[sukhoi30]

Prologue
It had been quite a while since I was contemplating buying a new car to replace my old companion, the Chevy UVA LT. UVA has been with me for over seven years and it has given be trouble free performance for close to six years. I have driven this beauty for over 75000 Kms to many places in and around Maharashtra. Most of my driving happened to be between Mumbai and Pune (most weekends) apart from the daily commuting to work in Powai, Mumbai.



Since last year, this vehicle has been incurring heavy costs due to normal wear and tear. Had to change the tyres, battery, radiator, brake shoes, suspension sets alongwith increased servicing costs. So, it made better sense to go for a new car in the long run. Well, it was not just the high maintenance cost, but other factors like need for a bigger car, preference for a sedan, etc. were responsible for the decision.

My Requirement

• I was essentially looking for a petrol car. Why? Because I wanted a car with a good pickup, smoother running and lower maintenance. So, leave aside economics, I will go for petrol car only.
• I wanted only a sedan type car. I have no liking for SUV (maybe I am not that type). Hatch is out of question as I have driven hatch for so long.
• I am tall … close to 6”. I needed a car which I can sit and drive in comfort. Since, I drive long duration especially on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway; comfort is an essential need for me.
• Also; I wanted some safety features like ABS, ESF, Airbags etc.
• My budget was around 15 lakhs with + or – one lakh.

Test Drives/Research


So, the search started late last year … in fact online research (even looked at T-BHP site regularly) started sometime in April last year. The most popular car then was XUV 500 and everybody was looking to buy that then. Another car was Honda Jazz … it has very good features and came bundled with lot of gizmos. But, not looking for hatch.
Ok, so sometime in December, embarked on TD. Since I stay in Navi Mumbai, there are a lot of showrooms around, Vashi/Nerul which is very convenient to check out.


Toyota Corolla Altis

I did a TD on their diesel version (they did not have a petrol one for TD). Drive was okay, but the driver seat was not very comfortable. Even after adjusting the seat, it seemed a bit cramped. Only manual adjustments to height and back rest are given. In any case, I remembered when I was in Tokyo a few years ago; I used to travel a lot in these cars as taxis. So, I had a feeling of being in a taxi.

Honda Civic

It is an amazing vehicle to drive. Cabin is spacious and the windscreen is wide and gives a really good view of outside. Driver’s seat was very comfortable and the suspensions were well refined. So, why I didn’t choose this? The dealer mentioned that if I buy this car, I will get a vehicle manufactured in year 2012 and one that is in stock. I wanted a 2013 model and not a 2012. I was sad to strike this off my list. Another downside of this car is its mileage

Volkswagan Jetta

I didn’t get to TD this. Whenever, I called the showroom, they mentioned that the TD vehicle is not available as it had some repairs. The showroom people were also not very responsive in my request for TD. On the paper this looked like a really cool car. It was going out of my budget and the dealer was telling me that there is waiting period of 3 -4 months for petrol car (on phone).

Hyundai Elantra (1.8 SX MT Petrol)

So, coming to the final choice. This car looked amazing from the moment I entered the showroom. The fluidic design gives the car a real sporty look. The test drive was simply superb. It was a short TD but was enough to get me attracted to this model. The drive was as comfortable as the Honda Civic. The suspension absorbed most of the small potholes and bumps.

Note: Never considered Chevy Cruze. I have driven Chevy for a long time so it was time for a change. Skoda Laura and Superb were above my base budget so they were not considered.

The Car


Following features immediately caught my attention and made my decision.

1. Seven way electronic seat adjustment. With this I can adjust my seat as I want and become as comfortable as I can for any type of driving.
2. Seat ventilators for cooling seats. An absolutely useful feature in Mumbai weather where you tend to sweat a lot. Mind you, the cooling is done my fans setup within the seats. So, it works well, only if you have AC on. And this feature is only given for front two seats. And only the SX model has this, so I had to go for the higher version.
3. Power steering is really powerful. When below 10 kmph , you can literally turn the wheel using only two fingers. The steering is that light. This can make driving in heavy traffic less tiring. As the speed increases, the steering becomes tauter. So, in higher speeds, you can control the vehicle better.
4. Space in the back is really good. Anyone sitting in the back can nicely stretch the legs and relax.
5. Lots of storage areas (cubby holes) given – on all four doors, behind the gear box, glove compartment is really big (it has an AC vent too). The dashboard and the area behind the back seat cannot be used to keep anything due to the sloping roof. Anything kept there will definitely obstruct the driver’s view. There are two slots for holding one litre bottles behind the gear box.

