumors ahead of its expected Detroit Auto Show debut. Dan also had a chance to look back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 with Autoline's John McElroy. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #362:
Topics:

2015 Hyundai Sonata cheaper than last year, starts at $21,150*

Prices for the 2015 Sonata range from $21,150 for the 2.4-liter SE to $33,525 for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged Sport 2.0T.
The arrival of a new generation of a successful car is usually accompanied by a small surge in its price, ranging from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Hyundai, though, is eschewing that practice, delivering its heavily redesigned Sonata for less than its predecessor. It's only a $300 difference over last year's base model, the Sonata GLS, but we don't think the savings will be lost on consumers. The move is part of a larger reshuffling of the Sonata line. The outgoing GLS trim has been replaced by the SE as the base car, while the 2.4-liter engine can now be ordered with the Sport trim. Meanwhile the 2.0T Sport is both the sole turbocharged offering, and tops off the Sonata pricing hierarchy.

Consumer Reports criticizes small turbo engines for misleading performance, fuel economy claims [w/video]

Consumer Reports has taken aim at at small-displacement, forced-induction engines, saying the powerplants don't manage to deliver on automaker fuel economy claims. Manufacturers have long held that smaller, turbocharged engines pack all power of their larger displacement cousins with significantly better fuel economy, but the research organization says that despite scoring high EPA economy numbers, the engines are no better than conventional drivetrains in both categories. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says the forced induction options "are often slower and less fuel efficient than larger four and six-cylinder engines."
Specifically, CR calls out the new Ford Fusion equipped with the automaker's Ecoboost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The institute's researchers found the engine, which is a $795 option over the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder, fails to match competitors in acceleration and served up 25 miles per gallon in testing, putting the sedan dead last among other midsize options.
The Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Ford Escape 2.0T all got dinged for the same troubles, though Consumer Reports has found the turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the BMW 328i does deliver on its promises. You can check out the full press release below. You can also read the full study on the Consumer Reports site, or scroll down for a short video recap.