Hyundai Elantra (2015)

The second largest car manufacturer in India, Hyundai has launched its fifth generation Elantra. This name is not new for Indians; it’s launched for the second time in India. Earlier it was in 2004 when it entered Indian market and things could not have been much worse at that time for this car. The sales records were heart breaking for Hyundai and they eventually had to discontinue this car in 2007. There were many reasons for its failure. First it was Hyundai’s small car manufacturer image in India which made it hard for people to spend money on their premium cars. Secondly, Indian market was not ready for cars like Elantra at that time; it was too early for Hyundai to launch Elantra in India. But now things have changed, Indians are spending more money on cars than ever. People now don’t hesitate to buy premium sedans. Hyundai also knows it and that’s why they are ready with their new Elantra. They are already enjoying high sales of their newly launched fluidic Verna and with their world acclaimed new fluidic deign, Hyundai also expects neo Elantra to earn its respect and dignity in Indian market.

The base model of Fluidic Elantra petrol is priced at Rs. 12,51,000 and base model of diesel is available for Rs. 12,91,000. New Elantra was on display the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi. Since then it was one of the most awaited sedans in India. As far as looks and interiors are concerned Neo Fluidic Elantra is the best looking sedan in its class and will easily beat its rivals in terms of sales. The main competitors of 2013 Elantra are Chevrolet Cruze, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Laura and Toyota Corolla. The company has managed to price the New Elantra very competitively and it is expected that it will set the sales charts on fire and will be the most-selling D-segment sedan in Indian car market. The booking amount for the car is two lakh rupees and customer can also initiate the booking process via SMS service also. As per the dealers the response for New Hyundai Elantra is very good and the company has managed to book around 750 cars till date (14th August, 2012).

Exterior

With all new fluidic design, new Elantra looks magnificent. The face of this car carries the new look similar to all other cars from Hyundai. Its hexagonal shaped face is very identical to its younger sibling Verna. Apart from headlights and fog lights it is hard to differentiate them. It has relatively bigger headlights which are very angular in shape. These headlights goes back into the side fender and makes it look stunning. The front grille is very simple and elegant which adds grace to this beauty. The car with its wider, smiling face looks distinctive. When seen from the side, you will notice familiar fluidic lines passing through the chrome finished door handles. It has new in-built turn indicators on side mirrors. Its massive wheel arches along with five spoke 16 inch alloy wheels give it a flashy look.

The car looks best when seen from the back. It looks explicit. It’s hard to keep your eyes off it. The roof of this car dips down at the back and slides on to a big, curvy boot. It has a long rear windshield with compact C pillar which makes it look like a coupe. Real beauty of this car is its stretched tail lamps and it’s big, rising bumper. Both these characteristics are the best what we have seen in its category. The tail lamps start from just above the number plate and ends up merging divinely into the C-pillar. Its heavy, broad looking bumper is well suited with boot along with sharp lines which gives it an upper stance. The new Elantra is the best designed three- box sedan from Hyundai till date.

Interior

New Hyundai Elantra features dual tone beige and black colors inside it. The fluidic scheme continues inside also as everything looks in motion. The cabin feels very roomy and spacious. The car feels very unique in terms of interior designing .The overall appearance is also premium. Its steering wheel is similar to that of Verna. Its gear knob and steering wheel are wrapped in leather enhancing its rich look. Except chrome finish on inside door handles there is not much usage of chrome in this car. The instrument cluster is very funky with blue back light. The plastic and buttons used in this car are soft to touch and feels better than what we get in Verna but unfortunately Elantra is unable to match the premium quality of plastic and material used in cars like Skoda Laura and Volkswagen Jetta.

