[MrZ]

Well after nearly 4 months of ownership I finally see the first other i45 on the road here in Melbourne. It was a Premium (i.e. also with pana roof) in "Remington Red" and driven by what looked to be a male perhaps in his 30s, and a female passenger. They had the sunroof up and it looked amazing - it's quite exciting seeing your car on the road for the first time. They didn't seem to notice me at all, which was weird - I felt like screaming out! lol.

Anyway... I think the reason it took me 4 months to spot one is partly because I don't do many miles (only about 1700 in the past 4 months), and also that Hyundai do not have a big presence in this state, for some reason. In other states of Australia they are much larger (in Western Australia they're huge and apparently have nearly 20% of the passenger car market there).

After seeing the car, though, I think I may have made the wrong colour choice. It's a really beautiful colour:

http://images.drive.com.au/drive_images/de...960HY/3_600.jpg

 

[omegaweapon1985]

Red is a real nice color. You have white and I think its a great color too. Before I bought the Sonata I hated silver, now its my favorite color!

 

[eyecue]

I'm not a fan of the red, my first choice was white, but i got no regrets. White and black is the best combo color imo, with your pano roof you can do some serious color matching with add on pieces or changing colors of random pieces of the car black (black bezel headlights, black rear diffuser etc).

Be happy you got white!

 

[MrZ]

QUOTE (eyecue @ Oct 7 2010, 09:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=361745

I'm not a fan of the red, my first choice was white, but i got no regrets. White and black is the best combo color imo, with your pano roof you can do some serious color matching with add on pieces or changing colors of random pieces of the car black (black bezel headlights, black rear diffuser etc).

Be happy you got white!

I am happy with the white - it's one of the best colours but I don't know if it's THE best. At times it just lacks depth and richness that you get with colours like red. Also, our Remington Red is completely different to your red. There are actually no 2 colours in common between our markets.

Incidentially, I saw my 2nd i45 on the road today - a day after my first! It was silver, also the Premium, and also a 30s male driver. Is there a pattern here I see?

 

[HyundaiLvr87]

That color is known as Venetian Red here in the US. Our dealership has recieved 2 of them in Limited form since they Sonata's came out. One of the ladies in the accounting office wanted that color but I talked her into silver because she has always had silver cars. It's a good thing she didn't wait because she bought her car almost 2 months ago and we have still yet to see any red Limited's.

I like the white a lot especially with the different color metallic, but after taking care of my mom's car for over 7 years, never will I buy a white car.

 

[MrZ]

QUOTE (HyundaiLvr87 @ Oct 8 2010, 05:03 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=361960

That color is known as Venetian Red here in the US. Our dealership has recieved 2 of them in Limited form since they Sonata's came out. One of the ladies in the accounting office wanted that color but I talked her into silver because she has always had silver cars. It's a good thing she didn't wait because she bought her car almost 2 months ago and we have still yet to see any red Limited's.

I like the white a lot especially with the different color metallic, but after taking care of my mom's car for over 7 years, never will I buy a white car.

What do you mean "with the different color metallic" ? And why would you never buy it again?

 

[Mike Eckman]

This is a rather irrelevant question, but I was curious if you knew what the name "I45" meant? Usually when you see numbers in a car's model, it has something to do with engine size. Like it would make much more sense if the Australian Sonata was called the I24 but does the 45 mean something or is it just a random name? Maybe its like 4.5 Kangaroo Liters or something!

 

[HyundaiLvr87]

QUOTE (Davez621 @ Oct 8 2010, 06:38 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=361965

What do you mean "with the different color metallic" ? And why would you never buy it again?

Here in the US, the white and black are both metaillic colors and they have different color metallic in the paint. The white you have, which is noble white is the color my mom has on her 03 Sonata. It shows everything and I have to clay it every month. Keep in mind she doesn't drive much.

 

[MrZ]

QUOTE (Mike Eckman @ Oct 8 2010, 08:54 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=361990

This is a rather irrelevant question, but I was curious if you knew what the name "I45" meant? Usually when you see numbers in a car's model, it has something to do with engine size. Like it would make much more sense if the Australian Sonata was called the I24 but does the 45 mean something or is it just a random name? Maybe its like 4.5 Kangaroo Liters or something!

Well, it does and it doesn't. In 2007 Hyundai introduced their first alphanumerical model here, the i30, a compact 2.0L hatchback. The scheme continued with the ix35 this year (Tucson), the i45, and the i20 subcompact. Next year, we get the new Elantra, which may also follow (they are considering i35). In Europe, the Veracruz is called ix55 in some markets, although we don't get that model here. And the next Grandeur (Azera) will possibly be the i55 (Hyundai Australia have already reserved the name, as well as i50).

So there is a sort of logic. In i30 for example, the 3 is the physical car size, while the 0 represents hatchback (at least in theory). In i45, the 4 indicates mid-size (one step up from i30) while the 5 represents sedan. So first digit = size of car, second digit = body type. If the upcoming Elantra is i35, that would equate to small sedan. It has nothing to do with engine size at all.

Australia and New Zealand had to go it alone on the i45 name though, because the car is not sold in Europe, where they have adopted this naming scheme. I consider myself lucky in that respect. If I lived in England, for example, my choice would be a 2.0L previous NF model Sonata in a choice of 3 colours (and white isn't one of them)! They don't get Camry or Accord there either, nor anywhere else in Europe.

QUOTE (HyundaiLvr87 @ Oct 8 2010, 03:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=362051

Here in the US, the white and black are both metaillic colors and they have different color metallic in the paint. The white you have, which is noble white is the color my mom has on her 03 Sonata. It shows everything and I have to clay it every month. Keep in mind she doesn't drive much.

White shows everything except dust, which is good. I used to have black and hated how it showed dust. However, you are correct that every single little chip, or spec of dirt that sticks to the paint, shows up on white. It's a little annoying but in 4 months I've only had to polish a few specific areas.