Hyundai Elantra : Official Review

[goXrive]

Superb review TSK
I think this is going to put a major dent in the sales of Altis. Not only does it look better, it has better interiors and features as well. But the main issue with Verna was the stability at high speeds, ride quality and handling. I hope these are sorted out in the new fluidic Elantra.

[riturajsharma19]

Brilliant review indeed. One question from my end - Why has Hyndai gone for USA NHTSA safety certification instead of the regular EURO NCAP, when most of its cars (i20 comes to mind) have gone for the latter? Is USA NHTSA equally credible a certifying entity as EURO NCAP?

[A350XWB]

Good review (rated 5 stars) and I have to agree with smartcat. I think the application of Fluidic theme is best reflected on the Elantra. I always had a soft corner towards the old Elantra and I just love the new one. It has everything to be a serious contender in the D segment. And, I'm really happy to learn that the dynamics got better, which is an Achille's Heel for most of the Hyundais. Good that they have come up with 6-speed AT's atleast for the D segment.

[ASTRIKX]

Brilliant Stuff ! The pictures in your review speak a thousand words. The Hyundai Elantra sure looks a worthy competitor in the D Sedan category. The review was crisp and to the point and my only niggle is that the car could have been compared with the existing competition in the same category. Anywayz congrats for a brilliant job,mate. Now its up to Hyundai to price the car right and throw the cat among the pigeons.

[romeomidhun]

Thanks TSK for the review. My question: With Elantra looks so similar to the cheaper Verna, whats is its USP in terms of looks?

[GTO]

Honda must have had a heart attack after seeing the new Elantra. This is the boring, plain-jane latest generation Civic. Couldn't Honda have done better?

Consumer Reports (a publication I greatly trust) also reported the new Civic to be very mediocre (in terms of engineering).

Pic Source

[iliketurtles]

Loved the review, and loved the pics! Hyundai might not have been able to crack this segment before, but I think it's very safe to say this car will be an absolute hit in either of the diesel trims. The petrol I'm not sure about (not enough to go on in this review and just general negativity towards petrol cars from buyers), but I'm glad as heck Hyundai has cracked the code. More choices are always a good thing! Fight, fight, fight! The consumer only stands to gain if that happens

I'm kind of surprised to read how many people feel that the similarity of the fluidic design language might work against the Elantra. As Tanveer rightly pointed out, the comparo pics highlight the differences pretty clearly. The Elantra is a very grown up Verna, and the Sonata is a hugely beefed up version of the two. The swoopy lines and contours can be said to be similar, but each of these cars are their own animal, and the Elantra looks quite individualistic in its own way.Compare that to how much of a similarity the previous gen Elantra had with the Accent!

The discerning buyer will notice the differences, I'm sure. And most of on here are very, very discerning. Give it a bit of time, I'm sure most of us will get trained/acquainted enough to play "spot the difference" pretty easily!

[AWD]

Maybe I missed, what are the Fuel mileages for the diesel AT & manual models? Also the ex-showroom prices should be a tad lower than AltisD & Civic AT.

This car could well become the buy by default option in the segment, talking of the diesel variant. Hope Hyundai has sufficient inventories.

[advaitlele]

Excellent review Tanveer.

Your choice of photo - night shot - is by far the best I've ever seen in official review.

About the car - quite liked the design details; and your comment on the glove-box design puts it aptly that they've not cut the corners in the design job. Fantastic.

Just a thought - the front and rear door design - though Fluidic theme and all is fine; but for a layman, it looks just so much similar to the Verna. For untrained eyes, that just passes by as another 10 lakh car, rather than a D1 segment car. Will I look for it; if I was not an auto-buff? probably no as Altis, Civic, Jetta have quite a good differentiating design from other C2 segment car from the same badge. Is it only me or ...

Rated much deserved 5-star.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Happened to drive a verna fludic and at anything above 90+ on a curve the rear was all over the place. Going by your review I hope they have done something to keep the car planted on the road while cornering.

Yes, its planted on cornering. As I said, a giant leap for Hyundai

Originally Posted by amitg79

Brilliant photos of a brilliant looking vehicle. And a great review. Can you give some more information on the petrol's power and feel during your short drive? Is it a good performer in a straight line?

I have never seen hyundai come with a petrol engine that is better than its diesel for the same car. Until the elantra. Yes, the engine is very very good, and I would rate it better than the diesel too. Too bad I was unable to take it to the highway, but I expect it to perform better both in city and highway.

Originally Posted by mobike008

However, the highway manners seem carried forward from the Verna to Elantra. Just curious to know if both are similarly uninspiring on highway manners or Elantra is tad bit better?