Comfort and Convenience

Step into Hyundai Elantra and you can sense the quality of comfort you are going to get. Let’s start from its seats. Beige colour seats offer you the maximum comforts. Front seats are very cushy with enough thigh support and its cabin also feels very airy as there is ample chunk of headroom and legroom. Plush fabrics and high quality of material is used in its seats. Front seats come along with ventilation system which is very handy in summers. Driver seat also features lumbar support and is 10 way electrically adjustable. It has sliding front and rear seat center armrest; rear seats are also very comfortable. In fact most of its buyers will be sitting on the back seat of this car and Hyundai knows it, that’s why they feel far more comfortable and superior to its front seats. There is plenty of knee room and headroom at the back. Thigh support and back support is of top-notch quality.

Elantra is equipped with dual zone fully automatic temperature control and cluster ionizer for better conditioning. It also has rear AC vents making it convenient for rear passengers. Tilt and telescopic adjustment for power steering along with all four power windows including auto up, down and safety function (driver side only). Hyundai has also blessed this car with vital features like auto cruise control which makes your long drives more convenient with hill start assist control which avoids the risk of rolling backwards or the usage of handbrake. Hyundai has also introduced first in class solar glass for windshield and doors which deflects harmful UV rays and enhances the performance of AC. It has electrically adjustable, retractable outside mirrors with heated function for better visibility. Other features include smart key with engine start/stop button, one touch triple turn indicator, and alternator management system with gear shift indicator for eco driving.

Variants

Neo Fluidic Elantra is available in seven variants with option of 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox. Even the base model of Elantra (diesel Low) comes with features like dual SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, rear defogger with timer, sixteen inch alloy wheels, leather wrapped gear knob plus steering wheel, chrome finish radiator grille, chrome finish door handles, chrome finish inside door handles, dual zone fully automatic climate control system, 2DIN music system with support for AUX and USB, steering mounted audio plus Bluetooth controls, rear centre armrest with remote plus power socket and tilt plus telescopic steering wheel. Then comes the 'S' variant, in addition to the features of the 'Base/Low' variant, it comes with electro chromatic mirror, rear-view camera, front fog lamps, smart key with push button start, retractable plus electrically heated outside rear-view mirrors. Then comes the top-of-the-line 'SX' variant, in addition to the features of 'S' variant, it features speed sensing auto door lock, electronic stability program, side plus curtain airbags, vehicle stability management, leather seats, solar glass for windshield plus windows, front seat ventilation, 10-way electrically adjustable driver seat with lumbar support, automatic cruise control. Some of the features of Neo Fluidic Elantra are segment first and even cars like Skoda Laura and Volkswagen Jetta doesn't feature ventilated seats and six SRS airbags.

Dashboard and Storage

Hyundai Elantra has an appealing dashboard of beige and black color. It looks very futuristic. It features a V shaped center console which is surely an attention grabber. It’s very sharp and fluidic in nature. AC vents, door trims and center console have been brushed with silver finish on both sides which looks very sporty and charming. This dashboard has a big glove box which also has cooling option to keep things fresh inside. There are door pockets in front doors, back pocket on front seats, storage space in front as well as in rear armrest with luggage net and hook. New Elantra has an enormous boot space of 420ltr. Infotainment and Music system of Hyundai Elantra Hyundai has loaded this car with a powerful music system. The center console sports a double din CD, radio stereo system. It has USB, Aux-in and iPhone cable and Bluetooth connectivity. It allows you to play your iPhone, iPod or any other musical gadget. The car also has an accessory socket. To make it accessible audio and Bluetooth controls are mounted on steering wheel as well as in the rear armrest. The car has four impressive speakers with two front tweeters.

Engine and Gearbox

Neo Fluidic Hyundai Elantra is available in both petrol and diesel. The petrol engine has displacement of 1797cc and generates maximum power of 148 bhp with maximum torque of 180 nm. The diesel Elantra is powered by the same 1.6 litre engine which powers the new Hyundai Verna but has been fine-tuned to cater the extra weight of the car. You can find lag at low rpm but it is quite powerful and comfortable to drive on highways and in city also. The diesel engine has displacement of 1582cc and generates maximum power of 127 bhp with maximum torque of 265 nm. The car has option of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. The ARAI certified mileage of Neo Fluidic Elantra is 16.3 kmpl for the petrol variant and 22.7 kmpl for the diesel variant of Elantra. Expect the real world fuel consumption to be 3-4 kmpl less in comparison to the ARAI tested mileage figures..

