For the 2nd time in as many days,  I noticed a weird / futuristic looking Hyundai.

 

I didn't know what it was so just checked - it's the new Kona. The one I saw was a base model in white. Now I know looks are subjective, to my eyes the bodywork creases and exaggereated plastic wheel arches look hideous. But that's not my point, my point is the design. Can you see the problem?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we know, LED lights can be hugely expensive these days so why mount them on the four corners?   If we're going to find bumps and scrapes on our cars the likelyhood is it'll be at one of the corners. And then some designer comes along and says, lets place the lights there. I mean WTF 😲   The above pics don't do it justice, you should see the real thing.

 

Someone could make a fortune selling 3rd party replacement front and rear lights for the new Hyundai Kona. Wonder if this will be reflected in Kona insurance premiums?

 

 

 

 

Edited 17 March, 20241 yr by kodiaqsportline

Is it trying to be a WWI battleship?

Those long strip lights front and back seem to be commonplace now on most EVs

Edited 17 March, 20241 yr by BTandSid

ive seen a few of these (dealership in my town)

its odd, and i hate the led strip lights across the width of the car on every model/brand that does it. including audi a7 brake lights.

but the ioniq 6 still wins the "twisted design of the year" award. its just wrong and not in a "grower" kinda way

This is what happens when you give "improvised" people the power to define your life. Personally, I think is long gone the time the designer was truly an engineer who knew how to "engineer" a car. Now is most likely just a 'dude' who rides an electric moped, blasts remake songs made with autotune through wireless earbuds, and the only time he has seen a screwdriver is in his grandpa's shed ....

 

I have a friend that has an EV saloon, he bought a Kona for resale with a "minor" hit in the front for which needs a new combo blinker-headlight, and he is still crying at the price they've given him. He said in hindsight he would have not bothered ....

 

 

I finally saw one of these tody and agree with others...   Hideous!! 

Looks like they've drawn on the Pontiac Aztek for design cues. 

thread revival..  ive seen our local hyundai dealer's new 2024 Santa fe out on test drive. 

i think they let the boss's 5yr old son lead the design team...

 

it somehow looks even worse and more boxy in real life. think 1997 Grand Cherokee boxy..

 

1 hour ago, mac11irl said:

it somehow looks even worse and more boxy in real life. think 1997 Grand Cherokee boxy.

Hakusaka (Japanese for "box car").

H are in the process of proving ( to themselves ) that there is no retail market for Santa Fe in Europe .......

 

38 minutes ago, olddog said:

H are in the process of proving ( to themselves ) that there is no retail market for Santa Fe in Europe .......

 

 

see, there was, before they added 4 more sizes of suv and had to inflate the santafe again.. it just doesnt need to be so ugly. its not going to age well imo.

They will sell as many as the expect to sell. 

Many are more interested in practicality than the silly design over function that has been happening. 

 

 

Edited 17 August, 202417 Aug by Ootohere

 

 

 

I'm genuinely having trouble telling cars apart these days the designs are so similar and deadly dull.
thise LEDs will be a PITA to change (and no doubt very expensive) if they break or get nudged.

I've seen one on the road ... oh well 😐

I havent seen the Kia in the real world yet, but i have seen a couple of Santa fes. and my god they are catastrophically ugly. 

I've seen a couple of EV9s on the road and didn't think it looked too bad.  No worse than any big SUV such as a range rover etc

They will no doubt sell.

 

 

Gentlemen, hang onto your breakfast, I give you the new Mini Countryman

 

Hideous yet also completely bland and characterless

@Aspman I could have kept this courtesy car for a couple of days and i intended too until i was taking it home and my back was killing me within 20 minutes.

The Plastic seats were terrible & the ride and the controls.

It went back the next morning rather than drive it any more. 

 

A 1.5 petrol hybrid.

Edited 24 October, 202424 Oct by Ootohere

On 09/10/2024 at 18:57, Ootohere said:

They will no doubt sell.

 

 

 

I quite like the look of that...   Will be interesting to see one in the flesh 

10 hours ago, Aspman said:

Gentlemen, hang onto your breakfast, I give you the new MAXI Countryman

Typo corrected inline, bold caps.

There are plenty Fungly big cars about.  Shiny black plastic for the scratching of. 

I had in front of me the other day a newish KIA Sportage. I was looking at its butt and noticed the clean lines in the upper half (above the beltlne).

Then I realised this is because some dimwit moved the entire set of turn signals/hazards/reverse lamp to the BOTTOM of the car, on the bumper ...

 

 

And I windered ... how do these cars pass the ever ending restrictive regulations in Europe and get full marks stars and whatnot in the silly euroncap rating system?

Some more seconds passed, and then, crawling forward, I noticed that in bumper-to-bumper traffic, these lights positioned so stupidly become literally "invisible" which means you have NO IDEA what the vehicle in front will do! Mind you, I was not on a lorry, but on a K12 Micra ....

I wonder what pretense of safety concepts could be promoted when adopting such a whim of design.