QOTD: Going Blocky
Yesterday we brought you the details on the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The Santa Fe's new duds are quite blocky, just like those of the Land Rover Defender (Hyundai claims this is a coincidence. Other blocky SUVs on the market include the Ford Bronco. Other Land Rover/Range Rover models are squared off, too. Kia, which is a corporate sibling to Hyundai, has been selling the blocky Telluride for a while now.
To be clear, the Santa Fe won't be cross-shopped against any of these vehicles -- its price point and mission are different. But it does, however, have the same rugged, boxy appearance.
So, my question to you -- is this shift in design more appealing, at least when it comes to crossovers, than swoopy, sporty duds? Will this send the message to consumers that the vehicle in question is meant for off-road duty, even if the mechanicals are better suited to mall crawling?
Or is that making too much of it?
Sound off below.
[Image: Hyundai]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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For a side-by-side comparison, the Bronco Sport outsells the Escape. Could be the blocky shape and more SUV looks or just the association with the "Bronco" name.
Somewhere, the designer of the Ford Flex is saying, "told you so."
I agree Ford Flex in the front and the back just looks like something is wrong. Mayber the tail lights should be vertical instead of horizontal. Did they get someone from Fiat to design the rear? Also side glass and rear glass is getting so narrow in alot of new designs, visibility is not good and you feel so cooped in sitting back there.
Much more like a Ford Flex (aka hearse) than a Land Rover.