Crossovers and SUVs can be a lot of issues. Spacious, handy, and even potent. But can they ever genuinely be sporty? Hyundai designer Nicola Danza does not believe that his company’s SUVs are, and that is why he is functioning to get rid of “sporty” design and style language from its unsporty cars.

Danza is reacting to a rise in SUVs and huge crossovers that have coupe-like rooflines, blistered wheel arches, and all of the other trappings of sports automobiles, in spite of possessing none of their functionality traits.

“In this segment we realized that all the cars tended to look the same,” Danza told Top Gear. “They’re all slanted and trying somehow to be a sporty SUV that they’re not. They’re big, they’re huge. How many blisters can you put on the body side to pretend that you’re sporty?”

So, when he and his group had been functioning on the new Santa Fe, they challenged themselves to “make an anti-design car.” They wanted the automobile to be far more sensible and that meant producing it boxier, “so let’s make boxy cool again,” he stated.

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“We forced the designers to really think whether they needed each line and each blister,” stated Danza. “It was kind of like a Giugiaro way of designing cars from the 1970s. As a provocation to our management, we showed them the first model of this car with square wheels. It’s a box, so let’s make everything boxy. Actually, it’s been one of the most fun projects I’ve worked on.”

Danza admits that the group took inspiration from other people in the automotive planet, which includes Jeep, which is also engaged in its personal mission to make boxy design and style operate in an market increasingly obsessed with electrification.

Jeep sticks with boxy

“There’s a lot of companies around the world that are going into the crossover world, but Jeep will remain more… boxy world,” Daniele Calonaci, who created the Jeep Avenger, told Top Gear. “Right now, people ask to have high ground clearance, or a commanding position. A lot of people require electrification.”

While a boxy design and style is significantly less aerodynamic than, say, the Hyundai Ioniq 6’s streamlined shape, Calonaci stated he was prepared to give up a couple of miles to produce a automobile that operates greater for Jeep buyers.

He argued that crossover-coupes have no genuine headroom, “so when you are on the highway during the summer, you have a lot of crossovers with a roof box because they don’t have space in the trunk. Jeep will remain boxy. Maybe we will lose two kilometers in the range, but in the end we will make our customer happy.”

He claims that the by producing sensible, boxy styles that appear excellent, Jeep can support ease buyers into the EV transition. Meanwhile, Danza stated that the boxy shape of the Santa Fe will probably open it up to customization.

“You can personalize it too,” continues Danza on the Santa Fe. “In Korea there will be a Calligraphy version which is lowered with big wheels, whereas in America I’m 99 percent sure that they’re all going to lift them, put bigger wheels on and go off-road.”

It’s component of their mission to make cars that reside up to consumer expectations, and possibly even earn a location in their hearts.