Photo: Assayyarat.com
Hyundai will attempt to make some additional waves in the U.S. market when it unveils the next-generation Sonata sedan at next year's North American International Auto Show.
Already seen several times in prototype form, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata hopes to separate itself from the Accords and Camrys of the world with a design that CEO John Krafcik told us is "bold, so bold." The prototype above reveals what Krafcik was talking about as Hyundai is going for the "four-door coupe" look with the new Sonata.
The rest of the car will most likely follow traditional family car packaging with a base four-cylinder and an optional V6 although Hyundai may use direct injection to improve mileage. The company has also said publicly that this generation of Sonata will offer the company's first hybrid system in the U.S. and utilize unique lithium polymer batteries.
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stephen987 says:
09:42 AM, 07/15/09
One of the best selling points of the current model is interior space. I hope they don't lose that in the new one.
Marketing plan: let Kia become the home of the "cheap and cheerful," and the avant-garde styling exercises. Focus the Hyundai brand on value and mainstream priorities.
bankerdanny says:
09:46 AM, 07/15/09
I don't want a "4-door coupe." I want a sedan with a trunk opening deep enough to easily insert something larger that a backpack and a back seat with sufficient headroom that my head (I'm 6-4) doesn't bang against the glass every time the car hits an expansion joint.
I am growing tired of all these sedans with super short rear decks and sharply slanting rear windows. Form is destroying function rather than follwoing it.
bc1960 says:
10:23 AM, 07/15/09
Practicality aside, it's hard to believe that the company that can produce this and the Genesis also produces the Equus, a horror seldom seen outside Ssangyong, Dongfeng, or Buick showrooms.
matt310 says:
10:27 AM, 07/15/09
bankerdanny: I'm curious - being 6'4, what midsize car can you sit in the back seat and not hit your head on the back glass? I'm 6'2 and I can't spend more than 30 seconds in the back of my Audi without feeling claustrophobic.
hondacura4 says:
11:11 AM, 07/15/09
I actually like the greenhouse as its unlike the more mainstream family sedans available. However, like another poster said, I hope Hyundai didn't sacrifice interior space for design as it was one of the Sonata's key selling points. Its classified as a "large car" by the EPA like the Accord.
I cant tell if the Sonata pictured is actually physically or just visually smaller than the current one.
roar02ram says:
11:26 AM, 07/15/09
hondacura - one important point to note are the relatively normal looking overhangs. The typical family sedan has a 109-in wheelbase & a 189-in length (Camry, Altima). There are variations on this theme: shorter wheelbase (current Sonata, Fusion), longer length (6, Accord), longer wheelbase (Malibu, Aura).
The overhangs on this thing approximate the Camry/Altima mold, which could mean that the car is going to move down to the midsize class thanks to that fastback roofline. The alternative is that the wheelbase & the overall length both grew (suggesting 112-in & 194-in length), which would make this one big kahuna.
top_hat says:
11:27 AM, 07/15/09
The design is okay. But, I think "bold, so bold" is a bit of an overstatement if it ends up looking like the car in the picture.
bankerdanny says:
11:39 AM, 07/15/09
I can sit comfortably in the back of the current Sonata.
And you make my point. There was a time when I could sit in the back of 90% of the cars with no headroom issues (legroom is a different story).
My '96 Taurus (a pioneer of the slanting rear window) had limo like leg room, but braely sufficient head room.
What is the point of making a 4-door car that a significant portion of the American public can't sit in?
billt9 says:
12:45 PM, 07/15/09
It looks like an Audi from this side view.
arumage says:
01:45 PM, 07/15/09
I had a 2000 Dodge Intrepid which shared this style, and I had plenty of head room in the rear seat. It could be because the Intrepid is absurdly long at 203".
tra2883 says:
08:59 PM, 07/15/09
I'm 6'4" as well, but to be honest, I don't care about whether or not I have headroom in the backseat - I'll be in the driver's seat! But as the happy owner of an '02 Sonata, I can't wait to see this new one - it looks great, and maybe it will finally be time to retire mine by the time this hits the showrooms...
carbeyondstore says:
09:07 PM, 07/15/09
side view looks like Audi A6.
dg0472 says:
11:40 PM, 07/15/09
@arumage
You're on the right track. For one thing, the Intrepid's drop didn't start until the back glass, really. And the rear seat didn't start until then, either. For those who've never experienced one, despite the short rear deck, the Intrepid's trunk was so long that I could fit any regular household broom or mop in it lengthwise with room to spare. Mine was an ES, so I think those owning lower trimlines without folding rear seats might have needed a broom for retrieving wayward cangoods without having to crawl into the trunk.
The current NF Sonata's rear seat goes all the way to the start of the backlight, too, so there's plenty of room there also. The trunk won't take a broom lenghtwise, though sideways and diagonally works. But on the YF, it's pretty obvious the rear glass starts well fore of the rear occupants' heads, so it's hard to see how it will have very much headroom. I think Hyundai is looking at how the CC is outselling the Passat and trying to mock that and maybe they have a point; maybe lots of folks will forget about headroom in the name of style. But my bet is after the first two years they'd better have a wagon version or a more upright sedan or both ready to go or sales will falter.
arumage says:
05:41 AM, 07/16/09
I had an ES as well, but I think that the new Sonata is a little bit deceiving to look at. It has higher belt line than the old Intrepid, which gives it a much lower look, perhaps without being any lower. It looks fairly tall to me. The new Sonata also looks like it might be able to match the Intrepid's 113" wheelbase as well, which should help it in the room department. I guess we'll just have to see, but generally Hyundai is pretty good at not making glaring oversights when it comes to new models.