Who cares if it looks like the Megane? It can't be purchased in the US so the majority of people won't have a clue about the copying. It'll sell and looks good and unique. Hyundai has another home run here.

 

Not that I think this is a sports coupe (rather I think it's a genious marketing ploy that has a very similar formula as the Scion tC), but I don't know I would go so far as to call the steering "slow," especially having never driven one.

In fact, it has a "14.2:1 steering ratio, with 2.88 turns lock-to-lock." And a 23mm sway bar on a torsion beam is fairly heavy duty. With that weight and wheelbase, it will likely be lifting an inside rear tire and oversteering when pushed. Even a 19mm stabilizer is enough to push some oversteer in an otherwise stock Yaris. Now I'm not saying these are desirably traits, just saying that judgements (aside from power and aesthetics) are kinda moot right now. And I really doubt it's supposed to be going head-to-head with real Sports/Sporty cars. This has Scion xB/xD/tC competitor written all over it.

 

This would be impossible to predict, not knowing anything about the vehicles suspension dynamics, spring rates, shock valving, ride height, FR/RR weight distribution, tires, or center of gravity.

 

^ not gonna argue there. The was making huge assumptions. The main argument still stands about steering ratio and turns, lock-to-lock. Point is, nobody here can truly say unless they've driven one.

 

Prius turns 2.7... Veloster 2.88.

it is objective measurment - Prius steering rack is quicker than Veloster's. They probably used elantra's or accent gear.

 

you cant be unique if you copy someone else, lol. It can sell 100,000 copies per year, but it is still an blatant copy of another car released 3 years ago.

 

It actually looks like the concept car that debuted 4 years ago...

 

Yes, but if I recall correctly the Prius has nearly a nearly 20:1 ratio. I don't know... Don't really care. It's not a sports car and anyone who believes the marketing would be foolish. It's a well marketed car aimed at Scion and the "edgy" crowd. Dunno why everyone is so upset that this car exists, minus the understandable aesthetic criticisms.

 

I don't really see that as a significant issue. Auto companies are in buisness to sell cars, please customers, and make money. If they can do that with original designs, fine. But if it takes a mee-too design, I don't see any problem with that.

And not only that, but one must consider that with the huge number of cars introduced over the years, just from the sheer weight of numbers, it is becoming harder and harder to come up with a truly original styling design. No matter what you come up with nowadays, the chances are high that it is going to look like somebody else's grille, fender, hood, rofline, trunk, etc......

 

So when Toyota/Lexus copies or allegedly copies, it's okay for the entire universe and Toyota/Lexus haters with the collective brain capacity of a grapefruit to post/blog/bash all about it. When Hyundai copies, oh, give them a pass. Ahhh,love the double standard.

I think its a nice entry but if Toyota came with this suspension all hell would break loose. Instead it gets a pass it seems. The auto world needs more 2 doors, quirky cars and this fits the bill. I wouldn't be caught dead in it but clearly they feel it will fill a gap in the lineup. So overall I think its a good addition to the lineup.

 

^ great posts by 1sick and mmarshall. Dunno if you were being sarcastic, but some Toyota's do come with that suspension set up. Front struts and rear torsion beams are the bread and butter of economy car suspensions.

 

No double standard with me, Mike. My statement goes for Toyota, Hyundai, or any other auto company. You don't hear me bashing copy-cat designs, whether they are from Toyota, Hyundai, or anybody else. If I think something is good-looking or ugly, I'll say so purely on its own merits. As I said, it's just too difficult, nowadays, coming up with stuff that truly is different.



You'll probably laugh at this, but perhaps the most different-looking (and truly-original) design I've seen lately is the Corbin Sparrow mini-electric.




Thanks.

I agree that a suspension like that is OK for a bread-and-butter economy car, but a sport-oriented coupe, no matter what the nameplate, should probably have an IRS. An exception, of course, was the old Toyota Paseo coupe with a Tercel-derived beam-rear-axle, but the Paseo was clearly a budget-priced car, priced around 15K. Yes, I know the Mustang gets along perfectly well with a RWD live-axle, but Ford knows that a lot of Mustang owners, particularly with the V8, do burn-outs, and a live-axle can generally take that kind of punishment better than an IRS.

 

everyone else tries hard to make something unique, while hyundai tries hard to copy everyone else :-).

In any case, rant was against writer on the blog who claimed it to be "unique"... it is certainly not unique.

 

Yes... Corolla does. And it is not called sports coupe.

:-).

 

I agree. I always find it annoying that just because BMW's "hoffmeister kink" has a name, the original line was likely drawn by a caveman. Some things defy ownership.

All car designs should be expected to share some form of common language due to their basic function and what popular tastes dictate.