Holy ****, this car is a total ripoff of a number of different models out there!



But I give it props. I like it. The Koreans are no longer punch-lines.

 

LOL I was about to say the same thing. The interior is a mixture of MB, Audi and Lexus.

But at least the end result still looks pretty nice.

 

exactly, they are really improving! better than those from GM.

 

OMg, Accord back is obvious. Kinda TLish in the front to me.

I get more aroused watching Kidney Beans cook in Porcupine **** than thinking about this car.

 

On an average week - how many times do you end up doing that brand of cooking?








M.

 

Even the engine says VVT (missing the "i") Sheesh. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.........you get a Hyundai. However, it is alot better looking than the GMs.

 

I never liked the back of the new accord, but this one seems to have changed that. The front is also nice. The only thing I don't like about it is the H emblem. The font is too ugly IMO.

 

Yeah - but I posted on this a while back ...

Pretty sure that this one will be built state-side ...

So it's yet to be seen how the reliability of this car will fare.

M.

 

Remember that the first Lexus LS400 did the SAME thing. . . a lil Mercedes here, a lil Lincoln here, a lil Caddilac there, a lil . . . . even the second gen GS totally ripped off Jaguar and the MB E class. . .

I know, it's NOT a Lexus, and not anything close to one, and yes, Lexus has changed a lot over time, but copying your competitors is the fastest and smartest way to get ahead. Hyundai has been the fastest growing car manufacturer, and also the most rapidly improving manufacturer.

 

I await the technical specifications to see how they stack up with other in the market as the mid-size is a very important one to the auto makers.

 

I agree - plus it's also important to note that South Korea is experiencing a little bit of an economic slump right now that they are hoping Hyundai can account for and correct ....

Hyundai is that economy's savior, and for good reason.

I think they've got a great foundation in the Sonota and XG cars such that with a few desirable updates along with the release of a few new models (and thus sales increases) they can and will properly retain their position in the market and gain prominence worldwide.

I think the real money to be made by Hyundai is in the eventual luxury division. I can't wait to see the products they'll offer in that category. Once the drivetrains come up to par - Hyundai will be unstopable.

M.

 

No doubt Hyundai has gotton better quality wise a thousand fold from 10 - 15 years ago. They are still an up & coming automaker & they have finally made the other big players sit up & take notice that they are in their rearview mirror. Hyundai itself has lot's still to do in my opinion but gaining fast......I'm not too concerned about them launching a luxury division......they would have to make up YEARS on Lexus, Infiniti & the like to even be in the same league. It's kind of like VW......the Phaeton as an example......it's a fantastic car, but for the price people can't justify spending that kind of coin on a VW when for roughly the same price they can have a Jag, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus.....well known luxury marks. The VW looks like a huge Passat to boot. Hyundai will not turn the luxury brands on it's ear like Lexus did to the big players in the late 80's.......Lexus is WAY to smart for that.

 

One thing this new Sonata has that DOES irritate me.....and not just this car, but many others nowadays....is the ziz-zag shiftgate pattern for the automatic shift lever. I'd like to give the guy who designed this type of pattern...like I would Chris Bangle and his I-Drive...a good swift kick in the a - - . You have to work the lever all around a bunch of different slots like a Chinese picture puzzle just to put the damn car in gear. The old design was SO much simpler and easier....you just pulled the lever straight back from P into whatever gear you wanted.....Neutral, Reverse, or any of the Drive gears......and then into a parallel slot or sideways motion if it had the auto-manual shift option.

 

And, looks-wise, I have to agree...the Sonata is a TSX-clone inside and out, but that is not necessarily a bad thing....the TSX is a good-looking car.

 

Agreed MM, they should sell quite a lot of them.