Hyundai i45 coming to Australia mid 2010

By Karl Peskett | February 19th, 2010

Hyundai’s replacement for the Sonata, the car previously codenamed YF, has been given a name and a date. In keeping with its “iXX” nomenclature, Hyundai is calling it the i45 and it’s set to arrive here in Australia in the second quarter of this year.

Using an all new 2.4-litre direct injection petrol engine which makes 150kW, the i45 comes with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Based on overseas reports, it also returns fuel consumption of just 6.8-litres/100km for highway and 10.6l/100km around town.

In the US, standard kit includes heated front and rear seats, Bluetooth, ESC, ABS, tyre-pressure monitoring and on all levels of trim, touchscreen satellite navigation.

Hyundai Australia hasn’t yet released final specification for Australia, but we’re hoping that the R-series diesel from the Santa Fe or even the ix35 finds its way under the bonnet.

“We are very excited to be launching the all-new i45 mid-sized sedan in Australia in the coming months, said Oliver Mann, Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s Marketing Director.

“Already breaking records in South Korea and receiving awards in the U.S., i45 is going to make a considerable impact in the competitive Australian mid-sized segment.”

More details as they come to light.

erneztp

This is seriously a good looking, attractive car both inside and out. Watch out Mazda6..

The Other Brad

Yep looking good.

Tony

I don’t know – I’ll reserve judgement until seen in the metal, but there’s something about those headlights that says Pontiac Aztek.. It’s certainly channelling the Mercedes CLK a little bit as well, not that that is a bad thing.

mmmmm

Looking at the US mazda6 you see where the styling influence comes from.
It doesn’t have to be the best car in the world, it just has to be better than a Camry and they can sell hundreds of thousands.
hepiL

Somehow, I like current KIA design direction more than Hyundai’s – Hyundai might need to consider their strategic direction to success with two brands (Hyundai KIA) strategy – i.e. Hyundai is more premium brand and KIA for more generic brand. Unfortunately with the current design strategy, KIA’s look more premium than Hyundai’s

Innova

I prefer the Sonata name (and Tucson), hate numerical name (i30, ix45, i45, i20,..)

Someone

So you must hate BMW’s entire range and Mercedes for that matter. Then there’s Mazda of course. Smart move by Hyundai.

RdS

as much as i dislike numerical names aswell, its a smart move by hyundai as it hides and links (and negative memories) of earlier sonata’s and hyundai’s. not very long and they’ll have an entire range of very smart and modern offerings.

fantastic work getting that power from a 2.4 ‘family car’ motor too. especially after seeing what daewoo get out of the 2.4 in the captiva5. its nearly 50% more..!

Robj

Guess I’ll hold off on my Epica/Camry purchase…ha haha

Andronicus

At what point did you think it was a good idea to consider an epica?

Shak

or for that matter a dishwasher?

Someone

This is one very nice looking car. Yet another part of Hyundai’s bombardment on the world. If Australians don’t see this car over the camry I’ll eat my hat.
Someone

I wonder how many of the Anti Korean snobs will be able to keep a straight face by year’s end. Why you would by a Camry over something like this I have no idea. All they need to do is make sure the pricing is right and this will sell very well. Best part is that it is getting the diesel as well (according to another website). My father’s local dealer told him it is as good as done and like the ix35 will replace the V6 version of the superceded model.

Next the i20 and then KIA’s Sportage. Watch out Toyota The Koreans are coming!
Hung Low

Impressive power from a 2.4! Looks the goods.
The centre console has bits of Volvo(climate control) and Nissan Maxima/Murano(Sat Nav) which look too obvious in its copied design origin.
The Camry just got blander!

new golf

actually its totally unimpressive. the euros are getting the same power from 1.4 & 1.6l engines. The euro engines are quicker, have more torque and far better fuel economy. but if your only comparing it to a camry than yeah its going to look good.

RdS

please, show me this 150kw NA 1.4l petrol engine..

Simon

Suzuki get 146KW from a 1.3L with 154NM but motorbikes don’t count.

Hung Low

Soon VW will claim that GSXR 1300 engine was created by VW since they now have a 20% stake!

Hung Low

Exactly, typical badge snobbery from a VW lover!

Jinsei

Those VW engines are all TURBO CHARGED. Can you find a N/A motor that can beat this?

Just another snob that only looks at the badge and not the car. Shame on you.

