Originally Posted by srikanth.vemuri (Post 2863628)

Then again, the top of the line Jetta is overpriced, no doubt, as even the most ardent of the VW fans might agree. But the Jetta Trendline @ 15.5 ex-showroom comes with no mean list of equipment, and for buyers looking at making the jump from the ANHV segment, a well sorted out solid Trendline might appeal more to many, over a fully kitted and cheaper , but certainly less capable Elantra.
The manual Diesel Elantra would be hard pressed to maintain a 5 lakh gap against the reasonably priced Trendline. Unless the base Elantra diesel version comes in @ close to13 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, it's gonna have a big bruising fight with VW and the other 2.0s to contend with!

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2863739)

So you are comparing an manual transmission car with A/T? People who want an A/T are not going to buy a M/T car.
Speaking of Base diesel, if A/T top end costs 15L the base diesel will be below 12L or even lower. Remember, at 15L for A/T its 30% more than Verna A/T. So you check out the base diesel verna price, and add 30%

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2855915)

...as seen here. Headlamp height adjustment moves only the low beam. High beam position is fixed:

Originally Posted by paras211 (Post 2863789)

Sometimes people do switch between choices of manual and auto, I was about to book the CL jetta M/T because i couldn't afford the A/T, if hyundai can give me an A/T for a price cheaper than the CL jetta M/T. I am gonna forgo the small motor with hope of getting more km/l.

I don't need an auto , my commute is 80% national highways, but its a nice convinence to have.

Originally Posted by suhaildurrani (Post 2863802)

@tsk1979 I have always been facinated by double-barrel headlamps. But I fail to understand the concept of adjustable low-beams ONLY (please note I have never owned a vehicle with this lighting set-up). When the car is packed with 5 and hauling bootfull of luggage won't the high beam overshoot the road and even blind the oncoming traffic? How to overcome this situation?

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2863739)

So you are comparing an manual transmission car with A/T? People who want an A/T are not going to buy a M/T car.
Speaking of Base diesel, if A/T top end costs 15L the base diesel will be below 12L or even lower. Remember, at 15L for A/T its 30% more than Verna A/T. So you check out the base diesel verna price, and add 30%

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 2864287)

Fantastic review and superb photography Tanvir. Opening shot is a killer!

I've a nasty feeling that these new fluidic designs are not going to last for long. It's really tough to continue with an identity if one doesn't have anything strong to hold on.
European brands (mostly) maintain this pretty well. Yes, even within that there can be disaster. One prime example could be Chris Bangled BMW design. This is purely my opinion guys.

That said, this current one is surely a good looker. Good to know that they've sorted out that boat like handling too.

Originally Posted by srikanth.vemuri (Post 2864735)

For regular commuting within a city, most buyers in this class might employ chauffeurs. The owners would likely limit their self-driven jaunts to weekend trips outside the city, and in such a scenario, they wouldn't really care much for the convenience of an auto, at least not enough to stretch their budgets to such higher levels. At 15 lakhs (if), I don't doubt that an Elantra (AT) would be better value. But is it the Automatic segment where the real fight is going to be? More crucial should be the battle between the base manuals, with the Jetta packing decent equipment (6 airbagsclap:), and the best quality even at this level. The Elantra, unless priced at a killer pricing (under 12 lakhs:Shockked:), will find it tough to justify providing a smaller engine and a Hyundai badge. Somehow, going by their recent pricing history, I find it hard to believe that Hyundai would be able to undercut its rivals by that big a margin. It needs to get its localization program for the diesel engines done with to drive down the costs enough and do that. But yeah, a price of under 12 lakhs plus high equipment levels on even the base model might just tilt the balance in the Elantra's favouragree:. But hard to see them doing that for the diesel!

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious (Post 2864844)

Beautiful pics! What a stunning night shot! The design language is so that, from any angle the car actually looks like the photograph is skewed for length!! I checked with all the pics and it looks like that!

And a nice review too. One of the few reviews where I feel the photography took the focus away from the content.

OT:: Could you tell me what's the camera + lens [if any] used?

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2865073)

Thanks Rudra. Coming from you, these comments mean a lot :). Yes, the handling is really sorted out when you compare it to the Verna.

Originally Posted by R17 (Post 2865244)

Tanveer - we constantly compare the Elantra's handling with the Verna. But I wonder if thats the right benchmark. I guess the Elantra is supposed to be far more sorted than the Verna anyway. Its more relevant benchmarks would be the Jetta, Laura, Cruze, Corolla, Fluence and Civic.

And here, correct me if Im wrong, but the general view is that other than the Jetta and the Laura, the Elantra seems to have got the others covered.

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2856148)

The Jetta 6-speed MT, which I recently had my brother pick up. Reasons:

- There is hardly a difference between the Jetta and the C / 3 / A4. It's 90% of the luxury Germans at 60% of the cost.

- Great engine. Superb driveability, stonking performance and respectable fuel efficiency. Nice gearbox too.

- Balanced ride, handling & high speed stability.

- Good on space.

- Absolutely love the clean, elegant clothes.

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2865332)

Yes. Its an average handler. The Jetta and Laura are supposed to be excellent handlers, and Elantra is not there yet.
From a real world driving POV, Elantra is good, unlike the Verna which is very bouncy and boat like

Originally Posted by convivial (Post 2866259)

Suspension - an aftermarket one like Bilstein may make life a bit more confident for the enthusiast, but steering - can something be done about it? :Shockked: