Spy Shots: Next-gen Hyundai Sonata going four-door coupe route
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Spy Shots: Next-gen Hyundai Sonata going four-door coupe route
Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai
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Spy Shots: Next-gen Hyundai Sonata going four-door coupe route originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.With the Genesis Sedan and Coupe both finally on sale, Hyundai has a moment to breathe. OK, done. Back to work. Next up is a complete redesign of the Hyundai Sonata, which is one the South Korean brand's big sellers that competes in a very crowded, competitive segment against the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion, among others.
The next Sonata will be a total rethinking of the mid-size sedan's packaging. Based on these spy shots taken while a prototype was out testing on what appears to be a frozen lake, we can clearly see that the profile of the next Sonata will move farther towards the four-door coupe end of the spectrum where vehicles like the Volkswagen CC live. The severely sloping roof line now meets the trunk lid much farther back leaving just a short length of rear deck lid. Overall, it appears as if the next Sonata will be a larger, yet much more visually interesting vehicle than the one it replaces. The only question is, where does that leave the Azera?
Gallery: Next-gen Hyundai Sonata - spy shots
[Source: KGP Photogrpahy]
The next Sonata will be a total rethinking of the mid-size sedan's packaging. Based on these spy shots taken while a prototype was out testing on what appears to be a frozen lake, we can clearly see that the profile of the next Sonata will move farther towards the four-door coupe end of the spectrum where vehicles like the Volkswagen CC live. The severely sloping roof line now meets the trunk lid much farther back leaving just a short length of rear deck lid. Overall, it appears as if the next Sonata will be a larger, yet much more visually interesting vehicle than the one it replaces. The only question is, where does that leave the Azera?
Gallery: Next-gen Hyundai Sonata - spy shots
[Source: KGP Photogrpahy]
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I dunno. I wouldn't really advertise that as a coupe. By definition the 4 door coupe body style is supposed to have considerably lesser room in the back which would be uncomfortable for a full grown adult. When I read the article I was picturing something like this http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/W/B/1/..._doorsopen.jpg or this http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...es_CLS_C219.jpg
That looks more like a typical sedan. It's even got rear headrests at the same height as the front, which would suggest that a full grown adult would be able to fit back there comfortably.
That looks more like a typical sedan. It's even got rear headrests at the same height as the front, which would suggest that a full grown adult would be able to fit back there comfortably.
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I think they're more referring to the design shape, similar to how Dodge did the Charger with the profile of the car not screaming 4-door.
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It looks like it's more aerodynamic, sure. It has plenty of room in the back and it has a well defined B pillar between the doors. I think Coupe has become more of a catch word lately for Hyundai. If you do a google image search for Coupe, http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wi lots of hyundais pop up.