By the way, VW cars have TONNES of problems with their elctrical parts. It s becoming a huge issue.

That explains why VW is always at the bottom of most US auto quality surveys.

AndyB

Spot on,

Check out the English site Car Reliability Index. Hyundai is in the top ten VW certainly isnt. In fact the only German car in the top 10 is Smart. Definately badge snobbery, his car was most likely made in Mexico anyway!

Check it out here. http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/top10.html?apc=3128339010848601

Simonsez

Looks like Hyundai have abandoned their previous demographic who made up the bulk of Sonata purchases.It will be interesting to see just how aggressively they chose to price this vehicle as money is still pretty tight and they’ll need to think very carefully. Nothing worse than coming in at a high price and then having to cut prices after a few months to stimulate sales.This would only tend to cheapen their image and alienate earlier buyers.
It’s certainly been a huge success in Korea and hopefully will emulate this in Australia.
Fenno

Always impressive on paper…until you get behind the wheel. Hyundai are yet to
produce a drivers car. Lets wait to see what a drivers review – as opposed to the Road ahead/carsguide type reviews that seem to reward cheaper cars with many features.

RdS

ive heard good things about the drive of the Genesis (coupe).
sure the steering and overall feel of the family hyundai’s are very.. numb… but i dont think the average buyer who would otherwise have bought a camry/maxima/etc would even notice the difference (let alone care)

Hung Low

I think the RWD chassis in the Genesis plays a big part in its on road behaviour.
Fenno you are right but the latest cars like the I30 are not too bad behind the wheel as far as FWD econo boxes go!

dan

Couldn’t agree more.
I believe these days you need to do something to stand out from the crowd. RWD medium size car would do that, and I believe it would be worth the price premium.

The Oracle’s Teacher

The average punter couldn’t care less which end drives the car. Want proof? Look no further than Corolla. Austrlaians have largely overcome their concerns about front wheel drive as the cars have gotten better. Don’t misinterpret that comment as praise for the crolla though

This car will outsell the Sonata in a big way if the pricing is right. Style is everything and this car has a lot of it.

Hung Low

Gotta love the spineless bottom feeder’s, presumably from the VW camp that will thumb down any of my comments instead of commenting or debating! Morons!

The Oracle’s Teacher

Not sure why you got a negative reaction. I agree that these are not for the enthusiast driver, but nor are they targeting those people. Let’s be honest, if you want a driver’s car you go for one of the hot hatches or step up 40 grand into a high range sports saloon.

Again, these cars are more than adequate for the majority of the public. I think Hyundai are smart enough to know they need to fine tune their mass appeal vehicles before setting out to sell sports cars at a serious level. I suspect that next step is close though.

Front wheel drive cars can be great fun on the right roads.

KL

I agree with you. Until now, most of their car were impressive on paper but they were hardly a drivers car. But I think from i30 their focus is changing from just good looking to actually good to drive cars. I own i30 and I’m very happy with the car. So let’s wait to see how the new sonata perform on the road. I heard they put alot improvement on the drive ability of the car. They said it’s more sports sedan then a normal family sedan.
Jinsei

Hyundai are also making well-performing cars these days.

I guess you have not driven one of the Genesis Sedan or Coupe. You would be embarassed of what you just have said once you do.

HJP

Accord Euro, Mazda 6 will have tough competition from this car. The side profile and back looks very nice but the front was kind of melting. Nevertheless Hyundai is now not the brand to be underestimated, watch out Japanese brands.

Tony

And add the Suzuki Kizashi to that list as well. Things are getting very interesting in this segment…

The Oracle’s Teacher

Yeah very true. It was always about 3 vehicles in this class. Camry, Euro and Mazda6. The game is about to get more comlicated. The performance figures for the Kizashi are excellent. I really like the styling of this i45 but have to say the Kizashi’s styling is superb. Particularly the rear.

Between them they have made life a little more difficult for the established 3.

Valet Dabess

looks like it ate a lemon
Classic

Oh I know I’ll be howled down for this, but come on, can’t anybody else see that this is a love child between a Passat CC and Camry?

gary

you sure it is not s class?

SteveH

Front end looks like the old Lexus ES300 to me.

Daniel

The chrome strip from the mirror to the headlight looks tacky, and the grille is just nasty. Whoever said chrome was a sign of luxury anyway?!

Tony

This is the American spec – maybe they’ll lose the chrome for Oz??

