Comparison: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid vs 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE vs. 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SE

Editor's Note: This is the second of three comparisons between these cars. Last week, we ran a three-way between the base models, next week we run the third installment, a three-way between the high-octane versions.

Three sedans that will pump you up... by rarely going to the pump

The resurgence of the compact sedan -- Elantra, Cruze, Focus, et al. -- over the last few years is due in large part to the segment's combination of growing dimensions and continued high fuel economy. These small four-doors offer the room of an older-generation midsize while still providing the fuel mileage of a present-day subcompact, and sometimes better. As a result, American families have been eating up these compacts at alarming rates. The Cruze, for instance, has surpassed the Malibu as Chevy's best-selling car. But if a not-so-small small car is still too small, even new midsize sedans are showing glimmers of high-mileage hope. Take the previous test's Camry LE, which sips gas at the miserly rate of 25 mpg city/35 mpg highway yet still offers an E-Class-size interior and trunk. Still not good enough? If your idea of the ultimate sedan is a tantalizing blend of dynamic performance, passenger volume, and, most important, fantabulous fuel economy, the midsize hypermiler is it. Gathered here are three of the latest and greatest: the 37-mpg Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, the 40-mpg Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the 34-mpg VW Passat TDI. To the pumps!

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3RD PLACE: HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID

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.

But it's not all doom and gloom for the Sonata Hybrid. The design differentiators, from the LED headlamp accents and unique LED taillamps to the wind-cutting 17-inch alloys and vibrant hybrid technology display, were all well-executed, giving the Hyundai a rich, techy appearance. And the soft leather-adorned interior and panoramic sunroof made the cabin a welcoming space. Ultimately, though, this Sonata's last name means it needed to be much more competitive with the others, especially the Camry.

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2ND PLACE:Toyota Camry HybridXLE

Our collective pick was not the Camry, but not because we weren't immensely impressed. This new topline XLE, returning a slightly worse 40 mpg combined compared with 41 from the marginally lighter LE, treats feathery-footed drivers to better fuel economy than both the Sonata Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid. 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.

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.

What kept the Camry from taking the gold was a driving experience less satisfying and memorable than the Passat's and an interior that, while ergonomically sound and of high quality, came across too overwrought, what with big steering wheel-mounted controls and extra-large buttons and knobs decorating the center stack. Otherwise, this new hybrid is arguably the best Camry ever.

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1ST PLACE: VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT TDI SE

Two noteworthy factoids about our twin-clutch-equipped Passat TDI: One, with an 18.5-gallon fuel tank and a highway rating of 40 mpg, its cruising range is an interstate-friendly 740 miles. (For manual enthusiasts, the TDI can be equipped with a six-speed stick, which, thanks to 43-mpg highway, bumps range to 796.) Compare that stretch with the Camry's 646 and the Sonata's 688, and you can see why the TDI is our open-road champion. Two, minus any of the hybrids' space-robbing batteries, the TDI retains its huge 15.9 cubic feet of trunk space -- 2.8 more than Camry and 5.2 more than the Sonata.

Of course, there's so much more to love with the TDI. "The 2.0-liter diesel is the perfect engine for the new Passat. It's got the low-end torque and the power density suitable to propel the car for 99 percent of midsize buyer's needs," said Kong. And by low-end torque, we're talking 236 lb-ft at a basement 1500 rpm, enough oomph to shove the TDI from 0 to 60 in 8.7 seconds. That time is noticeably slower than the Camry's, but the TDI doesn't feel noticeably slower under normal driving conditions, thanks in part to the speedy twin-clutch DSG that snaps off shifts in mere milliseconds, always riding on top of that wave of torque. When the road goes all serpentine, the TDI morphs into a big mongoose, its best-in-test 0.80 g lateral accel and 124-foot 60-0 braking distance working harmoniously with the first-rate steering and taut, lively suspension to deliver a rewarding, responsive drive that can't be matched in this group.

Forced to find faults, we could only come up with the lack of an iPod/USB interface. This Passat is that well-rounded and that well-executed. Which is why the TDI is the hottest hypermiler available today.