Hyundai Elantra Overview

One of the coolest looking sedans out there is the Hyundai Elantra. The car with its fluidic design looks super premium and eye-catching. The current generation has already received a facelift once and this car looks more than that. The mean new design and cool fascia really set the car apart from the previous facelift. The Hyundai Elantra 2019 will be a great car to wait for and will be launched soon. The car is also said to become 75% safer.

The Hyundai Elantra has been one of the best selling cars globally having sold more than 11.5 million units. Hyundai had launched the fifth generation Elantra in 2012 and it was, at one point, the best-seller in the segment. The D-segment has shrunk as the craze for SUVs has caught up in recent times. Inspite of this, Hyundai has launched the sixth generation model in India and the Koreans aim to lead the D-segment again. Hyundai claims that this is the best Elantra they have ever made. We were in Chennai to sample this latest sedan from Hyundai. Check for SBI car loan 

Hyundai Elantra Exterior & Style

This is the first Hyundai in a long time that isn’t a massive visual departure from, but rather an evolution of, its predecessor. The cab-forward shape and coupé-like curved roofline may be similar to the previous car’s, but everything else is all new – this is Fluidic Sculpture 2.0, Hyundai’s newest design language. Gone are the pointy edges that perhaps looked a bit too radical for this class, and in their place have come far more European styling cues. At the front, the wide hexagonal chrome grille bears more than a passing resemblance to what you’ll find on a modern Audi and there’s even a hint of Jaguar’s ‘J-Blade’ signature in the LED running lamps. The boomerang-shaped slits that house the small fog lamps on the extremities of the bumper are more than meets the eye, because they are actually functional, Hyundai says, channelling air efficiently to reduce turbulence inside the wheel arch and thereby improve fuel economy, aid stability and lower wind noise.

Over on the sides, the wheel arches (especially at the front) aren’t as pronounced as before, and, overall, the car doesn’t look as tall as before, which is a definite improvement. The biggest visual departure, however, is at the rear, where the rather bulky tail has been made a lot more elegant. The smaller, slimmer tail-lamps with their distinct LED signatures give a much better sense of width, as do the wide LED strips on the bumper. So while the flowing shape and aggressive nose are still attention-grabbing, the toned-down rear looks a lot more mature than before.

Where the third-generation Elantra (the first one to come to India back in 2004) was quite special for its expensive independent rear suspension, this sixth-generation car (as well as its predecessor) uses a more conventional and cost-effective non-independent, torsion-beam rear suspension. The front wheels, of course, use independent, MacPherson struts. The chassis now uses more high-strength steel than before – 53 percent versus 21 percent – resulting in a 30 percent increase in stiffness, which should dramatically help ride and handling.

Hyundai Elantra Interior & Space

Once you enter the cabin you get a feel of a German car the way the dashboard is designed. Just like the exteriors, the new Elantra now offers mature interior styling which looks uncluttered and user friendly than before. The cabin is all-black with brushed silver elements and the roof is finished in light grey which really makes you feel that you are in a proper D-segment sedan. The three-spoke steering feels great to hold and there are integrated buttons to control the infotainment system, cruise control and the big MID display in the instrument cluster as well. The instrument cluster is very informative and easy to read. Unlike many Hyundai cars, it shows distance to empty and average fuel consumption.

The 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen system is the party piece of the new Hyundai Elantra. It’s one of the biggest screens in the segment having a very user friendly interface with smooth performance. The touch quality is very good and you don’t see any lag while swiping between menus. It offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity which makes it more convenient to access your phone data and it even has voice recognition. Sound quality is excellent and even the navigation system looks modern having informative display. The big screen also doubles up as a rear parking camera display, which makes it a breeze to park this big sedan.

You get dual-zone automatic climate control system which has a strong and silent airflow all the way to the rear passengers with the help of rear aircons. The cooling is super effective and the front ventilated seats adds to the comfort in the scorching heat of summers in India. The centre console is very neat and tidy, there is no clutter of buttons and the dashboard looks pleasant. The fit and finish is excellent, it’s hard to find any rough edges or bad plastics in the car and quality is Hyundai’s forte, which you won’t complaint about. For more information on Hyundai Elantra visit Aspnetmenu

There are a lot of storage places to keep your bottles and knick knacks. The dashboard has cooling function but no illumination. There is a neat tray ahead of the gear lever with a smooth sliding action that looks cool. Because of the all-black theme you might think that it doesn’t looks spacious but there is ample room for both front and rear passengers. The light coloured roof adds to some airiness along with the sunroof, which is a tad small in size. The rear seat cushioning is perfect with good support. Legroom is excellent but headroom for tall passengers is just average. Sadly there are no controls on the arm rest for the rear passengers and even no socket to charge your phone or laptop at the back. The boot is huge and you can fit in a lot of luggage. It has an interesting feature of hands-free smart trunk with which you can open the boot without putting any effort. Some of the key features include keyless entry and go, 10-way power adjustable seat, drive mode select, etc.

