[petrolveins]

My one year search for a new car ended with Hyundai Elantra coming home on 13 July 2015.

Introducing the Elantra to fellow BHPians -


The new car process can be outlined as below:

1. Research for the probable contenders based on the requirements
2. Shortlist few cars and arrange Test Drive for each car
3. Debate pros and cons for each car
4. Finalise a car
5. Go back to point (1) multiple times (Heart vs. Mind)
6. Finally THE CAR has been decided
7. Scout for reliable dealers and acclimatise yourself with known dealer tricks
8. Book the car and sort out financing (Vitamin M)
9. Take delivery of the car amidst confetti and PDI (very important)
10. Announce the happy news in team-bhp with a picture
11. Get ready with an ownership review of the car

At each and every step, TEAM-BHP has played an invaluable and vital role in the decision making process. The importance of Team-BHP is, you know what you are getting into because whatever question you have in mind, chances are it would already have been addressed by someone comprehensively (high quality posts and detailed discussions).

The happiness is immense when you experience this. This saves a lot of time, trouble, peace of mind. This is priceless - Don't believe me? Read the below -

After purchasing the car, I was now concerned with:

1. Fuel quality (reliable petrol pumps) around Nallagandla/Gachibowli
2. Nitrogen filling stations in Hyderabad
3. Importance of Tyres in car's performance (Goodyear vs. Michelins)
4. Permanent registration process in Kondapur RTO, if I were to do it myself
5. Number plate process and guidelines (HSRP vs. Normal) in Hyderabad
6. Must have accessories for a new car
7. Car paint related queries (to go for paint protection, teflon coating etc.)
8. Car cleaning process (Jopasu duster, BHPian graaja's Jetta thread helped in car cleaning process)

The above things hitherto never came across my mind. I have used the search function and have asked the questions in relevant threads if required (yes, the specific threads already existed - just for Hyderabad location where applicable). I have got my answers and will decide based on my evaluation criteria. AMAZING, isn't it? The depth of information available on the forum cannot be found anywhere.

Coming back to my car (Why Hyundai Elantra of all the cars?):

About my usage patters and prime requirements:

1. Less than 500 KMs per month
2. Sedate driving (80-100 KMPH only)
3. Prefer automatic
4. Safety features are of paramount importance (2 kids)
5. Sedan - 5 seater is sufficient for my current needs as kids are small
6. Features (I like to have some bling in life)
7. Excellent ride quality and decent handling capabilities (as indicated, I do not cut corners at high speed, I will slow down rather). Safe driving is THE BEST safety feature!
8. Budget: 15 lakhs to 20 lakhs on road

Alternatives considered:

Volkswagen Jetta:

I quite liked the Jetta's build quality, understated looks (though not very impressed personally) and the safety features even in starting variant. However, if I wanted a Jetta, it should be an automatic for the DSG technology. Now, 2 things came on my way here:

1. Automatic is available only in Diesel while I was looking for a petrol given my mediocre monthly running.
2. Even if I were to consider diesel, it is available only in the top variant which exceeds my budget by good 5 lakhs.

I did not test drive the Jetta as my multiple requests for test drive for 2 dealers did not solicit any response. They even did not send me the price quote though they took my email ID and promised to send a quote.

If Jetta TDI DSG were to be available in middle variant at around 20 Lakhs, I would have probably bought it.

Toyota Corolla Altis:

Vidyut's strong responses in the face-lifted corolla's review thread influenced me. I strongly agree to his opinions. The car skimped on important safety features like additional air bags, ESP which are an absolute must for me, given that I would be paying 21 lakhs for top end petrol automatic. On top of this, I did not like the dashboard which is a bit minimalistic to my tastes - subjective opinion. On top of this again, Elantra is full 2 lakhs cheaper than Corolla while giving a lot more features. In effect, I felt Corolla to be 4 lakhs expensive than Elantra, which I felt is not worth it just for having a reliability trump card in Toyota's favour.

Surely, the market does not agree with me. As we speak, Corolla clocked sales of 600 plus in June 2015 while Elantra clocked 200 plus. In stock market parlance, "Value Investing" chimed in my heart. Market is surely valuing Elantra lesser than what it is worth. I'm a self made investor, so I just could not go against what I'm used to.

I did not want to eliminate corolla without checking it out. So, I went to the Kondapur showroom for a quick check and what I see agrees with my theoretical perception. So, I came back.

Skoda Octavia:

The car (1.8 TSI Elegance) is out of my budget otherwise what I read in this forum tells me that this is a very competent car which ticked all my boxes right from safety, features, automatic transmission, looks, build quality. I did not test drive the car. At one point, I was tempted towards Toyota Camry Hybrid, notwithstanding the high price, which has all that I wanted and even more. But eventually backed out. Why I'm saying this under this section is, I could have stretched for 1.8 TSI but there is an unknown element here which is After sales and service of Skoda. Having stretched in budget, I do not want to stretch even for service. I'm prepared for known risk but not for high probability unknown risk. I would have missed a perfect car, but I'm fine with my decision.

