It’s easy to make a great $300,000 car. It’s much harder to make a great $30,000 car. Hyundai just unveiled the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe and it’s another reminder of how quickly the Korean automaker has radically transformed from a builder of mediocre cheap cars to a designer of great affordable ones. It’s Hyundai’s world, […]
Setting aside much-deserved flak about the Theta II and the immobilizer, there is little-to-no argument that Hyundai has been consistently pumping out the best and most innovative designs in the large auto manufacturer space.
I’m honestly curious why you think that. Can you please elaborate. I’m really not trying to be argumentative here.
As far as I can see, they have just copied others, with some small tweaks. The aesthetic ones are unreasonably offensive to me, but the technical ones don’t seem to be terribly innovative, or huge leaps, and seem to bite them in the ass, a lot.
I’d argue the Mazda supercharged 2 stroke with low load compression self ignition) or, I can’t believe I’m saying this, Nissan variable compression ratio engine of the world, who are experimenting with alterative techs, even for ICE, are leaps an bounds above Hyundai.
I typed something up but it looks like it didn’t post. I think we’re saying two different things.
I’m talking specifically about the design language that you don’t like. The EV9 and the new Sante Fe, the Santa Cruz, the hatch IONIQ5 and even the divisive IONIQ6. I love those designs. They feel unique and bold. I would put them among some of my favorite designs of major, non-exotic manufacturers. Clearly just personal opinion but I feel like they’ve put out hit after hit on design, compared to whatever the hell BMW is doing as an example.
I can’t really say anything about their engine design or internal components. I’m ignorant there. I’m saying I find myself intrigued by Hyundai in spite of their terrible track record because of the design language.
Honestly the N Vision 74 is one of my favorite looking cars of the last decade. Bring on the 80s retrofuturism please!
This is exactly the car I’ve been wanting. It captures the “dream” for me.
Sorry, I don’t personally see aesthetic choices as “innovation” in cars. What makes the car do what a car should is where innovation matters to me. Looks are just the packaging, and theirs is horrible. Personally, I find Kia/Hyundai style absolutely offensively hideous.
Edit: the more I think about it, based on observation, I don’t think their body styling is even terribly innovative or better than the more established brands. I would bet that if you put a bunch of cars into a wind tunnel, Hyundai Kia wouldn’t be near the top. They still haven’t figured a lot of things out with airflow and how to quiet it down.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure they stole their current design trend straight frim 1985. I swear I’ve seen all their new cars in back to the future. With an appearance from the Audi in I, Robot with the wanna be iris wheel covers for fender trim on that one Kia suv.
Yeah, Hyundai (and Kia) went from making copy cats and uninspired cars, to pushing new trends and clean, cohesive design.
I’m not totally thrilled with the bumper height taillights of the Sante Fe, but otherwise its a nice design.