The all new Hyundai Sonata is going to be a winner. It will do what Altima and Mazda 6 have done. And that is to further divide up the Accord/Camry stronghold. This Sonata is going to SELL. I'm very, very surprised at how good this car looks and feels. I was not able to test drive the car, though.


I saw it in various trim in person. To me, this is Hyundai's first REAL car. The new 2.0 and 2.4 engines are thoroughly modern. They have VVT and were developed jointly by DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. The car looks just like a Honda Accord in the rear from the side view and rear view. The front side view reminds me of the Audi A4 and A6. Something about the grille and the hood looks like Subaru but is devoid of the funkiness. Overall, it is a very elegant car with NO odd Korean elements. The interior is high quality and has a simple European elegance with nothing offensive (current and past Hyundais have that strange awkward "American car" interior all-around materials and feel). The black leather with red stitching is particularly tasteful. There are two interior motifs: one with wood trim and black/tan dashboard and the other with silver trim and black/black dashboard.


It is already out in Korea. It will probably be out in the US in the late spring or early summer, I believe.


Check out the pictures and short write-up at: http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/2...581886,00.html. Unfortunately, this site doesn't have pics of the black leather with red stitching. And I don't want to scan my brochure. Sorry.




Oh btw, the pricing will be from $16,000 to a little over $25,000.

 

not to sound mean or anything but what does the sonata have to do with the 8? are you comparing/differentiating the sonata to the 8?

 

The General Automotive forum says it is for discussions about cars other than the RX8 as well as comparisons to the RX8.

 

The all new Sonata has NOTHING to do with the RX8. There, I have compared the two cars for you.

 

as long as its not a Saturn or a Volkswagen, good for Hyundai...take down the big two Japanese Godzillas!!

 

I don't like it--it doesn't look to good--I'll still take any of the competition over it except maybe the Accord.

 

I forgot to mention that it has two oval tailpipes that look just like the S2000's. Looks real sharp.

 

it looks like they copied the 98-02 accord from the front, and the curent accord from the back

 

Korean car makers take elements of what makes other cars look/drive good, and copy it.

After living in Korea, I've decided I'd not likely purchase a korean-made car. Much convincing would have to take place to ensure I'd be getting a car built to a standard.

 

Yeah, they copied a lot of things. But it's a real good car. You need to see the car in person. The lines look great in person. You'll find none of that weirdness like with the new Subaru Legacy how it looks sleek in the magazines but in person it looks all funky-proportioned like a cartoon character. It is going to redefine Hyundai and serve a chunk of the Accord/Camry segment. That's why I started this thread but it doesn't seem many people on this forum are understanding the implications of the release of this car. This car is a major development. Most people's brains only blink when they hear about the release of the RX8 or Mustang or Ferrari F430, etc.

 

This is the FIRST Korean car that I would own without being embarrassed. I would actually want to OWN this car. And that shocked me. Again, this car will redefine Hyundai.

 

From the front I get that 95ish Maxima look with some audi styling and the rear 99ish accord look. Maybe, its the lighting but I like the appearance. Sounds and looks good but will it be good? Hyundai's brand reputation isn't the greatest and hasn't been reviewed highly in the past. We now nothing about the performance. If it jumps to $25k+ I'd consider another car. I'll wait till it really gets thoroughly reviewed agains the maxima, accord, camry. BTW- that article is from January.

 

That site is all I could find on the internet. However, I have seen the cars on the road and sat in a couple versions. I also have the Korean brochure. Only thing I haven't done is driven or ridden in one.

I agree with you that the rear is a combination of the previous Accord AND the current Accord taillights. However, the rear and taillight execution is more elegant than both Accords'.

I'm anxious to see what the magazines will say about the the chassis and performance.

 

This car won't put a dent into the Camry/Accord sales--it may be a decent package but it is still not Camry/Accord level fit, finish or reputation. While it may 'redefine' Hyundai it still lags behind the competition. I'll have to disagree on the Legacy looking funky proportioned.

 

What ever you do don't pay list because they depreciate terribly

 

The car will mark a critical turning point for Hyundai. Next up, the Tiburon replacement. And if that car looks anything like the impressive looking show car, it's going to be another critical piece. Will the rest of the line-up get the same attention and treatment? I'm not sure. What I do know are trends that have happened in the past. Like with Samsung. Who would have ever thought Samsung could take a slice out of the world of electronics and monitors like it has from the Japanese makers?