Well, there are some negatives too ..

1. The low and sloping roof means that the insides look more cramped than it actually is. I would say that the interior is cosy rather than cramped.
2. Any tall person sitting in the back can hinder the back view of the driver through RVM. I am the tallest in the family, so I have no concerns here.
3. There is no “distance to empty” and “mileage” indicator in the instrument panel. These are there in Verna, so obviously this is a miss.
4. The In-Car Entertainment is not touch screen … Well; we could always alter it after market. But nowadays, many cars even in lower segment provide touch screen ICE. But having said that, there are music control buttons in the steering which is very convenient.

Color choice

Unfortunately Elantra doesn’t have much color choice. White is much too common, so I didn’t want to go for it. Then there was beige/bronze, silver, light blue and black all which I didn’t like at all. Only other option was maharajah red. My wife liked this color very much, so there was no further thought given to the color.

Delivery and Drive Home

Initially the salesman at Sharayu Motors was saying that a petrol version will have longer waiting time due to low demand. He mentioned that the company is making petrol only after order is received. Diesel model can be bought off the shelf or with a waiting period of less than a month. So, I was a bit disappointed and had a lengthy discussion with the manager. The manager talked to the Hyundai factory and mentioned that they could get the petrol version within a month. Great Indeed!!! So, I booked the vehicle immediately with an assurance from the manager that the vehicle will be delivered before February end.

Sharayu Motors gave Rs. 10000 cash discount and free floor mats. In any case, the prices shot up in January by Rs. 20000 since I TD and booked the vehicle. Total on-road price was Rs 15,90,000/- in Navi-Mumbai.

Well, the vehicle landed in the showroom on 25th February itself. I went over to check and the red color IS A STUNNER.

Anyway, the delivery date was fixed as 1st March. Payment done, all documents were submitted and paperwork was done without any hassles.

The car was ready early on 1st March. I went with family and after the pre delivery inspection, pooja etc. drove the car home.

I have driven my Elantra for close to 700 Kms now which includes a trip to Pune and back. Here is my experience in driving Elantra…

Daily commute (Vashi to Airoli)

• The car is very comfortable to drive in city traffic. The gear shift is really smooth and minimum effort is required to downshift and upshift.
• The clutch and Accelerator is very smooth and responds as expected.
• The pickup and acceleration is quite smooth and the car simply glides through the traffic.
• The good suspension means a really comfortable ride over small potholes and bumps.

Highway (Vashi to Pune)

• I took the Elantra to the Mumbai-Pune expressway with some apprehension. But I was amazed at how easily I could manoeuvre the car.
• The car picks up speed very easily and effortlessly. Due to the amazing pickup, I could go from 30 to 100 Kmph within a few seconds.
• The brake response is also very good. Initially, it took me sometime to figure out the brake response time but once I got used to it, I was able to brake easily and confidently.
• I could take turns in the ghat section at the speed of 80 without any issues … the car was quite stable and did not feel like veering off. I guess the Electronic Stability Feature is really helping here.
• The best thing is the “cruise” control feature. I was able to set the cruise on the long stretch of straight highway and enjoy the drive. One needs to be careful when on cruise control though. You need to keep your right leg in the proper position, so that if there is sudden braking requirement, you push the brake pedal rather than the accelerator.
• I found a bit of noise (tyre) creeping into the cabin especially on cemented roads. The noise level is much less on tar road. I believe this is due to the Silica tyres which is quite hard. I will bring this issue up with the dealer in my first service. Let’s see what they can do.