Hyundai Elantra Engine & Gearbox

Under the hood of the new Elantra will sit one of two engine options – the familiar 128hp, 1,582cc ‘D4FB U2’ diesel and a brand new 152hp, 1,999cc ‘Nu MPi’ naturally aspirated petrol engine; yes, while the rest of the world is downsizing and turbocharging, the new Elantra’s motor is larger than its predecessor’s. Whichever engine you choose, you then have the choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque-converter automatic, so really, all bases have been covered with this car.

The familiar engine first. The 1.6-litre CRDi turbo-diesel has powered not only the previous Elantra, but also the Verna and the Creta in India. While in those other two cars, its 128hp and 260Nm of torque are class leading, in the Elantra, they fall behind the competition (apart from the Toyota Corolla Altis), as does the engine’s displacement – 2.0-litres is the norm here. In everyday driving, the lack of displacement and power isn’t too much of an issue, and the Elantra diesel is quite happy at city speeds, thanks to its smooth and linear nature. Even on the highway, sure, you’ll feel a bit of strain when you drop down from sixth to fifth in the manual car and go for an overtake, but it does still cruise quite comfortably otherwise.

Interestingly, it’s the old-school six-speed auto that highlights the engine’s lack of oomph, as the shift points are out of your control. Whereas in the manual, you would probably shift up a little before the redline, say at 3,500rpm, to keep progress smooth, in the automatic, if you bury your foot, it will run all the way to the redline and that brings with it a lot of strain (until this point, the engine is impressively refined). What’s more, there are no paddles for you to select gears manually with, but you can use the gear lever itself. The other issue we had with the auto was that it was a little over-enthusiastic to shift gears. Very often, even the slightest drop in revs or smallest twitch of the accelerator pedal would cause an unpredictable upshift or a downshift, adding unnecessary interruptions to progress.

It’s a similar experience with the six-speed automatic on the petrol car – although it is smooth, there are no shift paddles and it can be a bit hyperactive with its shifts at low speeds. However, the new 2.0-litre petrol motor is a very different animal from the diesel. While the unnecessary upshifts are somewhat blunted by the diesel engine’s relaxed nature, the petrol engine is super responsive at low revs. This means, in the petrol automatic, you have to be judicious with your throttle inputs at lower speeds to make jerk-free progress, but once you’re used to it, it’s quite enjoyable. Paired with the added control of a manual shifter and a clutch pedal, the petrol motor is even more enjoyable; it’s one of the most responsive at low revs that we’ve ever tested. This makes it very well suited to stop-and-go traffic, letting you jump off the line briskly and cut into gaps with minimal effort. There is a small flat spot in the power delivery, just below 2,000rpm, after which the mid-range builds up in earnest. It revs out very smoothly and quickly, making you want to push it harder, but it never quite delivers that same punch you’d get from, say, an equivalent Honda engine. Refinement is good, and it’s not until 3,000rpm that you start to hear the motor in the car. But, while both motors are impressively quiet, you do hear quite a bit of wind and tyre noise inside the Elantra.

Exclusive to the automatic cars in both mid- and top-spec guises, are three selectable drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport. There’s only a slight jump in responsiveness between Normal and Sport, more so in the petrol car as the motor is very responsive to begin with, but the real revelation is Eco mode. Before you even factor in the potential improvements to fuel economy, this mode just makes the automatic Elantras smoother to drive at lower speeds. The revs are kept low and shifts are few and further between, so you don’t get as many jerks or sudden spikes in power. Our performance tests were done in Sport mode of course, and in kickdown acceleration, both cars were much quicker than their manual counterparts are in-gear. So the autos may be better suited to snappy overtaking, but in flat-out acceleration, they were much closer matched, with the manuals being a bit quicker. The petrol manual, unsurprisingly is the quickest of the lot from a standstill, hitting 60kph in 4.02sec and 100kph in 9.32sec. Though there are disc brakes all around and the Elantra is equipped with ABS as standard, they felt a bit wooden and not quite as strong as we’d have liked slowing from three-digit speeds.

