2011 Hyundai Sonata spied inside and out during photoshoot

2011 Hyundai Sonata spied during photoshoot

Spy shots reveal interior of upcoming Sonata - Sonata hybrid is also in the works at Hyundai

By Alex Ricciuti
August 24, 2009 2:06 PM
Filed Under: Asian, Hyundai, Spy Photos

We've been catching more than a few glimpses lately of the upcoming Hyundai Sonata, of course, all thanks to our intrepid spy photographers.

Here is a set of pics that also give us a peek inside the new Sonata, snapped while Hyundai was apparently doing its own photo shoot for Sonata promotional materials.

Interesting to note is how automakers get those great, well-lit shots of their dashboards into their brochures. No we know. They cut off the whole roof of the car!

And what about the Sonata?

Well, what we see is the evolution of Hyundai design here and the cabin interior comes with a style that carries some elegance, refinement, even if it is a little austere. It's up to you to level you calumnies at Hyundai for copying other automakers, in particular the German premium brands. We shall make no such accusations here. But have a look at the rear trunk and tail lights and ask yourself which three-lettered Bavarian brand does that remind you of?

Last week, we also got to have a looksee under the hood of the Sonata Hybrid, a product that bodes well for Hyundai's eco-cred. The hybrid Sonata will likely be powered by some variation on the Hybrid Blue Drive Architecture Hyundai introduced last year. That means either the 2.4 liter Theta II engine or a 2.0 liter Theta Turbo GDI married to a 30kW electric motor that provides an additional 205 Nm of torque. Either of those combos will come with a 6-speed transmission.

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata goes on sale late in 2010.

 

Source: hyundai-blog.com

Comments

N20_Purge
August 24, 2009 2:20 PM
That front end is aggresive, but ugly at the same time. o.0

sovietmole
August 24, 2009 2:34 PM
the front looks like an enlarged Nissan Teana!

nederina
August 24, 2009 3:02 PM
hmm let me see.. mazda6/mercedes cls face, maserati granturismo tail lights, bmw 3-series bootlid, lexus rx interior and oh, a hyundai badge? taxi!!!!

pscs
August 24, 2009 3:19 PM
Don't you just love the cut-out cars they use for photo shoots (especially asian car brands)... I wonder if you can actually drive them.

It's so ugly IMO and front grille looks like a Ford, and the whole thing looks like its been squashed around... styling too aggressive.

sj0808
August 24, 2009 4:46 PM
pretty sweet design!! so much better than Accord or Camry.. seriously. Well done Hyundai!!

theoldman
August 24, 2009 4:49 PM
i wasn't sure this was going to look good...

but i can conclude that aesthetically... its not bad!

eric_92
August 24, 2009 4:50 PM
looks amazzinggg much better than mazda6 ford mondeo and every other car in that category.. lets just hope the car is as good as it looks:D

Mister-G
August 24, 2009 5:12 PM
Very nice car although the front does look like a Ssangyong Actyon.

pmontero
August 24, 2009 5:58 PM
Rear end: cool

Front end: ugly

Interior design: not bad at all

Verdict: Hyundai keeps on improving their overall designs, but there is always something in the mix that doesn´t add up, horrible grille and headlamps spoil this one for sure.

akbars600
August 24, 2009 7:01 PM
front end is definately hideious.. they went on to imitate the camry somewhat.. which itself is ugly frm front. rear styling looks good.. hope they got LED Taillamps...

jalmonte91
August 24, 2009 7:32 PM
Wow, very nice, good job hyundai. The center console does look a bit like the new G37.

But well done Hyundai, i will get this over a camry, accord or altima!

Razz
August 24, 2009 7:33 PM
Wowowowow ... if i can say another wow ! If the next Sonata will be like this, many car producers will have big problems with their mid sized sedans !! Go Hyundai !

alaralv1
August 24, 2009 7:42 PM
Toyota and Honda... watch out!!

teuton
August 24, 2009 8:25 PM
Nice design, surely Hyundai has improved! WCF, for Pete's sake cut some slack! The rear doesn't resemble a BMW nor is it boring as a Toyota Camry. How about the copycat Korean tail lamps of the E Class? I'm all for Bavarian precision engineering but this mud-slinging just because it's a Hyundai is taking it a bit too far. Yes, a decade ago, Hyundai designs were crap but surely they've improved with every iteration, like this Sonata. Rant over :)


Edited by user on August 24, 2009 at 8:26 PM
hata0101
August 24, 2009 11:55 PM
nice job Hyundai! you deserved as the world's 4th biggest automaker! now, go look at those new designs from GM, don't throw up your chicken lo-mein!

Edison
August 25, 2009 3:45 AM
Looks much better than a Camry. Then again, a third grader can do better than that. Props to Hyundai anyway. It looks aggressive. I really don't see how WCF can say it is a copy of BMW... Wonder how it drives tho. It's not hard to beat a Camry on that front either.

Schizo0223
August 25, 2009 9:25 AM
I had the opportunity to drive both the Camry and a Hyundai in the same week as rental cars during a business trip to the States and I can tell you that even the current generation Sonata was a better drive than the Camry.

Schizo0223
August 25, 2009 9:31 AM
I'm not really liking the AMG/Ford Focus RS style bumper opennings on the newly styled Hyundai cars. But as with all Hyundai cars this should look better in 2 years when the face-lift comes out.

The interior is definitely nice though. Not the Stern Teutonic type of nice...which I prefer...but somewhat organic sort of nice.

Can't wait til these things end up flooding the rental car fleet so I can thrash one around I-95.

racsozelev
August 25, 2009 1:40 PM
wow, that´s nice. well done hyundai, europe watch out!

donstevenson
September 16, 2009 3:11 AM
This generation Sonata is superior to the previous generation coming..up….want to know why..well let me inform you fellas... I have a buddy of mine who went to teach English in Korea..you know like those university kids…except he was much older and wanted a job that gave travel experience…anyways..he went down to S Korea..and met some guys who were pretty high up with hyundai…I’m talkin business CEOs types…anyway..they shared some info with my buddy Wilbur…and told him that hyundai gained leap frog years in engineering with the genesis with the help from RollsRoyce…I’m not going to get into details here..…bottom line is.. Genesis was inpired by rolls…and the quality shows it..right down to details like the lexicon stereo Current Sonata is based on hyundai korean tech…and while it is still a good car..nowhere near to genesis levels.. next gen sonata will be based on shortened genesis chassis…but with different layout…FWD instead of RWD.. KIA will be still using hyundai tech..so the guy who was comparing the rolls to the rio is not true…. so folks if you in for a new set of wheels..and can’t afford genesis but want rolls DNA in what you drive…think the next gen sonata…although lexicon won’t give an option for their stereo like the genesis..they will however manufacture the stereo in the sonata..and call it a different name…so you get the same quality…like Coca cola does with President’s choice cola…they make it but marketed as PC cola…and sold for less….but thats another story..for another day….anyways…hope I opened your eyes a little tonite folks.

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