Projet L

Looks quite nice.

Love the Video for the reference to the accelerator pedal.
At about 1:10 in the film they make reference to the accelerator.
Don’t know if if was conscious but it would make Toyota( camry owners ) cringe a little.

Hyundai know how to make accelerator pedals ( like playing an instrument)

Priceless.

CrustyTheClown

How we have short memories, remind us about the KOREAN Carnival engine issues [on this very website] and the Hyundai Excel that where splitting in the chassis

PASS on Korean, its all fluff and scam

GoHyundai

yea you do have short memory problems…
those issues were looong long ago
dont you remember?
Robin Graves

The Carnival engine was actually a Rover design, sold under license to Kia pre-Hyundai takeover. Boy where they ripped off paying for that design! Kia is probably still paying the price for that negative press.

The Oracle’s Teacher

The Koreans are here. Yet another car that Hyundai can be proud of.

Classic

You mean another Hyundai car that VW and Toyota can be proud of? It’s downright plagiarism!

new golf

almost all “real world drivers” know and can feel/understand the difference between good and poor drivability. but for most cost is the determining factor in car purchase and the cheaper you go the less you get, and huyandai and kia are at the bottom end of the market. sure they are getting better but they simply arent nearly as good as some of their competitors (even at same price). not even toyota do a great job at the corrolla end of the scale. you can call brand snob all you like but everyone else is thinking youve got little dog syndrome

CrustyTheClown

Well said, no matter what all the Hynkia shrine-builders think here, Korean products are a generation behind the JAP’s.

They sell because they are [where] cheapest, they should be worried the Chinese are coming…..

END-OF-STORY.

The Oracle’s Teacher

You got the story part right.
Lox

The Chinese?

Like Great Wall or Geely…lol, I think the Koreans are pretty safe there.
CrustyTheClown

There is over 100 auto brands in China.

Last year they over-took USA as the largest volume buyers on the planet, 12 million pieces, taget is 15 million is a few short years

They own Volvo, “old” SAAB, VW’s largest buyers/maker and God knows what else.

Most brands are doing 1st releases at Shanghai Auto Show, its more important than any other market, so China is priority # 1

BYD is Chinese, #1 recharge battery company on the planet, and the E6 car has the longest range of any electric car ever made.

The list and list goes on and one, Korea market is a toy against the might of China.

Get over it, korea has had it time in the sun, its all about China from now on….
The Oracle’s Teacher

Wow Crusty, you are so out of touch with the world. The Korean’s time is just starting. Hyundai was the world’s fastest growing car maker in 2009. Where have you been?

I’ve seen one of China’s so called Great Wall utes up here. The front end fell straight off the D22 Navara. Copyright anyone? Just like so many other vehicles over there. Go for a trip to Malaysia where Chinese cars have been on sale for many years. They do replica everything becasue they don’t do copyright. Even Bentleys.

You can have mine Crusty. I won’t touch Chinese cars.
HyundaiSmoke

Chinese Cars. Lmao!!

Hyundais were like Chinese Cars today back in 1976. China’s got about 30 or so years of catching-up to do, playa.

Distasteful Copies laughd at at Autoshows.

So unsafe and Polluting the US wont let them in.

Yeah Hyundai did this hummm…. 35 years ago.
The Oracle’s Teacher

I don’t have much support for your view normally but you are right on this. I went and had a look at the great wall utes and could almost put my finger in the panel gaps. Fit and finish was crap. The leather seats were so poorly stiched that I actually thought they were vinyl.

By contrast the finish on the latest Hyundais is very good. My one criticism is that some of the plastics are still a bit cheap, but then some much more expensive cars in the equating classes are guilty of that too. Particularly the latest offerings from Subaru and the current Corolla.
nick

Yet the crown-vic is still sold in the US…
Hayzel

Have you seen the safety on chinese cars….an the way they copy designs an blatantly conduct plagiarism, which is expected considering China is still a communist country.
Jinsei

Crusty,
China definitely has a massive market.

But that never means that they have the best technologies does it?

China has the largest market for pretty much EVERYTHING in the world, but they don’t have the technology that corresponds to it do they? Local Chinese firms are still only producing pretty low-tech, labour intensive stuff like toys, bottle and so on.

