[Santoshbhat]

Very good pricing from Hyundai and they are sure to make a big dent in the market share of other players.

But I feel the biggest competition for the Elantra will be from its younger sibling : the Verna. The Verna itself is pretty well equipped and comes with the same diesel engine as the Elantra. The Elantra scores in terms of more space and better road manners. The problem is, if the customer is really particular about getting himself a car that handles well, he/ she may not be visiting the Hyundai showroom in the first place.

[Chrome6Boy]

Originally Posted by Equus

Not sure.. With OTR prices touching 20L in some cities, Hyundai seem to have taken an aggressive big bet here. But its good from the brand value perspective. Santa Fe is moderately successful - that might be tempting them to take a bet.

PS: Elantra GT was available at 8 lakhs OTR in Bangalore in 2003/2004. Its double today

I grabbed one of the last Elantra GT for 7.3 on road in Chennai and thoroughly enjoyed that car! I now have a Cruze LT 2011 and absolutely love the car. My brother currently drives a Honda City 2006 and is looking to buy the Elantra diesel. He doesn't like the Cruze's steering which he finds too hard and overpowered engine (his opinion, I don't concur).

He is looking for a more sedate comfortable car in the same price range. I have forbidden him to buy the Altis because of its lower powered 87 ps engine. I'm looking forward to test driving the car and hope its a winner.

TSK's excellent review has certainly tipped the scales.

[StarScream]

This is very well priced. I just saw the spec list in the e-brochure and the base diesel trim is decently equipped. Yes it misses out on the party tricks like ventilated seats and some important safety kit like ESP and six airbags but at least they haven't skimped on convenience features like ipod connectivity and rear-parking sensors (without camera), for which other manufacturers force you to buy a higher and more expensive trim level.

Good job Hyundai. This is the first D-segment sedan to tempt me.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Elantra top-end diesel AT under-cuts the Laura & Jetta by a whopping 3 lakhs!

GTO - Your message shows the ex-showroom price of AT is 3L less, but Carwale shows the OTR as 3L. We should assume CarWale data is wrong.

With that considered, the prices seem to be a little better, but the MT especially is tempting, which the diesel base variant (which in itself is pretty loaded), starting at around the same price as Altis petrol mid variant.

A real big opportunity would have been if they provided Automatic Across all diesel variants - they would have had one close to 16L OTR Bangalore.

[drchernish]

Just came back from Elantra Test drive (got one as the dealer is close friend-straight off the transport truck even before it was washed)-frankly speaking it was a let down.On bad roads rides like Verna. Missus straight away said no to the unpremium interiors (she had earlier sat in the Jetta-my mistake).Well now have to either up the budget to Jetta comfortline (trendline is in budget) or go for cruze.How stressful to buy a car nowadays.

[texmonster]

As per Elantra PDF brochure,the 'Supervision cluster' is only available in A/T Variant!

A very silly omission, even my Verna has it in SX trim

[paras211]

Originally Posted by drchernish

Just came back from Elantra Test drive (got one as the dealer is close friend-straight off the transport truck even before it was washed)-frankly speaking it was a let down.On bad roads rides like Verna. Missus straight away said no to the unpremium interiors (she had earlier sat in the Jetta-my mistake).Well now have to either up the budget to Jetta comfortline (trendline is in budget) or go for cruze.How stressful to buy a car nowadays.

Was it bouncy like the verna? Or was it harsh?
I was so happy that they had sorted out the handling of the car.

[drchernish]

It was not bouncy and not harsh but at low speeds it handles the potholes like a hyundai and the beige colour on dashboard was extremely disliked by my better half-she put it plainly with a stern accent in her voice no way we are buying this for 17 lacs......

[drasitkhanna]

very very competitive pricing ..specially of the diesel versions ! the base and mid options are sure winners and will definitely help Cruze and Corolla fence sitters like me decide. i was just waiting for this price to make my decision for an Elantra.
When can we expect a TEAM BHP TD of a base diesel ?
is the waiting actually 2 months ?
Thanks in advance ...

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by drasitkhanna

When can we expect a TEAM BHP TD of a base diesel ?
is the waiting actually 2 months ?
Thanks in advance ...

We obviously wont be reviewing the base trim since it's the same engine, gearbox and same car. Just removal of some features doesnt warrant a test drive.

[drasitkhanna]

but the base version doesn't have the VSM and the ESP which the other versions have ...and that would put the ride quality of Base Elantra in the same league as the Verna .. isn't it ?? with a heavier weight, bigger body and without these "programs" the ride would then be MORE unsteady (or unsafe) in Elantra , isn't it ? That's why i asked if we could have a TD differentiation of just the ride quality of the different versions ...

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by drasitkhanna

but the base version doesn't have the VSM and the ESP which the other versions have ...and that would put the ride quality of Base Elantra in the same league as the Verna .. isn't it ?? with a heavier weight, bigger body and without these "programs" the ride would then be MORE unsteady (or unsafe) in Elantra , isn't it ? That's why i asked if we could have a TD differentiation of just the ride quality of the different versions ...

VSM and ESP have nothing to do with the ride quality. These are safety features that work when you lose control of the car or push it beyond the limits. Unless you are really trying to get the car to spin/lose control, these will never come into effect. During an emergency is the only time these work.