Hyundai Elantra Ride & Handling

Here’s the really impressive thing about the new Elantra. It no longer feels softly sprung, a trait we have long associated with Hyundais. True, things have been on the mend over the years, but this feels like a significant step forward. The springs aren’t outright firm by class standards, but they’re firmer than any Hyundai before, which is something you’ll feel as soon as you hit a speed breaker a little too hard. The rebound can be felt with a solid thwack permeating the cabin. Hyundai tends to go a size up on the competition when it comes to its alloy wheels on top-spec cars, but not this time. 16 inches is the segment norm and Hyundai has stuck to it. They’re shod with thick, 60-profile Hankook Kinergy Eco tyres, which seem to be the magic ingredient in this ride-quality recipe. They do well to compensate for the stiffer suspension, soaking up the initial harshness of most bumps really nicely.

Then the firmer suspension steps in to make sure that body control is kept in check on an undulating surface. Considering how bad the old car was, you’ll be impressed to find that this one hardly bounces or floats at all at high speeds. It stays flat and tied down, and back seat passengers will be especially thankful for this. It really feels a whole lot more grown up and, dare we say it, European. As mentioned earlier, it’s only when you hit a bump or speed breaker really hard that you’ll catch the suspension off-guard. This added firmness, however, has not completely eliminated body roll, and you’ll still feel a bit of it when you corner the Elantra hard. For more information on Hyundai Elantra check AutoZhop.

What you won’t feel much of when you corner hard is what the front wheels are up to, as the steering is still far too numb. Again, there is a marginal improvement from the previous car, but that seems more to do with added weight than outright feel. You will get a better sense of security at high speeds, or when you accidentally drop one of the front wheels into a pothole – the steering doesn’t go limp in your hands, nor do you feel any steering shock. All things considered, you still won’t want to drive the Elantra hard, but you will be thankful for the lightness of the steering when you’re parking or making a three-point turn.

Hyundai Elantra Safety & Security

The new Hyundai Elantra is loaded with safety equipment having dual front airbags and ABS as standard on all variants along with 6 airbags, ABS, ESC, Vehicle Stability Management and Hill-Start Assist Control standard on the range topping variant. The new gen Elantra has been awarded the top safety pick from IIHS having green signals for all aspects. Hyundai is well known for its after sales service and with the launch of the new Elantra, the Korean carmaker announced new Hyundai Premium Assurance Program offering 3 years unlimited kms warranty for all the customers of the new Elantra. It also comes with free maintenance for 3 yrs/30,000 kms, 3 yrs roadside assistance, 3 times update on ‘Map Care’ and 3 times Customer ‘Home Visit’. On top of that, Hyundai loyal customers will get additional 4th year extended warranty.

Hyundai Elantra Price in Pune

Hyundai Elantra On-Road Price in Pune ranges from 16,04,018 to 23,92,064 for variants Elantra 2.0 MPI S and Elantra 1.6 CRDi SX Optional AT respectively. Hyundai Elantra is available in 9 variants and 5 colours. Below are details of Hyundai Elantra variants price in Pune. Check for Elantra price in Pune at Tryaldrive.

Hyundai Elantra Final Word

The new Hyundai Elantra hasn’t rewritten the rule book for executive sedans; in fact, its formula has stayed unchanged – striking looks, lots of equipment, value for money and capable, refined engines. But it’s also improved dramatically in most areas and also gained a couple of new skills along the way. Dynamically, it’s a quantum leap over its predecessor and a new benchmark for Hyundai in India, with a ride quality that can, at last, rival what its European rivals offer; shame the handling hasn’t quite caught up yet, but it too has improved. On the equipment front, yes, it isn’t the revolution its predecessor was, but you can’t say it leaves you wanting either. The feature-rich touchscreen, in particular, is just superb. It’s got a pair of very different, albeit both capable in their own right, engine options each with an auto or a manual, so there should be something for everyone. Space and comfort are generous, the striking looks will still be a big draw, but what really makes it worth it is the price, which is still a notch below cars from Europe. It just goes to show, it’s possible to have an attractive proposition in the executive sedan segment yet.