I m saying they one day will, but not now. Germany, Korea and Japan are 10000 miles ahead of the Chinese in high-tech products
Hayzel

your comments are way too bias..stop forcing it out.
Jinsei

Crusty,
I think you never read NEWSPAPERS, NOT those tabloids gossipping about Angelina BUT the Financial Review or the Times.

Samsung Elctronics’ 09 annual profit was GREATER than that of the TEN Japanese competitors COMBINED. It has even outperformed HP and German Sismens in revenue.

LG has already beaten SONY in global mobile phone market and has 2nd larget market share for LCD TVs.

Hyundai was the only car maker whose profit increased by more than 30%.

Do you believe all this can happen only because their products are the ‘cheapest’?

The Chinese will come one day to take over the world, but for NOW Korean technologies are ‘generations’ ahead the Chinese. Get some facts in your head.
GoHyundai

yep i agree with you -jinsei

i’ve said this many times too on other posts,
the samsung sony story happened without people realising really,

this hyundai toyota “story” going on, is happening with people realising through “knowledge (ie facts) is believing”
so the *ignorant* ones obviously will never give positives to the hyundai today,
Jinsei

Well said gohyundai, spot on

During the global financial crisis 09-10, Korean firms have literally smashed the Japanese and they still are.

Hyundai’s sales breaking records (sales 117% up in China). Samsung’s LCD TVs are the most expensive in the US but still selling best.

This is not a coincidence.

It’s has always been rationale & smart consumers that change the market. And they are on the move.

Somebody like Crusty still don’t see what’s going on and pass judgements using 1980-ish knowledge.

He will soon regret not to have bought an i30 over lancer. Oh no, he already is actually and desperately trying to justify his decision LOL.
Yonny

It’s off-topic (the i45) but I’m currently looking for a new “small” car, and taking my time about it. I hadn’t driven a Hyundai since the mid-90′s, an Excel which I thought was simply awful. But I thought I’d better keep an open mind and drive the i30 and boy, was I impressed. Far from perfect, but no car in that segment (and price range) is.

So, I’m now tossing up between the Lancer and the i30. The i30 comes ahead of the Lancer on a few of my priorities, but I like the Lancer because it has as standard everything I want (side airbags, ESP, cruise) and because I like the way it drives (it has a bit more poke than the i30). Having all the kit as standard is important – I’m not waiting 8 to 12 weeks for a “special order” base i30 with the factory cruise.

But basically, what I’m saying is, I was surprised at how good Hyundai have become – the i30 competes in its segment on its own merits, and not only that but is better than quite a few cars in the segment. I expect the i45 will continue their upward trajectory.
Whitbomb07

Yonny

What spec level and engine are you looking at for each?

Regards

Whitbomb07
Yonny

Base model level for both, due to money constraints:

Lancer ES manual

i30 SX manual (petrol)

I haven’t driven the diesel i30 yet, but want to. For me it would be as much about the improved torque and driveability as the fuel economy (though that’s nice, of course).
Shak

Have you considered the Cruze or Focus diesel’s? They both have roughly similar power to the i30 and torque, but i think they have better kit from memory.
Yoon

FYI, Cruse is also made in Korea ,GM DAEWOO.
The Oracle’s Teacher

Yonny, when comparing poke are you talking about the petrol engine in the i30? IF so I recommend taking the diesel for a test drive. It is far superior and has the added benefit of superb economy. Expect over 1000k’s per tank on the highway and around 750 around town. Both the Lancer and Hyundai petrols will begin to protest when you load them up with passangers. The diesel doesn’t.

Many people have a negative view of diesel as they flash back to 20 years ago. Trust me they have changed and the i30 diesel is a cracker.

Glad you enjoyed your test drive. People protest about the extra cost of diesel but you get it back at sell time due to superior resale. Petrol or diesel I’d still go the hyundai.
Al Juraj

If one is to regret buying a Lancer thinking he could have gotten something else, he’d look at the Mazda3, Civic, Corolla, Golf or maybe Focus even, but i30? Come on!
Jinsei

If Hyundai-Kia are ‘genearations’ behind, then why would Mitsubishi pay Hyundai ROYALTIES to use their 2.0/2.4L engine techonology?

As i said above, Chrysler and Mitsubishi paid Hyundai $74 million in Royalties for the two engines.

Can you please explain it?

I am personally a fan of some mitsubishi vehicles and but i can’t help but say that what you’re doing here is so UGLY.