[drasitkhanna]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

VSM and ESP have nothing to do with the ride quality. These are safety features that work when you lose control of the car or push it beyond the limits. Unless you are really trying to get the car to spin/lose control, these will never come into effect. During an emergency is the only time these work.

Thanks for the quick reply sir,
i had been keenly waiting for this launch with mind made up for the Base version diesel if it was not too FAR away from the SX/SXO Verna. What would be your advice for me considering the car will be chauffeur driven, 99% in city(that too one of the worst road cities of western UP), sedate to some-fast-driving occasionally (not really a speed demon !),family man with a small kid.(if money is not a issue). Thanks

[Turbo_Charger]

I have prepared a comparison chart of various D Segment Cars (Diesel Variant) and the Features that an Average Buyer would want to see in a 15L car.

The Elantra is stuffed to features and has almost everything that you would want to see in D segment car. The only thing missing is the Sunroof. With the amazing pricing, it becomes a complete VFM package from Hyundai.

Here's hoping Elantra becomes another Blockbuster for Hyundai.

[convivial]

Was the first outsider to sit inside and bring the mill to life in the dealership here in Trivandrum. Such was my inquiry and followup on the new Elantra ever since mine crossed 100,000 km that the sales guys were kind enough to let me know as soon as they sighted the car in the yard. Few observations (I would really like TSK and others to comment on these) -

1. Build Quality - Big leap for Hyundai considering the older models we've seen. But I noticed some inconsistent panel gaps at the rear. A super light boot lid for this D1 segment car - I wished they brought in some more quality stuff there. But it just requires a soft touch for you to close the boot! That's really nice to see. You have an opener which is akin to the one in the Jetta. Very thoughtful there.

2. Engine - Many questions asked and few replies given. With more persuasion, I got to know that the engine is by Bosch and not the Delphi ones you see in the i20. All parts I could see in the bay had the "Made in Korea" tag. Good insulation - better than the 3rd gen. It has a good meaty fiber/plastic cladding that does its job well. But even otherwise, this is a silent engine. I read in some journals that this engine is tweaked to bring out the Max Torque 200rpm earlier than in Verna. Is that true?

3. Interiors - Fabulous. Too futuristic that one gets a feeling its overdone. I saw the CKD sticker on the door panel. Upon asking the service personnel, they said body panels are made in India and engine imported from Korea. But then, why a CKD in the door panel? I really wish the first few batches are CKDs. Not sure on that. Small 500ml bottle holders that might let us down, but otherwise it has loads of space for all the big and small things you want to store inside.

4. Front View - Indians love a little complicated front with generous treatment of chrome. Those in that category will be disappointed. But Hyundai wanted to address this appetite for chrome and has placed a strip in the trapezoidal air intake part. Would look nice on the black shade.

5. Rear View - The best view according to me. The rear three-quarter view is also sizzling. The tail lamps fluently go all the way and the body lines are so flowing that it seems the headlamps take over from the rear lights on the front, completing a clean fluidic theme. I think the design of Elantra would go much the same as that of XUV - hate it or be obsessed with it. I have people from both sides. But the ones who dislike don't seem to hate it completely.

6. Features - Much has been written about it already. One thing that, for me, was left to be verified was the MID. Have requested the SA to check that. It would be ridiculous for the customer to miss out on such an elementary feature in this segment. Otherwise - Solar Glass, Silica Tyres, Fully Auto Dual Zone Climatronic, Retractable (no auto, but) and Heated ORVMs, Hill hold, TCS-ABS-EBD-VSM-ESP, a decent ICE system, rear parking sensors with video that works well, airbags, nice alloys, ventilated seats, fully functional and chunky leather wrapped steering wheel, tinted glasses, big boot with a net to hold those loose ones, nice and big fog lamps, big glove box with the opener on the right extreme end (no cooling or illumination, unfortunately), big footwell for the well built amongst us , big and supportive seats with electronic adjustments for lumbar as well, rear vents with a bit of chrome in it, nice leg room, tilt and reach adjustable steering, cruise control, hill hold control, 16" meaty tires - My God, I am already short of breath. This is called loaded with features! Decent job, Hyundai. The only discomfort I had being a 6 footer was that even on the driver's seat, I could see the roof sloping a bit too early somehow making me feel a bit claustrophobic. In the rear, it would have been pardonable, but its slightly more pronounced on the front as well. I will have to check this during the test drive for I am not certain if the seat height was set to maximum. Another nice thing I noticed was the quality of the dash - it is of great quality and has a bit of rubberish feel to it.

7. Steering - MDPS as Hyundai calls it and its well connected to the VSM and ESP. I had a detailed look at the Technical Handbook. I don't think the electric motor would be confidence inspiring, but I sincerely hope Hyundai has atleast something to cheer about for the enthusiast while they designed a few things like these for the urban commuter.

8. Suspension - I read it's not the independent suspension that would have given a bit more ride stability around corners. Has a torsion beam axle. Need to check these parameters on corners to see how it works or how VSM/ESP counters the possible lack of stability which Tanveer tested successfully in his drive.

Overall, a great package and I am getting this feeling that its going to be a strong Value For Money positioning from Hyundai. Their Sales Training Manual equips the sales force with detailed comparisons against the Corolla, Cruze and Fluence - no wonder for this segment is going to shake up really well. More migration from C segment to D1 which means, Jetta and Laura will still have its fan following, but the bottom segment will see a tough competition.

Ride report, later.