Other notable features …

1. The music system is really good. There are four speakers and two front tweeters. The quality of the speakers is also good.
2. There are AC vents in the middle for the back seat which can be closed if not in use. Even the side vents in the front can be closed.
3. Sun glass holder is what I missed the most in my previous car. It is there conveniently placed on the roof.
4. All five wheels are alloys. The tyres are silica based tyres made in korea. It is supposed to be puncture proof. And it does feel hard.
5. Boot space is nice and huge. There is also a net given for holding things in place within the boot.
6. ORVM is electronically operated. One should make sure that the ORVMs are closed in parked areas to avoid people messing with it manually.
7. Reverse parking camera gives a good view of the back during daytime as well as night. Parking is relatively easier due to this.
8. Bluetooth operated mobile phone hands free system is good. But this convenience is given only to the driver (makes sense). The microphone is located above the head of the driver. Anyone else in the car speaking to the caller will have to speak quite loudly for the microphone to receive it.
9. There is an ECO feature which when turned ON displays when to up-shift and down-shift while driving. This feature is supposed to improve your FE if you follow the indication. I found this quite useless and distracting for an experienced driver. Moreover, once you get to know the REVs and SPEED ratios, you could easily drive in the right gear.
10. All windows are made of “Solar Glass” which is supposed to filter out some percentage of UV rays. I have not noticed much difference when parked in hot sun. The vehicle still gets heated up on the inside but maybe a tad lower then my previous car. I am guessing it is doing its job One thing is sure with this, I won’t have the police catch me for sun films anymore.

Things being considered as additional accessory

1. I am looking for a GPS based navigation system for the Elantra. T-BHPians, I would appreciate any good suggestions/advice on the right product.
2. I also need a car camera/DVR. I don’t see many products out there. Again, I request all you T-BHPians to suggest me a good product.

I am very glad to have purchased Hyundai Elantra and I am really enjoying driving this. I plan to go for a few road trips this year in the Elantra. Hopefully, Elantra will give me an incident free driving pleasure for several years.

At the showroom on delivery date



She wanted "pink" color. I convinced her that red is a darker shade of pink.



1.8 L DOHC 16 V Powerful Engine



The ELANTRA logo



Swept Back Headlights gives a cool look





Smiley ....



Silica (Made in Korea) Tyres ...



The old car from the new one ...



The roof .. you can see the microphone.



The door controls .. The window controls and door lock/unlock is not illuminated. Weird!!!



Button start/stop



The instrument panel is illuminated at all times



The steering and the instrument panel



In Car Entertainmaint Panel ... All buttons are conveniently sized and placed.



OVRM is large and no write up "objects in the mirror is closer.."



Boot space is really good.



Cruise control and trip setting buttons on the steering



Entertainment controls on the steering



Reverse camera .. the resolution is good.



iPod/iPad/iPhone can be attached directly. But the thing is that when iPad is attached, the songs start playing and I cannot choose songs from the iPad. Not sure if this is case for iPhone as well. I can move songs up and down from the dash or steering controls though.



Bottle holders for two 1 litre bottles



Good amount of storage between from seats. The cup you see inside is an ash tray which is loose and can be placed anywhere. I plan to keep some perfume inside it and keep it somewhere else.



Electronically controlled seat adjustments



ABC of the car. Nice dead pedal and the large Accelerator gives good driving comfort.



The ODO reading



With ECO indicator ON, the vehicle computer indicates which gear to upshift/downshift to.

[Vid6639]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Percy N P]

Congratulations and All the Best on your new ride. And thanks for the detailed write up. IMO the Elantra sure looks HOT in Red.

[Viju]

Hello sukhoi30, the car, especially in this colour, looks really beautiful. Congratulations! More than any other car in Hyundai's Indian portfolio, I feel the fluidic styling works best on the Elantra. Here is wishing you many happy and safe miles with her.

[arup.misra]

Congrats Sukhoi on you on new Elantra. The red is indeed a very different color. Yet to see one in flesh on road.

Perhaps you could have tried taking a TD of the Jetta from another showroom. Agree with the slow response of VW in general, but the Jetta is a heck of a drive. But hey, as long as you're happy with Elantra, who am I to complain

Hope she serves you well for a long time. Drive safe. Cheers!!!

[ACM]

Superb Colour. It surely will look good and striking in Red. Love the Headlamps and Tail Lamps as well as the Cooled seats feature. The Door buttons though should have been illuminated.