James Cortez

new golf: you are indeed a snob. European cars in Australia do not reflect their actual prices elsewhere (US, Europe) as they are “jacked up” down under, making people think they are good but expensive. Yes they are better than koreans but not linearly proportional to their price differences.

The Oracle’s Teacher

Toyota have so much to be proud of at the moment don’t they 8 million recalls and counting. It looks nothing like the Camry (thank god) from any angle. I see a hint of Peugeot in the rear but only subtle. A nice effort overall.
Hayzel

Hey that cloud looks like a horse, no it’s a chicken. Downright plagiarism my ass..it depends on how one see the design.

The Oracle’s Teacher

You sure it’s not a chicken?

Hayzel

no, to me it looks like hyundai i45
The Oracle’s Teacher

..and that’s a good thing. Toyota could learn a few things about how not to do bland from this mob.

JEKYL & HYDE

impressive motor/gearbox,nice dash,centre console.they are kidding but if they think that they are going to get a u.s.a. spec car at a decent aussie price though…

The Oracle’s Teacher

I doubt it will match the spec of the US cars. No manufacturer ever does.

Mark G

It should be interesting to see whether or not that direct injection engine can run on regular unleaded or will require premium. I think this car will sell better than the current generation Sonata, although it’s unlikely it will beat the peak of 7,390 sales in 1997. I still don’t know how Hyundai managed to sell that many Sonatas that year, although back then the Sonata cost only $22,990!
Deco

I’m not the biggest fan of th desin, but I can appreciate Hundais effort, it can be quite stylish.

That 2.4l engine is amazing. Just wish they still offered the V6!

new golf

vw 130kw from 1.4l, mini&peugeot 128-155kw from 1.6l

Mitch

Both with forced induction.
Lox

VW only makes that power with a turbo. Not exactly the same.

Maybe this is a better motor comparison.

2L Jetta turbo – 147kw
2.4 Hyundai na – 150kw

VW kw’s = fail

Surely a turbo should do better than an na motor?

CrustyTheClown

Thats just plain silly.

BIG DEAL that the Hyn. has a few kW more, means NOTHING in the scheme of things.

The engine is but just 1 portion, what about tranny, body intergrations, dynamics, safety, quality, reputation, engineering etc etc VW EVERY time wins.

The i45 is for somebody who cannot afford the VASTLY superior Jetta, and i am not a VW fan by any means….

Be like saying a 6’6″ guy is better than a 5’11″ guy….FAIL, WTF???

Lox

The figures were just there to prove a point.

Clearly the two cars (Jetta/I45) are different and there’s more than just the motor to look at. I agree.

MjYj

U.S spec Sonata will get 2.0L turbo engine from this july or august.
Heard it’s going to have more than 190kw. Impressive.

Devil’s Advocate

Ok then “new golf”. If you like comparing apples with oranges I have something for you. VW are pretty ordinary getting “only” 130kw from a turbocharged and supercharged combined 1.4l engine when Mazda are getting 170kw out of a 1.3L car engine WITHOUT any turbo or supercharger what-so-ever. Looks like VW still have a way to go to catch up with the Japanese… TVFPIC

The Oracle’s Teacher

The diesel will replace the V6. Same thinking as with the ix35.

Myke

I thought globally it would be called the i40, why is it called the i45 when it reaches Oz, is the i40 name saved for something else?

mmmmm

probably saving the i40 name for the smaller ‘euro’ sized medium they may bring here next year.
hyundai will have 2 sized medium cars like honda & mazda.

The Oracle’s Teacher

There is a plan to run this along side the Elantra replacement. It will be called the i40 with the Elantra name being scrapped.

CrustyTheClown

I think Hyund are going a bit to much flamed-surface in-your-face look.

This should NOT be called Sonata as they dont have a very good name, and the resale is shocking on them.

i45 is good, $24,990 driveaway for a loaded auto seems about right, maybe a bit hight but a good starting point.

Cheers

Simon

I’d be surprised if it is that cheap – more like $34k fully loaded. As the Koreans get better and put more money into design and build quality, so the price goes up – the same thing that happened to Japanese cars in this regard 20-30 years ago will happen to the Koreans. Don’t expect the bargains to last.

CrustyTheClown

$34k….OUCH!

Rather a Euro Accord, Mazda6, Maxima V6 etc etc

Jinsei

$24,990?

That is even cheaper than you BELOVED lancer.

