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Comments
I dunno.
Like I said, I'd post the thread for ya, but even if i did, ya would have ta sign up to go onto the site, just to read the thread.
Anyhow, if I had to pick a car in the next 6 months, outside of a tC, and under 18K.... this would be it, the Limited(leather seats included) Edition.
Maybe next time around?
Not to Lexus, given the sales alacrity... and 35K gets you a well loaded IS250, which itself is faster than the outgoing IS300.
But I digress. This new Elantra is sharp if not groundbreaking. Should be interesting to see where pricing and EPA figures land.
~alpha
if the price was tsx range, it would've been a attractive package, but 35k? no way.
The rest looks pretty "Hundai" to me.
Keep in mind the high-end makers tend to try to keep their designs fairly original: that is part of the big-dollar appeal, after all.
To be honest more and more most 4 door sedans are looking alike to me, few really stand out in the crowd.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Either way, if people think the new Elantra reminds them of a Lexus, Hyundai surely can't be upset by that!
~alpha
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Somehow I doubt this when they start the car only to discover the mighty 138 HP Beta engine.
~alpah
But, really, nobody's designing much for *real* originality in the 4-door and a trunk world these days.
And, I wasn't sure about how necessary they were when I got my GT, but I heart my purple instrument gauges.
Do you know how many cars have grills that look very close to that of the Corolla's? Lots. The grille of my '00 626 looks very much like that grill. I doubt that Toyota thought about the 626 in penning the Corolla.
As for the big blob headlights--do you realize how many cars have those? Toyota didn't invent them for the Corolla.
Can someone explain to me why Hyundai would intentionally mimic a car that has been decried as having the most boring styling in its class and is four years old, and due to be replaced next year? Why would Hyundai want their all-new Elantra, which will likely be counted on to be their volume leader as the Elantra has been in the past, to look like an "old" car, and not a great looking car at that?
Also have you noticed all the things that are different about the Elantra and Corolla (and even moreso the Jetta)?
* Grill size and shape
* Headlight size and shape
* Lower grille/foglamps styling
* Side styling
* Greenhouse styling
* Size, shape, and position of tailamps
So I guess Hyundai's designers said, "That old Corolla is a hallmark for small car styling! Let's make our Elantra look like it. But let's not make any part of the car look like the Corolla, except a vague resemblence on the grill and headlamps, which are similar to those on many other cars."
Right.
Original? Maybe something along the lines of the Aztec? Or maybe the Matador, or Pacer? Now, those were original designs!
The grill shape and color scheme is almost identical.
The blob headlights are almost identical.
The front bumper shape is almost identical.
The hood is almost identical.
The angle of the front windshield is almost identical.
The tailights are almost identical.
The shape of the front and rear side windows are almost identical excluding the angle of the back window to the trunk.
It took a few seconds without looking at the emblem on the grill to know which was which. Do we also need to compare how the Accent is like a junior 2007 Elantra and a junior Corolla? This look is fine for an Azera and maybe even a Sonata sized vehicle. It is smooth, sleek and unoffensive. In the smaller (fun) classes, it is just boring. See Civic, Rio5, Spectra, Mazda5 for a little style in the smaller car classes.
Yep - and the rear center armrest and perforated leather w/ brushed aluminium trim.
But we will not get them, as the mentality is "American consumers want those features in a large car - NOT in a small car - and will only pay for them in a large car."
Speaking for myself, I would *LOVE* to be able to get a really loaded small car with great milage.
Sadly, the Midwestern Neanderthals (think "Ohio") who do things like "graduate college with an education degree and then take a lease on a new Hummer H-3 with a new job starting salary of $36,000" statistically skew what becomes profitable for manufacturers to market.
In NY, we have a progressive tax on engine size - so the smart buy in both gas costs, repair/upkeep costs, AND tax & registration is a small car: I want a small car.
I just want one I like (see picture above).
The bigger irony is I can afford the payment on the Elantra.
I'm wondering how many new grads are having their new wheels repo'ed with the combination of rising gas costs and a tight job market.
But, hey: what the hell do I know?!?!
How many cars have you seen that have this shape of grille, in black with chrome accents? It's very common. The Corolla didn't invent it. And it is similar in shape and color to other Hyundais, e.g. the Azera. Could it be Hyundai took some styling cues from one of their own cars?
The blob headlights are almost identical.
They both have blob headlights, yes. The Elantra's are more swept back and pointed in back. As I noted earlier, blob headlights are very common and did not originate with the Corolla.
The front bumper shape is almost identical.
How so? Look at the lower grille (on a picture with good lighting)--they are nothing alike.
The hood is almost identical.
If by that you mean they are both rectangular, flat pieces of metal, I agree. So are 95% of sedan hoods.
The angle of the front windshield is almost identical.
And similar to how many other sedans?
The tailights are almost identical.
We can't see that on the photos you referenced, but I pointed out earlier the shape of the Elantra's lights is much different (thinner top to bottom, more curvy detailing, while the Corolla's are more rectangular, taller, and wrap more around the corners. I was behind a Corolla yesterday and noticed these differences.
The shape of the front and rear side windows are almost identical excluding the angle of the back window to the trunk.
Sorry, I just don't see that. Note that the Corolla has two windows on each back door, the Elantra has only one. So not only is the angle of the back window much different, the windows themselves (except the front windows, which look like windows from just about any 4-door sedan) are much different. With all those major differences, I don't see how you can say the two cars are "identical" re shape of front and side windows. They are actually about as different as you can get on a 4-door sedan.
OK... I agree to disagree that the sun rises in the west. Which is basically what someone is saying if they think all those styling elements that bamacar listed are the same between the Elantra and Corolla. Using a few mainstream styling elements does not mean one car has imitated another.
:P
To be honest i do see some resemblance to the current kia spectra, ultimately similiar cars(though elantra has upgraded everything). Personally i don't like the way the spectra wants to look, but i guess time will tell with the elantra when we see it live. I had the same feeling with the azera, but the azera in live person, is one of the best suited cars i've seen in its class.
Happy motoring
I wonder what that '07 Elantra was doing at a Fry's, anyway??
I think black is the marquee color for this car or silver. But basically darker colors will be much better than lighter colors.
I disagree that darker colors will be better on the Elantra. They seem to mute the styling, whereas lighter colors like silver seemed to bring them out more. There were some photos posted earlier that demonstrate this. But then I'm not a fan of black--too hard to keep up.
04-06 Elantra vs. 07 Elantra
I'm having enough trouble getting used to the '05 I'm driving now. I probably wouldn't even have considered an '07 at that size. (Especially since it doesn't look like they'll have a 5-door, but that's another story...)
Re 5-door, with the steep rake of the rear window, it seems possible to add a hatch without changing the car much. The 5-door has been pretty popular for Hyundai; I would be surprised if they left that market.