Wild new Hyundai Avante saloon says hello from the future

Disappointed the Hyundai Vision 74 Concept never materialised? Don’t worry, the new Hyundai Avante saloon looks nearly as good…and this one might come to the UK. 

This is the brand’s core medium-sized saloon that sells in massive numbers across the United States and Asia, effectively acting as a four-door version of the i30 hatchback that operates in the same class in Europe. 

However, with the demise of the European i30 confirmed, and Hyundai now fitting this model with more Euro-friendly hybrid powertrains, the funky-looking saloon could be on its way back to showrooms on this side of the Atlantic.

This new eighth-generation model is a very different creature to the last medium-sized saloon Hyundai sold in Europe. To start with, it’s much bigger at 4,765mm long – that’s about the same size as an Audi A5 Sportback – and it looks it, too, with much more grown-up proportions and scalpel-sharp styling. 

Coming from Hyundai’s Korean studio, the new Avante features the brand’s Art of Steel design language. This will also be applied to future models such as the next Tucson and Kona SUVs, but here it has produced an aggressive saloon with bulging wheelarches, a low-set and pointy nose and razor-sharp lighting. In fact, the h-pattern lighting design will be one that’ll spread to most, if not all, combustion-powered Hyundai models moving forward. 

Inside, the Avante’s cabin features the new Pleos Connect infotainment system that combines a massive 14.6-inch touchscreen (or a 12.9-inch unit on entry-level models) with a row of physical controls underneath. The dashboard architecture and its high-mounted driver’s display are also similar to those in the new Ioniq 3, with a comfortable ‘living room’ ambience a core deliverable for the overall design. 

Under the bonnet, there’s a choice of a pair of engines. A rather old-fashioned naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine opens the range, but it’s the new 1.6-litre hybrid that’s expected to be fitted to the majority of models, even in petroleum-mad markets such as the US. It may also hold the key to Hyundai’s decision to bring this model over to the UK and Europe, as it’ll fill the gap that’s been vacated now the i30 hatch has ceased production. 

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Adding further fuel to that fire is the fact Hyundai has been captured testing this new Avante out of its R&D base in Germany, meaning that European compliance could be on the cards and, by extension, a possible reintroduction into the UK market. While the medium-sized saloon market isn’t a huge one for Hyundai UK, the car would give the Korean brand a non-SUV model in the critical C-segment now that the i30 is gone.

However, even if we don’t see the new Avante in UK showrooms, it is a very clear vision ahead of what Hyundai’s other next-generation models will look and feel like. Over to you Hyundai…

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