How can a car with a far more powerful engine, superior materials, much more spacious cabin and most importantly far suprior reliability than your lancer

only cost just about the same?

It s definitly going higher than 25K, but let me assure you that it is not gonna be as over-priced as the mitsubishi 380, which subsuquently had to be marked down by $7000 due to extremely poor sales.
Robin Graves

The previous gen Sonata did have a low resale value, but its still a LOT better than conformadore or foulcan, Sonata is 54% after 3 years, Lancer VR-X is 62%, conformadore is 47% – once again – hardly ‘shocking’ and FYI the i30 Diesel is 75% – much better than your Lancer. Personally I think the Lancer has a falsely high resale due to the large amount of Hairdresser Apprentices taken on this year

Shak

I find it really comforting that somehow Toyota is declining at the same time its major competitor Hyundai is coming of age(Toyota said it fears Hyundai the most). I really hope i am around when Hyundai finally claims second or first. Oh and btw awesome car and really hopes it outsells that Camry thing.
James Cortez

you German car snobs, Hyundai has been producing world class engine – leading power output beating the japs – . Look at the R series turbodiesel and now this new i45 (Sonata). Yes among the Naturally Aspirated engines are the Civic type R and Renault Clio F1 which can beat this one but… they have to revs to way above 7000 rpm.

Bravo Hyundai. If you price it right, I will sell my Nissan and head to your dealer the next day. Only the ignorant, stupid, Anti Korean snobs who can not differentiate naturally aspirated from forced induction (turbo, supercharged)and rotary (non piston) engines.

Hung Low

People (really stupid ones like ‘New Golf’)are comparing this engine to ones fitted into light weight hatches. One has to keep in mind this engine is designed for a family car not a sports car meaning it still has to be tractable enough to pull a heavier mass at lower engine speeds, economical and have a good decent spread of average power and flat torque spread under the curve. All this without forced induction is a big feat as cam timing/profile design has to be on the money as this motor is not intended to make its peak power at 8000+ rpm.
The K24 in the Honda Euro is also a very impressive engine for its time as is the QR 25 fitted in the early Xtrails that produced 15kw less 7 years ago in a X-roader!!
Jinsei

Can’t agree with you more James,

There are still people that judge a car not on its own merit but by its badge. What a shame!

Hyundai’s V8 4.6 Tau engine has been awarded the Ward’s 10 Best Engines. Heaps of other awards for quality and safety (JD Power, Consumer reports and the likes).

Even when we give them these facts right on their eyes, the still don’t believe it.

So this behaviour can only be called ignorant or maybe illiterate? maybe they don’t know how to read at all and are embarassed to say so?

gazman

I dont care what anybody says I will stay with the BIG H from South Korea and cant see myself ever going for another brand of car and I can afford to buy what ever I want in cars I hope I get to see Hyundai as the No 1 car maker in the world.

The Oracle’s Teacher

They are currently on the right track.

HyundaiSmoke

Ummmmm Jinsei, Lancer has world (GEMA) engines developed by Hyundai. Crusty can talk all of the crap he wants to talk, but guess what if he wanted a Lancer he could have gotten a KIA Forte/Cerato.

Mitsubishi does a Horrid job of putting Hyundai engines together, so enjoy that Lancer Mate with your Poorly Assembled Engine with a crap warranty on it.

scatman

Mitsubishi has a 5/10 warranty you fool, best in the business,what you dont know could fill a warehouse.

Whitbomb07

All well and good if you drive stuff all kms annually.

I’d break it before the 4th year.

X km warranties should be gotten rid of by all companies. Unlimited km warranties show the company is willing to stand by their product, to me the Hyundai 5 year unlimited km warranty is a much better offering.

Not to mention if the company goes under in less than the time frame of the warranty…….. Which in this global financial climate (past and future aswell) is entirely possible.

Keep trying……..

Regards

Whitbomb07

Al Juraj

Your beloved i30 (and Cerato) still come with lousy 4-speed autos and the Lancer 2.0 CVT beats both of them in performance and economy.

Jinsei

Exactily right smoke,

The Lancer’s 2L petrol was primarily developed by Hyundai and received some revisions from Mitsubishi.

So if anybody is a Lancer fanatic, one great reason would be the Hyundai engine! Funny isn’t it?

