Back in the fall of 2008, I visited South Korea to get a sneak peak at the then-new Kia Soul. I wrote then that "South Korea is a car guy's nightmare. It's not that the cars on its oft-congested roads are crap; it's just that they collectively have all the variety and character of a Joe Lieberman Comedy Hour. Everywhere you look on the highways of Seoul, there's a white Sonata, a black Ssangyong sedan or a silverish compact SUV. The only way there could be less color on the road would be if someone set the country to grayscale."
It wasn't just color, either. South Korea was completely devoid of interesting automotive design. Well, some things were interesting, but interesting in a "oh god, kill it! Kill it!" sort of way.
Fast forward less than two years and it is staggering how much things have changed.
While the Soul hasn't exactly permeated Seoul where midsize and large sedans rule, Hyundai and Kia's design revolution has nevertheless interjected significant visual interest. Since Korean cars generally come out a year early in the home market to work out any bugs, I also got a sneak preview of the cars that will soon be gracing these shores.
You've probably already seen the curvaceous Sonata, which sticks out beautifully amidst its dullard forbearers in Seoul. The new Equus is absolutely everywhere in a city, which like New York, relies upon big black sedans as limousines. Even the Chevy Spark can be found puttering about and it looks quite sharp whether with a gold bowtie in its grille or Daewoo's fan-looking thingy.
Easily the best example of this visual transformation comes from Kia. The K5 and K7 (pictured above), which may or may not be known as the Optima and Cadenza over here, are quite simply stunning. They are sharp, sophisticated and undeniably European looking. It's a bit difficult to tell them apart, but then again, so are European cars. I once wrote the old Optima looked so anonymous that it must've been designed by the witness protection program. The K5 Optima looks so good, it's bound to be rubbed out by the mob. (The K7 looks so good, it would be a shame if they confused it with antique furniture).
Given that the new Optima shares all of the Sonata's impressive array of engines, I have a sneaking suspicion that Hyundai should start worrying about the competitor sedan from its upstart cousin/brother/partner or however the two companies bizarre corporate relationship is best described.
Indeed, my week in Korea certainly drove home the idea that no two companies are climbing faster than Hyundai and Kia. They've certainly made huge strides in design; now if they can only embrace color. White, silver and black still rule the day, though come to think of it, they do here as well.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
By estreka
on June 30, 2010
04:45 AM
I like the rear design of the K7 in particular. It takes the styling cues from what used to make the Lexus G-series look good. Nicely adapted.
By vvk
on June 30, 2010
05:21 AM
Definitely does NOT look European to me!
By cruiserhead1
on June 30, 2010
08:52 AM
vvk,
why are every one of your posts full of negativity and ignorance?
The Kia looks european because the head of Kia design is European. He was at Audi for 25 years.
By guy1974
on June 30, 2010
09:53 AM
WK - they do look European and that is speaking as someone from the UK.
They have sharp creased lines and see elements of the Pontiac G8 in the K7 although both photos look to be the same car - European cars may be similar but you can tell a Focus from a Mondeo or a Golf froma Passat.
By blueguydotcom
on June 30, 2010
10:37 AM
I see G8 and Mondeo in these cars. Not a bad thing at all.
By ne1butu2
on June 30, 2010
07:57 PM
It's easy to make the cars look European when you hire Audi employees who steal the designs as they pack up their office. It's somewhat sad that Kia and Hyundai are selling blatant knock offs. I give a lot of credit to brands like Cadillac who take risks and came up with a unique and controversial design that isn't a Euro copy.
By wrinklebump
on June 30, 2010
09:30 PM
I live in South Korea and can attest to this. Kia and Hyundai's new cars are sharp. The Cruze and Spark both stand out nicely, too.
By fuhteng
on July 2, 2010
02:41 PM
I dislike the grill, but the rest looks good. I just don't get the crimp in the middle of the new Kias, but I also don't get the hiccup in the hood line of the new Sonata.