Hyundai Elantra – Wind Crafted Sedan From Korea
In its fifth generation since it was first launched in 1990, the new Hyundai Elantra is about to make its appearance here in Malaysia very soon. Sized in between the Accent and the Sonata, the Elantra is about an inch (27mm) longer than the Civic, and 9 mm shorter than the Corolla – it is the widest in its class, being 15mm and 22mm wider than the Corolla and Civic respectively. The wheelbase (centre to centre distance between the front and rear wheels) of 2,700mm is identical to that of the Civic and 10mm more than the Corolla. It sits 10mm higher than the Civic but is 22mm shorter than the Corolla. In a nutshell the Elantra is competing directly against the Civic and Corolla. Interior dimensions make the Elantra slightly roomier in terms of actual cabin space, headroom, legroom and shoulder room.
Shaped very much like the Sonata, the Elantra’s top half is claimed to be crafted by the wind, while the bottom half is fluidic in design, like the waves of an ocean. The overall effect is a very attractive-looking B-Class sedan that will appeal to the younger generation between the age of 20 and 35.
The interior of the Elantra is designed to appeal to the young car buyer, with handphone-inspired console designs, with artistically sculpted surfaces; seat materials range from fabric to leather – what comes with the cars here was not finalized at the time of test, but I expect there will be options to pick from. The overall interior is good to look at, and besides the usual spaced for stowage, there is connectivity to audio devices. Dual zone air-conditioning is standard, or at least it was in our test cars in Korea.
Hyundai believes that the target buyers will be very conscious of fuel economy – which is why it comes with two engine options, both of which are designed to give the best balance of power and fuel efficiency, and supplemented by a front-wheel drive drive-train with either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. Both the engines are DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft) units with the 1.6 litre model producing a healthy 130PS while the 1.8 litre unit is rated at 150PS. In terms of drive-train design, the Korean automotive makers are tending to offer more than its neighbouring competitors in an aggressive effort to garner a bigger share of the global pie, and if recent sales figures are an indication, this strategy appears to be working. Anyhow, any form of healthy competition is always good, and us consumers will benefit through better products all round.
On the roads around the outskirts of the Korean capital, both the Elantra variants were put to the test by a group of Malaysian media – the route was relatively short, but it was enough to indicate that this here is a viable model that is worth checking out when it gets here. The car I got into for the first leg was a 1.6 litre – response to throttle was pretty impressive and the six-speed auto transmission helped by closing the gaps between gear changes. In fact, the 1.8 which I drove later on felt only slightly faster. Overall handling is quite decent – the speed limits set by the organizers was a little restrictive, but holding back a little before some of the bends and pushing the Elantra in a little harder than usual into the corners didn’t seem to upset the suspension too much. The fronts are Macpherson struts with a huge sway bay, and the rear is a torsion beam – for the mainstream buyer, this set-up will be sufficient. Disc brakes all round take care of the braking requirements – no issues there.
The Elantra will certainly give the Japanese makes in its class a run for the money – it looks great, and is technologically a little ahead of the competition. If the people at Hyundai price it right, it can soar.