Those badge snobs always pick on Hyundai but they are actually counting on them! LOL

HyundaiSmoke

Peugeot engines are going to start going in their cars soon, I bet the Peugeot Lancer will suck. I hope Peugeot can save them. I wish HKAG bought them, and made them into a sweet tuning company. AWD rally cars, that will become Souls, Rios, Picantos, Vengas, C’eeds, Cerratos/Fortes, i10s, Accents, i20s, Elantras, and i30s. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CrustyTheClown

PITY you shoot your mouth and little brain off before studying a bit!

GEMA is now owned by FIAT/Chrysler

www gemaengine com

Rewind to 2007:

“The new GEMA engine is a joint venture project between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Hyundai has yet to use the GEMA engine in any of it’s cars”

So Mitsubishi used it first, Mitsu is made fully in Shiga Japan, Daimler used it in the then owned Chrysler range.

hyundai designed the block only, everything else is not interchangeable.

Jinsei

Crusty

You are so out of touch. Don’t just google it and throw it here before you verify the information.

Here is what i read:
Since the inception of GEMA(Global Engine Manufacturing Allicance ) in 2002, Hyundai invested AU$290 million and have developed the Theta engine in 2004.

Chrysler and Mitsubishi paid Hyundai royalties of AU$74 million for the engine design and then used it with their owen revisions. So the GEMA engine has been in use for AGES already alright?

And let me remind you Hyundai’s version of GEMA outperforms the Mitsu version.

Hyundai Theta II 2.0: 165 hp vs Mitsubishi MIVEC 2.0: 145 hp.

Even then, you’ve been making the entire Hyundai range out to be a piece of junk. I am also a fan of some mitsubishi cars but what you are doing is so childish and misleading to others.

Having bought an ‘impeccable’ Lancer ES 2.0, i know it’s hard for you not to be biased. But at least you should give it a go.

Al Juraj

Cerato 2.0 auto – 115kw and 4-speed
Lancer 2.0 auto – 113kw and CVT

A slight power advantage and a transmission one generation behind simply cancel out. Lancer FTW!

The oracles mentor

When they make a car that handles we might get interested , still very suburban handling , car of the year showed up the faults , no brainer.

Simon

Drove a current model Sonata as a company car recently – the thing handles like a barge. The Sonata could have improved it’s conering ability with the addition of a rudder – as the steering set up is way to vague for this boat.

HyundaiSmoke

Hey Guys, I went to the Dealer, and the Sonatas have fnally arrived.

The dealer had Camry, Fusion, Sebring, Last Gen TSX, VW CC there as comparative cars.

1. The Sonata interior is on a whole different planet than Fusion. Fusion compared to Sonata is a very overrated car.

2. The Camry is a Joke on the interior front.

3. It looks 10 times better in person.

4. Sebring is a Chinese Car compared to Sonata.

5. VW CC is very damm competitive in the interior department. They are equally matched.

6. Sonata’s interior= as good as Last gen TSX

Actually I dont understand how the Fusion won NACOTY, unless it was a nod to Ford saying “Thanks you actually have a good US Ford product.”
I was not impressed at all, with all the Ford Hoopla I expected so much better.

Its on par with Current gen KIA Optima.

I did not like that Fusion at all, very dissappointng.

1. The Interior is bland,

2. The fit and finish is good (for an American product), but if it was a Hyundai id be very mad, and would call a number up to speak to someone on the inside about it.

3. The seat materials are rock bottom quality. Just from the interior I wouldnt bother driving one.

Ford still has a long way to go to impress me. I have been actually impressed with Ford until I saw the Fusion today and got very angry that the media has been lying to us about “new Ford”.

After looking at that Fusion interior, I almost want to take back the good things I said about Ford.

The Sonata should be treated like a near luxury product, and not an Economy car product in my eyes after today.

Maybe I shoulnt judge the Fusion or Camry to Sonata. Its not really a fair comparison, honestly. Fusion or Camry is not even on the samee planet as Sonata, and this is not Hyundai Fan Boy talk, this is just plan and simple honest observation.

Sonata is a Mercury Milan, if Ford did it better

Andronicus

why do you insist on talking so much rubbish?

HyundaiSmoke

But its true mate, youll see for yourself when they start rolling of the trucks down under.

