Subarundai

Hyundai's new 2015 Sonata I find to be quite a looker. It's exerior has matured yet it still looks like a Sonata. Gone is the garish chrome waterfall grille, abandoned for a sleeker front end that has some family resemblance to it's older brother, the Genesis.

However, that matured mug also is a bit more generic, looking a bit like other premium brands like Audi and Volvo. And then seeing a the newly revised Subaru Legacy today in the flesh, it hit me that it looks a lot like the new Sonata (although, like the Sonata, it simultaneously looks like an evolution of the last Legacy). It's like the two designs evolved to look like siblings - the Legacy your average sedan, and the Sonata the sporty "4 door coupe" version.

Roundel Rondo

This post may be a little confusing for those living in the US, where the Rondo was discontinued in 2010 after slumping sales and the debut of the redesigned 2011 Sportage, which they assumed would fill the void left by it's departure.

However, this wasn't the case in Canada, or most of the rest of the world where the model is known as the Carens. Sales were better in Canada and model carried on, albeit with a revised front end featuring the now standard punched grille.

But enough with the history lesson. What you see here is the next generation Rondo/Carens. It's much more attractive than its dowdy predecessor, and is still missing from the US lineup.

The newfound attractiveness comes at a price though, as it's very close to the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, which itself is based on the 2012 Concept Active Tourer show car. Yet another recent Kia design that seems to borrow heavily from the BMW school of design  Even the rims above are similar. Regardless, it's one of the better looking small people carriers. I even think I like it better than the BMW, which manages to look not a lot like a BMW with its Mini based-bones.

IS BS

I’m not sure what’s going on over at Lexus. They’ve adopted a style best described as “psychedelic origami predator by Nike”. Their goal was to energize the brand and make it more attractive to a younger generation. Apparently sales have increased, but the polarizing designs are definitely ones you love or absolutely abhor. I’m one of the latter, although the more recent sportier offering like the RC coupe wear the look a little better. Maybe this is one of those cases where the designers eventually evolve the design, with each successive generation learning how to make things more cohesive. Almost like automotive natural selection.

For now I’ll focus on the latest IS, as it’s a good example of what I hate with the current Lexus designs. Other than the limited production LFA, it’s their first model to draw heavily from the extreme and similarly polarizing LF concept cars, with it’s sweeping contours and sharp edges. I should say that I’m not hating on the complete IS package – I actually find most of everything aft of the A-pillars quick sleek and refreshing. Speaking of the LFA, if you look closely at the front of the LFA, you’ll see the spindle shape as well, albeit not in grille form.

Spindle Grille or Mandible Mug?

The Lexus “spindle grille” is where it all started (although to be fair, not on the current IS but on the 2011 Lexus GS). Such a large grille opening can be hard to pull off. Audi has managed to produce some nice looking front ends, but it’s definitely hard to pull off successfully. Although the Lexus grille doesn’t look as “fake” as some, it looks like someone tried to suck the front end off with a vacuum. It also kind of looks like this attractive fellow.

Nike-like

Just as I was getting used to the grille, Lexus threw another design signature into the mix with LED driving light separated into their own units, slashing into the front fascia like metallic Nike swooshes. The IS is notable for being the first Lexus model to adopt this design feature. I guess it’s something we have to get accustomed to, as it’s also appearing on their new NX SUV, which is fugly enough to get a post all it’s own.