[motorworks]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

You're thinking only from the Indian context. Elantra is Hyundai's worldwide best seller #1, closely by the Tucson.

Being 'different' is a big risk they are taking!

You missed my other point. The Elantra has to stand out different from the new Verna, which also sells globally in many markets. They look too similar now and that is not a good thing especially when the Elantra has to command a premium.

Also, most people criticised the facelifted Octavia with split headlights, but i do not think it is that bad and people who loved the Octavia continue to buy it.

So lets wait for the launch, may be it would look good on the road.

[volkman10]

Hyundai Elantra face-lift without camouflage, to be unveiled in August.





Link

[dark.knight]

The rear is stunning, the front is way too sharp. Overall I'd give it a complete miss in terms of design but that's my personal opinion because it looks like something the future threw up.

I was never a fan of straight lines, something about sharp angular lines make me wince when it comes to automobiles. I believe in terms of design, rounded off edges, smooth surfaces meeting the angles and an overall softness are simply more organic.. more natural. Out in the wild we never see sharp edges in anything, be it trees, leaves, even rocks which take a smooth appearance unless they are chipped.

I loved the older BMWs, with the round lamps, 360 degree corona rings and very old-school yet practical interiors.. present designs, no longer a fan. Loved the 2010 Jetta with its smooth surfaces and roundish looks, hated the next gen which looked like a Polo with a boot, loved the Skoda Laura, hate the Skoda Octavia present gen. Loved the fluidic Elantra, the present gen is more toned down but yet soft and rounded.. the next gen is way too sharp and inorganic.

I won't own any car with the so called clean lines and sharp angles, going by how design is moving overall, I'd be walking within the next decade.

[rajshenoy]

It appears like Hyundai designers have gone full circle and copied the Design bits from Hyundai Xcent into Elantra this time. Especially those triangular headlights

[GTO]

Dude, that is one ugly face!

Hyundai is a rare manufacturer whose full line-up of cars is good looking. Even Maruti has weirdos like the Ignis or breadbox Omni.


That's going to change with this ugly facelift. What's more worrying to me is that car makers usually introduce new designs on higher end cars, before it flows down to the cheaper ones. Will we see derivatives of this grille on the i20 or Xcent one day? I sure hope not.

[vb-saan]

Hyundai was better with the designs in the past few years (especially after they moved away from their fluidic designs) but now they are back at it. Once the sister brand (Kia) is launched, they may start losing business as the latter looks much sorted out from a design POV.

[suhaas307]

Everyone here is talking about how Hyundai has derived the new Elantra's styling elements from the likes of Lexus, Audi and KIA, but the first car that came to my mind when I saw the spy pictures, was the Volkswagen Arteon.

For those who don't know, the Arteon is essentially a 4-door coupé body style of the Passat. (Photograph attached for reference)



Notwithstanding, I do agree that Hyundai has lost the plot. The Elantra is (was?) a handsome car, especially the post fluidic model.

[Porschefire]

I'll rest my opinion until clearer pictures are out.
It is usually the case that a car looks really bad in the spy/initial pictures and turns out to be quite good looking when the actual ones come out. Case in point, the new Amaze. Absolutely hated the design when I saw the expo/launch pictures but after looking at couple of ownership reports here, I do believe that Honda has given us a good looking Amaze finally.

In the below picture, it doesn't look that bad. What I'm not sure is how well the geometric headlamp will gel with the rest of the rather flowy design.

[Jeevith]

Oh Lord, no! I understand the need to come up with something new and 'different', but in my honest opinion, this is downright lazy designing.

To put this in perspective, this is a car that competes with the Civic (with what I think is a gorgeous design), the Octavia (with the classic understated look) and the Corolla (with Toyota brand backing). At least as far as India is concerned, I don't see this car doing well, despite already being priced the lowest among the 4 cars mentioned.

[RoverX]

Nope! A month of looking at the pictures hasn't made me get used to this abomination of a face. Someone needs to remind Hyundai "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Why must every inspiration be drawn from jet fighter planes? Why must the headlamps cut into the grille? (A trend that I absolutely abhor). Somehow reminds me of the erstwhile Ford Mondeo and the second-gen Honda Accord.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

In the below picture, it doesn't look that bad. What I'm not sure is how well the geometric headlamp will gel with the rest of the rather flowy design.

You said it, sir. Nothing's fluidic, anymore! At least the proportions seem good, and the interiors are decent.

Originally Posted by GTO

Dude, that is one ugly face! Hyundai is a rare manufacturer whose full line-up of cars is good looking.

What's more worrying to me is that car makers usually introduce new designs on higher end cars, before it flows down to the cheaper ones. Will we see derivatives of this grille on the i20 or Xcent one day? I sure hope not.

You echo my thoughts, sir. The Elantra being their flagship sedan in India, I fear the possibility of this design language trickling down to the lower models is quite real.

Autocar has published some new images of the car.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Some more official images, courtesy Hyundai USA -

[Chetan_Rao]

Aesthetically, the only bit of that car that works for me are the alloys. Yum!

The car itself is just ugly; the current car is suave, mature and handsome. This one screams 'look at me', and not in a good way.

[bharat4ever]

That nose looks like a copy of the current gen A5. And not a very good copy either.

[motorworks]

I would buy it, if I had the need for a D segment sedan! Somehow I do not find the looks that offending. Its not a very classic looking design, my view is that once you see it in person it might be a lot better. And if Hyundai is doing this for globally successful model like the Elantra then it must be thought thru. And the current car blends with the crowd and has a lot of similarities with the new Verna. And with the new Civic coming up, Hyundai needed people to sit up and take notice, which this car would certainly get people to do.

[AtheK]

Looks better in this angle, I kind of like how it looks, differentiate it's a bit from current Hyundai cars.