Acceleration and Performance

The 1.8L petrol unit is one of the fastest engines from Hyundai. Although it lacks low speed grunt as the desired amount of torque comes a bit late but once it starts coming, it will easily make you reach three digit marks. Automatic variant feels much responsive as its gear ratios are well proportioned .This engine is very silent and refined and you can easily cross 150km/hour without complaining. It reaches 0-100km/hour under 12 seconds. We are already familiar with the diesel engine. It’s very refined and powerful. Yes, it irritates in city traffic due to its turbo lag but after 2000rpm it’s hard to stop it before 180km/hr. It’s a very dynamic and capable engine. Its performance is very similar to Verna and that’s not a bad news. The automatic version is slower than the manual and it’s quite visible in city conditions. Elantra is faster than its competitors like Fluence and Corolla but not as responsive and enthusiast as Cruze, Jetta and Laura.

Mileage

The manual variant of petrol engine gives a fuel efficiency of around 10-11km/ltr in city while on highways it increases by one or two km/ltr. The automatic variant is obviously less fuel efficient and gives a mileage of around 9-10km/ltr in city while on high ways it reaches to 12km/ltr. For an engine of this capacity these numbers are not bad. Diesel version of this car is very fuel efficient .Be it manual transmission or automatic, it’s very economical in comparison to its petrol version. It gives around 15km/ltr in city and it manages to give a mileage of around 16-18km/ltr on highways. Its diesel version will have an advantage over cars like Civic which lacks diesel engine and those which are less fuel efficient than it.

Ride and Handling

This car has gone under some changes especially for Indian conditions. This car is very suitable for city conditions. Its power steering is very light and gives you a pleasant ride in traffic. Its long wheelbase along with R16 size of tyres allows it to hold the road firmly. Cornering in this car is very delightful as it feels very balanced with its strong front suspension. It’s a very comfortable car to be in. Even on high speeds its cabin is extremely sound proof. When you are driving in city it will give no reason to complain but when you are on highways, its rear suspension and steering wheel disappoints you. If you are changing lanes quickly its poor rear suspension is noticeable and sometimes the car feels detached from its steering.

Braking and Safety Features

Elantra is one of the safest cars in its segment. The car has disk brake at its front and rear end. To enhance its braking quality this car has ABS and EBD with electronic stability program. New Elantra has long list of safety features. It has six airbags including dual front, side and curtain airbags. It has rear view camera with parking sensors and automatic headlight control. Other safety features include impact sensing door unlock, speed sensing auto door lock with vehicle stability management.

Shades

Neo Fluidic Elantra is available in six attractive shades: Black, White, Maharaja Red, Sleek Silver, Twilight Blue and Bronze. Like Hyundai Verna, it is expected that White shade will be more in demand and customers would be willing to pay extra money to own White Elantra in desired period of time. Red shade of new Elantra is also very eye-catching and company has used red Elantra in most of the printed advertisements and on their official webpage of Elantra.

Warranty

Hyundai gives 4 years/100000kms warranty on Neo Fluidic Elantra.

Verdict

Hyundai have mastered the art of pricing. New Elantra ranges from INR 12.5 lakhs-15.85 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). It targets each and every car in its segment. It’s extremely stylish with fresh looks which are capable enough to turn heads .Both engines used in Elantra are powerful and refined engines. It has a long list of features, some of which are even first in its class. None of its competitors offers this much of features, style and power at this price .This new car makes a strong statement. It will be first choice of those who are tired from old looking Civic and Corolla and for those who find cars like Laura and Jetta to be very expensive. It’s a progressive step from Hyundai. This car is a complete value for money, specially its diesel version. It has all the potential to be the best in its segment. We hope this car justifies its tagline and become the signature of success for Hyundai in India.

Hyundai Elantra Diesel vs. Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel