Hyundai blasted onto the American midsize sedan scene with the 2011 Sonata, a car that has proven bold enough to capture the attention of those who would have previously only considered a Camry or Accord. By now, we’re familiar with the 2011 and 2012 Sonata’s curves but is the grass greener on the other side? Hyundai is launching the sedan version of the i40, a four-door that’s based on the same platform and wheelbase as our Sonata. Take a close-up look at the photos in our gallery below and tell us: Based on design, would you rather have a 2012 Hyundai Sonata (pictured below) or new Hyundai i40 sedan?
The new Hyundai i40 sedan (shown above) is more recognizable as a Hyundai, perhaps, even than the 2012 Sonata. That’s thanks to a grille that falls in line with the latest all-new designs from Hyundai, including the Elantra, Santa Fe, and Veloster. The two-part grille on the European Hyundai is paired with stylized fog lights and headlights that immediately remind us of the Elantra and 2012 Genesis sedan, with the decorative in-headlight curve.
Without the 2012 Sonata’s unique but arguably awkward chrome trim piece that extends all the way to the back of the front headlight, we’re liking the i40 more until we notice just how much of a gap there is between the top of the tires and the bottom of the wheel well.
The starkest difference between the 2012 Sonata and i40 can be seen from the profile view. The Sonata appears to have larger front and rear overhangs, but both cars have a thick character line running through the door handles. On the i40, the chrome trim surrounds the side windows whereas the Sonata restricts chrome to the bottom of the windows. While the i40′s side window design is reminiscent of the Mazda6, we also appreciate the Sonata’s clean arch.
Completely different taillights on the Hyundai i40 are joined by a piece of chrome trim below the taillights. The “Hyundai” and “i40″ badges aren’t emphasized as much as the Hyundai insignia. On the Sonata, chrome trim connects the two taillights.
If Hyundai brought over the i40 sedan to our shores, would you prefer it over the current Sonata’s design? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
Last week, the 2012 BMW M5 filled this page with mostly positive reviews.
“Refreshing,” wrote Person0011, who warned that “BMW needs to do a revamp of their entire lineup and venture into dramatically new designs. Now, almost all of their vehicles look the same, just in different sizes!”
