Hay it, but the new Sonata is a gorgeous car in person. Hyundai has come a long way from this:

 

Let’s see, the front end looks like a smashed MB CLS, and what’s up with that ugly grill. The side view has too much crease, it just doesn’t look smooth, the rear is copy of the 3 series or the Audi A4. The interior is a cross between a Infinity and a Caddy CTS, and no V6 option.
Overall. it’s a good effort by Hyundai, but some people will not like this new design, it just way too busy. Miles of ahead of teh Camry? No it is not. Maybe slight ahead, but when the re-design Camry comes out, it will be ahead once again.
Hyundai continues to struggle with finding its own identity, Some car companies have signature grill, halo lights, LED DRL or a fancy logo. Hyundai has nothing, perhaps that’s why the Genesis is badge-less.

 

For me this has 10 times the appeal of the Camry. And the interior beats the Camry about the neck and shoulders also.

 

I saw a few people toss around the word "brand prestige".

We're talking about Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, etc. When you buy these cars, you're looking for value. Worry more about brand prestige once you get to cars in the higher price bracket.

I don't like the particular grill itself but the interior sure looks nice and comfortable. Can't wait to test drive one.

 

Here we go again... another series of 'the hyundai' comments. Hyundai to lexus yes it's valid but hyundai to toyota/honda/nissan? It doesn't fly. They do need to find their identity. American cars are big and bulky, european cars are boxy, japanese cars are rounder and small so what other options do they have? Make their cars triangular? Hyundai was late to the party when it comes to establishing its identity. I kind of like their designs which are totally unrelated to previous versions. With bimmers and audi's I was getting sick of their similar design for over decades.

 

Well, thats only because Hyundai doesnt have a company design direction, they are all over the place. They will try to copy MB one day and the next day they will try to copy Lexus.

The funny thing is that most poster here who like this new design are young, not exactly the type who will buy a 4 cyl family sedan. I still think the majority of buyers in the market for a midsize affortable family sedan will prefer the Camry and teh Accord over this new Hyundai.

 

your tC 2.4l is 10 years old ;-).

Problem is the price... Thats why Toyota did not bring Valvematic in North America, yet. I would not be suprised if they add Valvematic engines as part of 2n/3rd year upgrades for some models...

 

If Hyundai sells Sonata @ $1500 less then the Camry & Accord. Then this will be my next Camry replacement as our work car.
Camry has just lost a future sale to Sonata here.

 

of course people will take camry/accord over sonata. camry accord has been the best seller forever. sonata's sales number has been always good, not great.

that doesn't make camcords better than this though. if i was in the market for a midsize family sedan, i'll take this over camry and accord in a heartbeat because it's much better on paper, bit cheaper, better warranty, equally reliable, and looks better to me.

 

lol at anybody saying 'it's still a hyundai'. we aren't talkin about genesis vs. lexus/bmw/mb here.



also, back then sonata was always 1 generation behind in terms of design. but the new sonata won't look outdated anymore IMO when new camry and accord comes out.

 

Then explain to me why the Camry and Accord sells better yet the Sonata is so obviously the better car.

 

They at least replaced the 2.4 with the 2.5l for the Camry. I wish my car came with the 2.5l with a 6 speed manual.

I'll likely upgrade to something more fun next time around anyway.

 

I just dont see how this Hyundai 4 cyl engine is so advance. The Toyota RAV4's 4 cyl engine is already 180 HP and thats without the use of direct injection.

 

McDonalds sells more burgers than anyone on planet earth. Does that mean no one on planet earth has a better burger? Product quality has very little to do with it. The Camry and Accord outsell the Sonata (for now) because they have history, consistent build quality, low cost of ownership, and an expectation of reliability that they've been able to sustain for many, many years.

 

Yeah and with DI it would probably put out HP in the realm of what this Sonata is putting out.