2011 HyundaiSonata - Gunning for the Passat CC?

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Philly

Philly

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Having driven their Sonata for a good distance a while back, Hyundai has really started to impress me. And this new Sonata looks to continue that.

Autoblog
What you're gawking at appear to be the first undisguised images of Hyundai's forthcoming Sonata sedan caught by the folks at Hyundai Blog during what appears to be a photo shoot (check out the interior cutaway above), likely in its home market of Korea (check out the badging on the decklid).

If only in looks and not in price, the 2011 Sonata appears to be making a concerted move for the premium end of the midsize swimming pool, what with its more rakish roofline and expressive design. We've heard for some time that the Sonata was to gain a four-door coupe profile and more assertive fascias front and rear, and these dark, grainy photos cinch those details for us, although the car's aesthetics don't appear to be so radical as to be off-putting or even terribly divisive. Without looking too hard, we can see little bits of various competitors in the model's design, but overall the Sonata still manages to look quite fresh.

We'll have to wait until we see the car in the metal for ourselves to pass judgment (or at least get a gander at a few higher-quality photographs - especially a dead-on profile), but thus far, we continued to be encouraged why what we see. Check out the not-so-high-res images in the small gallery below.
Click to expand...

brightened-2011-sonata-pix-2.jpg

brightened-2011-sonata-pix-3.jpg


Link to Autoblog

They need to work on that hood gap a bit I think. And I'm not sure anybody's ready for a convertible version of a premium midsizer just yet. But other than that it looks pretty good.
 
So, to Go after the Passat, They're building...ahem...a 2001-2006 Toyota Camry.
 
So was that Camry.

Seriously, though, it's Toyota's design language of a couple years ago. The car already looks dated.
 
Good point, but the Camry was so bland that it was ugly. Hyundai tried to spice up that blandness and made it worse.
 
Lord have mercy, the front of that thing is hideous. They stuck to the concept art pretty faithfully. :yuck:

The current Sonata looks so good too.
 
Both ends of the car seem a bit too generic, like they're trying too hard. I'd be more focused on what the mechanical bits and pieces have to offer, and then focus on the details.
 

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