The Hyundai i45 is designed in California and built in South Korea. It's packed with standard equipment and unmistakably styled. It kicks off at 29 grand and stretches t0 38. Here to discuss whether or not Toyota should be worried, car advice road tester Anthony Crawford. So Toyota, i45, what do they think?
Look, I called it the Camry killer in my original review the launch. The reason I did that is because I saw a Mercedes Benz E class right beside it in the same color. And blow me down if [xx] look identical to the A-class. I think that this is probably the best style of medium car on the market today.
It's got prestige written all over it. from its unique sculptured design. They call it the fluidic sculpture, of which the ix35 is part of. The i45 got that treatment So it looks very European in its styling. Inside it's a large car.
It's got heaps of gear too, hasn't it?
Yeah, tons of gear. Fully loaded. Almost Lexus-like in it's standard kit. It's got the full. It's five-star safety. It gets the full work of airbags in ESP great distribution, the lot.
Bunch of controls on the steering wheel too?
Yeah all those controls on the steering wheel and of course the way Hyundai do it with iPod is they give you a direct connection, 18" alloys, glass roof, premium audio. The one thing they don't have is HID headlights or xenon headlights.
Tell you what, the tail lights are pretty distinctive though, aren't they?
Yeah, again, very European on that. It's something I'd almost call it a game changing car in the medium class but it's not quite there in terms of its handling and its ability on the road.
So, what's Camry gonna have to do to lift its game?
I I think Camry has become a little staid in its design. I think i45 is obviously a fresher car, so it's got a bit of design overall.
What do you think about the fact that it's Korean? Because most of the other entrants in the medium segment are either European or Japanese. Is being Korean a bit of a hurdle?
Yes, I think it is. I still think there's a bunch of people out there that won't look at a Hyundai car.
Is it a perception hurdle or is it a real hurdle?
It's a perception hurdle from 20 years ago with the excel which still dodge some people's memories, but Look to be how figured if that.
Absolutely. But I think anyone that h as that opinion should go and drive one of these cars and just see how good they are 'cause they really on par with many of the Japanese and main fact some European cars. So, what would you drive it against. You know, if you've got your 30 to 38 grand to spend, what would you be test driving to make sure you're making the right decision?
The Accord, as you said Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty matching the variants with the specs and price. I think those are the three cars that you would benchmark the i45 of.
Thanks, Anthony. And maybe if you had three Japanese cars in a row, it could be time to drive something from Korea. You can read the full i45 review online now, download the specifications, add your comments, or get a quote from a Hyundai dealer. Just follow the links on this page.