I know I sound like a proponent of Korean products but I don't mean to. But where else have you seen such a dramatic improvement from one model generation to the next in the entire automotive industry (again, this is a qualified statement as I don't know anything about the chassis dynamics and performance but I have verified firsthand everything else about the car)? Not even Mazda's own recent jump in Zen level was this dramatic, in my opinion.

 

Well, this is the whole point I'm trying to make, really. I SEE the day when they WON'T depreciate like a woman past 30. LOL. Unbelievably, for the first time, I can actually see that day for Hyundai. When I saw the first one on the road and went up to it to scrutinize, I said to myself, "My God." That epiphany found me in a dealership showroom shortly after. Now why the hell would I do that while I'm on vacation? And isn't that incredible.

We in this forum should start taking bets. You guys know what side of the coin I'm on.

And let me ask you guys: How do you perceive Samsung audio/video electronics, TV's, and monitors NOW versus 10 years ago? You probably don't even remember the negativity and doubt you once had. These days, Samsung products are at the top of many peoples' lists, right up there with Sony and way above many other brands.

And let me ask people who are AT LEAST 30 years old: How do you perceive Russians these days? Back in the 80's, the feeling in EVERYONE'S minds were that they were devils and could not be trusted. We feared them and felt it with permanence, like the way Americans feel about middle eastern people RIGHT NOW TODAY. Like the way older Americans felt about Japanese Americans back during WWII.

I believe Hyundai is going through this perception change right now in a way that has just escalated beyond the recent JD Powers rankings. And that is a revolution in physical reality rather than just psychological/political (ie. JD Powers) perception alone.

 

It won't make a huge dent, no. But it will EVENTUALLY (along with other upcoming products) serve to propel Hyundai upward in the global market BEYOND what Mazda's recent products have done for it. At least, this is my prediction.


The Subaru Legacy DOES LOOK funky and misproportioned. It has the puppy, kitty, chick "big eyes, big head" phenomenon that the animal kingdom has relied on. I seem to remember the original pics from Japan didn't have that trait. Did they revamp the exterior for the US market or was that just a show car?

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one--the Sonata is ugly--once the magazines do their comparison test we can all revist this. Only thing Hyundai has goin for it is the 10yr warranty.

 

I think some one here works for Hyundai(just kidding). I hope it does do well, and they don't over price it. I had a similar discussion with a friend of mine that says the Ford 500(he's a big Ford guy) would be sticking its nose into those Camry/Accord sales. I just can't see the 500 denting that class, to me it looks almost the same as the Taurus, does not have enough horsepower, and the fully loaded version with awd is at $30,000. I do have to disagree with you on the Subaru Legacy, I test drove one about a month ago and love everything about the car.

 

But there is something VERY unelegant about the Subaru Legacy. It's not just the big raised roof that gives Subarus a big puppy head look. It's not just the misguided and "forced" variation of the headlights that looks so good on the WRX STi. The entire rear end and taillights look totally screwed up. It almost has a current generation Honda Civic look to it. It's the same effect that gives the current Civic a cheap "stamped metal" look on the sides as opposed to the strong bulbous look of the new Mazda 3. Surprisingly, the Civic of the early to mid-90's didn't have this, which is a key to why even at first glance it seems one level above all the other sub-compacts out at the time. Sub-compact cars in the 80's and 90's also had this weak "stamped" look that started from the side rear and proceeded forward, such as the Toyota Tercel and previous several generations of Mazda Protege.

 

Hyundai should pay me.

 

Legacy has a raised roof? Are we talking about the same car? I certainly would not buy the Sonata over a Legacy--how much is Hyundai asking for this thing?

 

you get pimp slapped for that one

 

The Legacy has the most normal roofline of any Subaru but something still doesn't look quite right. You know what is so strange is that I would definitely buy the new Sonata over the Legacy. That Legacy is crap and can't place higher than middle of the pack in any magazine comparison. The exterior and interior don't even look like the ones in the early websites that people on this forum were posting (where is THAT car and was it just a prototype?). Why does Subaru have to SCREW up exterior and interior design ON PURPOSE just to make it look like a Subaru has to? Hyundai was doing this also until the current Tiburon and the new Sonata.

Read my first post for the prices.