Wouldn't read too much into the anti puncture feature of the tyres though, most tyres today have silica and it is expected to reducing rolling friction and hence improve fuel efficiency.

You actually ended up considering cars in about 1.5 segments.

[vidyanand]

Congrats on you new machine. I love the Maharaja Red, got my i20 last month in the same color. The new Elantra design definitely looks great.
The first picture looks stunning with the Muscular alloy adding to the side profile of the car.
Drive Safe and Keep Enjoying your Ride!

[Schoudhury]

WOW, the car looks smashing in that color. To maintain this color you will surely have to spend some time taking care of it , which i am sure you gonna do .

I think Elantra is one of the few hyundai car where steering doesn't feel lifeless while driving @ 3 digits speeds.

What is that switch marked in red ?

[vidyanand]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

What is that switch marked in red ?

This is button to turn OFF the TCS (Traction Control System), more info in Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction_control_system

This is a Safety Feature and all cars in higher segment has it. The manual override to turn off the TCS is provided as option (on almost all cars) to use it depending on your driving habit/requirements.

[Vasuki]

Congratulations for the new car. It really does look stunning compared to the old one. I owned the old one(CRDi).

But one thing old one had illuminated window controls. Also had TCS, of course ESP was absent.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

What is that switch marked in red ?

That is ESP ON/OFF Switch.

Originally Posted by vidyanand

This is button to turn OFF the TCS (Traction Control System), more info in Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction_control_system

This is a Safety Feature and all cars in higher segment has it. The manual override to turn off the TCS is provided as option (on almost all cars) to use it depending on your driving habit/requirements.

Would like to disagree with you mate. It is not TCS, but ESP.

BTW, AFAIK Elantra SX MT does not have TCS.

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

WOW, the car looks smashing in that color. To maintain this color you will surely have to spend some time taking care of it , which i am sure you gonna do .

I think Elantra is one of the few hyundai car where steering doesn't feel lifeless while driving @ 3 digits speeds.

What is that switch marked in red ?

Thanks!! That button is for switching OFF/ON the Electronic Stability Control. Infact the sales guy I asked did not have a clue as to why it has to be switched off. In my research in net, I found that this needs to be switched off if the car gets stuck in mud or snow. Hopefully, it never happens to me and even if it happens, this button should function properly.

[MotoNanu]

Originally Posted by vidyanand

This is button to turn OFF the TCS (Traction Control System), more info in Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction_control_system

This is a Safety Feature and all cars in higher segment has it. The manual override to turn off the TCS is provided as option (on almost all cars) to use it depending on your driving habit/requirements.

It is manual override for ESP (Electronic Stability Program)
Not for TCS, ESP can be enabled/ disabled based on your requirements and also to have fun/ adventure, if you may

[vidyanand]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Would like to disagree with you mate. It is not TCS, but ESP.

BTW, AFAIK Elantra SX MT does not have TCS.

Thanks for correcting me. the button is for ESP (TCS seems to be a part of the ESP system itself). Some cars show 'Traction Off' when the ESP button is pressed.

On second point I guess you cannot have a ESP and not have TCS. I read it somewhere, so please correct if wrong.

Originally Posted by MotoNanu

It is manual override for ESP (Electronic Stability Program)

Yes you are correct.

[Bomi]

Congratulations. Car looks stunning in red. Two questions for you:
1. what is the actual mileage you get in city driving?
2. the seats have cooling fans. when you have the seats cleaned with water/any liquid (in future), does that affect the fans?

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by Bomi

Congratulations. Car looks stunning in red. Two questions for you:
1. what is the actual mileage you get in city driving?
2. the seats have cooling fans. when you have the seats cleaned with water/any liquid (in future), does that affect the fans?

Thanks!!!

1. Haven't been able to check the mileage yet. The showroom guys mentioned that it could easily give around 12 kmpl in city driving and around 14 - 16 kmpl in highway. I will check out the mileage after the first servicing.
2. Well, they are leather seat covers. So obviously you should not use too much water to clean it. It will spoil the leather and of course might spoil the fan. The seat covers have perforations to let the air through. So, rule out any seat covers or cushions.