yes, I'm Korean.

 

well, i like like what i'm seeing from pictures. and those who saw it in person(my buddies & publications) loved the styling in person. not a single person brought how it looks 'melted' or look like 'solara'. it looks nothing like solara IMO.

i really appreciate what hyundai has came up with. i've been very critical of hyundai's design of the past including genesis because they always seemed to come up with something that competes with current cars, but not the model after. for ex. 2006 sonata was a handsome looking car, but already looked dated when the new camry came out. it was basically a last gen accord with better tail light. genesis is a very good looking car too, but again i wished they took a chance a little. genesis coupe was a huge statement, but i agree that it's a bit weak on the front.

i think hyundai took a chance on sonata. it's not the most original design, but i like the execution and i like the european design direction.

In my personal opinion, it's the better looking compared to:

1. Malibu - it's a decent looking design, but doesn't really stands out on the road. i hardly notice it. i don't llike the chevy's new front facsia. i hate the new cruze for the same reason. lacetti looks much better to me. maybe it just me but the huge chevy logo is a big turn off.


2. accord - i think the coupe looks fabulous. but the sedan is borderline ugly in some angles. i love TSX & euro accord, but the american accord has became too americanized save for the interior which i think is the best in this segment.



3. camry - it's a safe toyota design, but again it looks very outdated compared to sonata. camry to me is not about the design. it's about the reputation, reliability, familiarity and etc. i just don't see camry as a leader in design. i almost bought camry for my wife, and i didn't almost buy it because it was great looking. if i had to take a guess, the next gen camry would've been very similar to the new sonata. add few lines, make the front more aggressive, and etc. i actually like the camry's interior, but that was 3 years ago. camry needs to be updated in order to compete with the new sonata.



4. mazda 6 - could've been very nice, but to me, it has a awkward front quarter angle. it's a great ride though.



5. altima - not a bad looking car, but it just doesn't stand out. both exterior & interior is really outdated.



6. fusion -i hate the front.. it's too 'truck like' to me.


7. subaru legacy - i think the new design direction is not working. i really liked the previous gen.



again, i have not seen sonata in person yet. but majority of my friends saw it in Korea. they all seem to like it. one thing for sure is that they usually hate hyundais.

also autoblog, edmunds, truthaboutcars, and few other automotive writers wrote nothing but positive on the exterior design. that's a great indication that it looks better in person, at least in my opinion.

 

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/tes...0-korean-spec/

-most of my friends have almost similar opinion with this guy. every one of them told me that the front is the best part.

 

The sonata's design is more gear toward young people, the trouble is that there isnt too many yound people in the market for this class of car.

 

Btw, when can we see the car in person at our local dealerships?

Because IMO, this car needs to be seen in the flesh to really judge it's looks.

 

30's is old ?????

Anyway, :I THINK and IN MY OPINION" your opinion is bias.

 

late january to early feb.

 

You can say that about many cars, but 9 out of 10 times, the real car looks the same in person compare to the pictures. At this point, there is enough pictures released already to get a good feel for how the car will look. In my opinion, its a good looking car for the most part, except its over done. The quality is the part that we cannot see in pictures. One need to touch and feel to determine if quality is up to par.

 

Again since looking at the pics it seems a bit overdone, I will look at it in person to reach my conclusion. This is a car I need to see, touch, feel because unlike most cars, I'm not sure by just looking at pics.

 

Thanks, I will look for it at downtown SJ car show in January.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93T9r...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVMI0...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCkk6...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kvJH...eature=related

LA autoshow recap.


i really think it's a handsome looking family sedan. i really don't see it as a radical design. it just looks good to me.

 

it's late jan from every publications. i will definitely check it out for sure.

 

not sure if this is posted..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYhMA...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBzK_fewMFQ

 

Size-wise, it's actually more of a VW CC copy than a Mercedes CLS.....although one could argue that, with the CC, VW copied the CLS as well.

Frankly, I myself don't necessarily care which vehicles look like which other ones. First, there are (or were) so many different vehicles on the road nowadays that it's hard to create something that is truly original, and doesn't look like SOMETHING else, somewhere. Second, what is under the skin......quality, reliability, how it drives, versatility, what the vehicle is capable of, fit/finish, etc.... to me is far more important that its exterior styling.

 

sonata is actually bigger than cls in some area. i didn't look up CC's dimension, but i'm pretty sure sonata is bigger.


CLS SONATA


Head room

Front
36.9 40.0 in.

Rear
36.1 37.8 in.


Leg room

Front
42.1 45.5 in.

Rear

35 34.6 in.


Shoulder room

Front
56.3 57.9 in.

Rear
56 56.7 in.

Hip room

Front
58 55.2 in.

Rear
57.6 54.9 in.