Rating a well deserved 5*'s

Tad big? C'mon! Its miles ahead of the verna. Look at the ride and handling part of the review. I am impressed, really impressed. Hyundai has not repeated the mistakes of Verna as far as Handling is concerned.

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

now that it looks like its a car ideally suited for 4.

Same engine as the Verna - that is a tad disappointing. Why should someone consider the Elantra over the Verna? Handling and ride don't seem much different from the Verna either.

The interiors are excellent compared to Civic or Altis. The gizmo list is a long one and impressive. Hyundai seems to get this aspect bang on with all their launches. Its Toyota/Honda that have to do catching up with Hyundai now in this area.

Like already mentioned, the enthusiasts will prefer the Cruze or Jetta over the Elantra which is more suited for the chauffeur driven.

Yes, its a 4 seater, no doubt about that.
As for handling, read my comments above.

Originally Posted by goXrive

Superb review TSK
I think this is going to put a major dent in the sales of Altis. Not only does it look better, it has better interiors and features as well. But the main issue with Verna was the stability at high speeds, ride quality and handling. I hope these are sorted out in the new fluidic Elantra.

Yes

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

Brilliant review indeed. One question from my end - Why has Hyndai gone for USA NHTSA safety certification instead of the regular EURO NCAP, when most of its cars (i20 comes to mind) have gone for the latter? Is USA NHTSA equally credible a certifying entity as EURO NCAP?

Yes, its equally credible

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Thanks TSK for the review. My question: With Elantra looks so similar to the cheaper Verna, whats is its USP in terms of looks?

Well, its similar, but not same, look at the comparo pic. looks carry over is often done by many mfrs

[Turbokick]

Brilliant review and excellent photography

This is exactly what the segment wanted !
- Stylish and upmarket looks
- Luxurious interiors
- Loads of features
- Reliable and dependable brand
- Decent diesel engine
- Comfort & ease of driving

Probably the only car in the segment to have it all.


Why might be against the tide :
- Engine belonging to a segment lower
- Styling being too similar to other hyundais

[manson]

Very detailed write up as usual Tanveer.
The new Elantra is clearly an over sized and over equipped version of the Verna and reminds me of Rush's thread on the C2 sedans eating into the D1 segment. Besides the remarkably better ride & handling that you mentioned and the six speed autbox option over the Verna, the Elantra does not have a typically next segment selling USP over its C2 cousin as such. I hope Hyundai''s pricing team keeps this in mind before freezing the digits.

Originally Posted by GTO

Can't figure out why Hyundai badged it the Elantra though (considering the previous-gen Elantra was a dud in India). The car should have been named Avante, it's nameplate in Korea.

I remember Stratos once mentioning that a manafacturer is liable to pay a certain hefty fee / tax for every new product they launch or test, and that is exactly why we seen a lot of cars carrying across the same name tag to its next generation or form, like the Corsa Sail, Zen Estilo, Corsa Swing, and so on. Hyundai is probably confident that the new Elantra is indeed a well rounded product and will over shadow the last generation Elantra's poor image.

[rameshnanda]

Very good review tsk.
I have a question on the rear seat. Did you try seated at the rear when the car driven for some miles? I am asking this because, from the pictures, it looks like it lacks with the under thigh support.

[R2D2]

Thanks for great review Tanveer. 5 stars. If this new avatar of the Elantra was available when I bought the Altis in 2008, it would have merited very serious consideration. I am a petrol head (except when it comes to Merc/Audi/BMW diesels ) and would opt for the gasoline burner. Good to see Hyundai's upping the game in design, engine and handling. I really like the 'Fluidic' design. Looks sharp! Hope it does well.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by manson

Very detailed write up as usual Tanveer.
The new Elantra is clearly an over sized and over equipped version of the Verna and reminds me of Rush's thread on the C2 sedans eating into the D1 segment. Besides the remarkably better ride & handling that you mentioned and the six speed autbox option over the Verna, the Elantra does not have a typically next segment selling USP over its C2 cousin as such. I hope Hyundai''s pricing team keeps this in mind before freezing the digits.

Spot on Manson. This is exactly what I was thinking. I just looked at the features and specs on paper and the only additional features in the Elantra are the ventilated seats, 6 speed AT and dual zone climate control.

The Elantra does not offer that much more over the Verna. In Bangalore the OTR price of the Diesel SX (O) AT is 14.01L. Hyundai cannot price it more than 2-3L above the Verna. The 2 additional gears with same engine will just not be worth it.