Shak

If Hyundai can market this car like they did the i30, they will outsell Australia’s favourite dishwasher company. This is miles ahead of that p.o.s Camrion. I fell that any person who purchases the camry over this deserves to have their steering wheel fall off.

scatman

Yes the pictures are very pretty, lets make a call by looking at the pictures thats how smart people buy things, just believe the hype and go “BAAAAAAARRRR”"

Ian Wilson

The I45 or whatever it is going to be called is just beautiful. I have an NF 3.3V6 Sonata and she is a great car. For one who was biased against Korean cars, I have now done a back flip especially with Hyundai. I do miss the V6 in the later models as that motor is just perfect although with the latest technology diesels wit no turbo lag, the power is quite awesome. Please put me down for a test drive when it arrives. I am retired so have time to cope with anything…………Ian.
Yoon

As myself a Korean, I am happy to see the change of image on Hyundai.
I currently own Toyota Corrolla myself over 6 years now in Melbourne, only reason that I purchase Corrolla was Toyota. It’s not bad choice I would say, but I am not so happy with its looking and feeling of driving so far. By that time only Lexus was in Korean market, I wished to drive Toyota car. At the similar time of releasing Hyundai YF Sonata (Korean name of IX45),Toyota Camry came in. Korean in Korea has really bad feeling of HyundaiKia (Hyundai own Kia in Korea), people wish to purchase Camry over IX45. Then, I believe people still go for IX45 as it’s Korean own, and easy for them to maintain. Other reason that I hesitate to purchase Korean car in the past, because of its second hand value as well as reliability over 3-5 years. Korean car wasn’t really last long before (I am not sure for current models), second hand car price is just ridiculous as well. I don’t believe that Hyudai’s image will update to Toyota too soon, but I can see that Korean car brand image is improving in Australian market. I dream about to own this car since YF sonata was released late last year, and really… as few people mentioned above, price will be the issue. Have I mentioned that Korean hate Hyundai and Kia? IX45 starts from 28K USD in Korea, but it’s much cheaper in USA and many models in Korea is selling significantly higher than US market. That’s the reason why Korean hate to purchase Korean car nowdays. I hope to test drive and hope that no disappointment.
Tom

@The Oracle’s Teacher
Same with my BRAND SPANKING NEW HONDA CIVIC VTI-LUXURY 2009 MADE IN THAILAND. Has uneven interior gaps the size of my 4th finger. Road noise is F*CKING HORRIFYING. Rattles like a tin bottle filled with screws. I travelled from sydney to Thredbo in the car… i had to play my music at vol level 32/40 to barely hear anything, talking to family members was impossible, that is how amazingly loud the road noise is.

I severly regret choosing this over the i30 back then.
ME

I went to Korea to see my dad again, we stopped over at Malaysia and those Chinese cars were so obvious that they looked like the audis and other major companies.

Ok enough with the chinese cars. In korea, I was amazed by the new sonata, I saw one at the airport and I had to go to the Hyundais website to check.
I checked the price and its a bit more expensive than the old one.
It looks amazing and you should expect it to cost a lot less than the camry. But im not sure because Hyundai cars are cheaper in korea because they are Korean.
I don’t know about other anti-Koreans but I’m really proud that Korea made that car and it is should be the most affordable stylish car.

Sorry if there are typing errors because I’m on my phone right now

ME

This is an intense arguement……………..

SOMEBODY

HY
ha

HEY CHRUSTY………….GREAT TIP FOR YA……………..LEARN HOW TO USE GOOGLE
POPO

A person with reasonable education would know the history behind Korean advancement in the car industry (not forgetting to mention in the electronics industry aswell = LG/Samsung) , thus be too embarrassed to sit in a Korean Car…or even standing next to it.

I believe It’s only the poor people, or high school drop outs who prefer Korean products as their 1st choice :]

Looking at the negative ratings of other posts, I think I understand what I said. lol.

In addition, the promo reminded me of the Subary Impreza advert…in everyway, can’t they think of something truly riginal? instead of STEALING?…

Pity.
http://www.ihavepredicted.com I Have Predicted

I just don’t know about this, I mean after all it is A hyundai which to me used to mean cheap and nasty.

I still cant see a hyundai being anymore than a through away car after several years and for that reason alone i would not buy one.

Jabba the Hutt

Ford and Holden “used to” mean cheap and nasty too and they have advanced to be at least world quality. So have Hyundai /Kia …and I think you mean “throw” away.

The cars aren’t the problem. It’s people’s inability to move out of the past that is the issue.