Honda City:

Honda city petrol CVT ticked all my boxes except for safety. However, the test drive of the car was good and somehow felt the dashboard look gave me premium feeling. The sunroof was icing on the cake. Overall, I liked the product. I was not satisfied with not having 6 air bags, not having ESP, below par build quality and plastics. The rationale behind booking the City was psychological bias playing within me. The corolla was costing a full 7 lakhs more than the City while not providing much value for the extra money. So, City seemed a better bet. At this point of time, Elantra did not enter the fray as I did not like the beige interiors of the 2014 Elantra so I did not pursue this any further during March time frame. However, I cancelled my City booking due to bad dealership experience. For people believing in destiny, whatever happens, happens for good. After cancelling the City, I was on the sidelines waiting for any new releases, checking out the forum for upcoming cars. I indeed compared Ciaz AT versus City AT and took the help of fellow BHPians including Vidyut. I gave a pass to Ciaz as the interiors did not provide me with premium feel when compared to City. City comes with superior CVT, sunroof, sports mode, paddle shifters - so I leaned or rather erred towards City when compared with Ciaz.

Meanwhile, Octavia came with Zeal edition. I really liked the black interiors. But since Octavia is already out of the way as explained above, I did not find it logical to change the decision and go for Octavia just because of black interiors. So, out went the Zeal edition, but black interiors definitely made an impression on me.

My wife saw white Ciaz parked in front of our house one day and liked what she saw from the outside. The Ciaz did look very elegant in White. She wanted to test drive the Ciaz. So I took her to the Gachibowli showroom (Varun motors) for a test drive. However, the interiors were a complete let down for my wife too. The dashboard plastics, seat buckle, interior door knobs felt cheap and so we skipped it once again. No offence to Ciaz owners!

Then came the New Elantra 3D (2015). Hyundai, now a days is post-fixing the car names with alpha numerics like "3D" "4S".

Hyundai Elantra 3D:

Does it tick all my above listed requirements? YES. What else needs to be checked?

1. Hyundai's overall ownership experience: I have gone through the ownership threads of fellow members for cars like i20, Verna, Elantra Official review, Santa Fe Official review and an ownership thread as well.

Though there were some issues where a member pointed out how easily the bonnet could be dented with press of a hand at a particular point on the bonnet and other issues, I felt they were more of an exception than norm. Given that Hyundai is a high volume car maker (relatively), the niggles in absolute terms will be certainly more than other brands like VW while in percentage terms it would be lesser.

2. Hyundai's longterm plans in India: Having checked out Elantra in US website, I thought Hyundai is providing us at par cars when compared to other developed markets. The important features skipped for Indian market are Sunroof, backseat ventilators and a 7 inch touch screen as an option. I was worried that Hyundai overstated the mileage in US market and was caught! It was indeed not correct morally. However, I did not let a single issue bother me. The fact that Elantra is one of top ten most sold cars ever with cumulative sales of more than 10 million provided comfort. The company ought to have thought in all ways possible before coming up with next version. It cannot spoil the brand value Elantra has created over the years.

The improvement in terms of design, features, fit and finish of Hyundai's in its latest avatar is astonishing. It is not the same company which came with its products like sonata Gold, Elantra of the 2000s. The company is on an uptrend.

However, Hyundai could not judge the customer's preferences leaning towards SUVs (smaller and bigger) and so could not get into SUV product line up as early as it should. It is loosing market share as we speak in USA. I believe Creta is the result of this realisation towards SUV product line up - specifically in gaining SUV market share in developing countries.

Santa Fe doing a consistent 100 plus in India is a testimony that it can serve its premium customers as well. So, Elantra at its price point did not deter me, It is as capable as Toyota in serving Corolla owners. I was infact surprised that Santa Fe is selling those numbers monthly. I loved it.

3. Hyundai's customer service and After Sales and Service: Purely from the opinions of the forum members, I gather it is good. Also, Hyundai is serious in Indian market which you can make out from the way it is introducing products in India - specific to Indian market.

I only drove for about 200 KMs at the time of this writing.

What I Liked in Elantra:

1. The exterior design:

I have fallen head over heels over this fluidic design concept by Hyundai. I have actually liked Sonata's design when compared to Elantra, especially the front bonnet swooping into the grill. The best profiles to view an Elantra are side profiles and three quarters.

2. The interior layout and black color interiors:

Everything in the dashboard is at its place and quite convenient. The start/stop should have been placed better as I cannot see it from my seating position - the steering wheel comes in the way. However, it is placed to the right side of it which is the way I like it - away from passenger's seat. The vents are moved placed a little up towards the dashboard unlike the pre-facelift version. the doors are padded and provide a premium feel to it. The addition of a 4.5 inch touch screen is a welcome addition and the touch screen is quite responsive to touch. The lower part of the dashboard has the housing for AUX, Charging point in a closed enclosure. The hazard lights are a tad smaller in size. The arm rest is placed a bit backwards and has lost its relevance particularly because my driving position is towards the dashboard (being 5 feet 4 inches).

3. Interior build quality, dashboard soft touch plastics, fit and finish:

This is where a C segment sedan cannot match a D segment. We have compared Verna's interior to the Elantra's and found verna's to be lacking finesse. The front seats and back seats are quite comfortable and cushy. The leather quality is acceptable but not top notch. The gear lever feels premium to touch and operate. There is a definite feedback while slotting the different modes of the automatic. The soft touch dashboard material feels premium and black color sure feels much better than beige interiors (personal taste). There are no uneven panel gaps at all as you can observe from the pictures.

4. Safety features:

The SX variant is equipped with 6 airbags, ESP, VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), ABS, speed sensing auto door lock. As mentioned, the safety features are of paramount importance to me. I think the tyres should have been Michelins for better road grip. I can't complain though as Goodyear Assurance are very comfortable.

5. Features:

Cruise control, Start/Stop, keyless entry (both driver as well as passenger side - very convenient), touch screen (though small at 4.5 inch - 7 inch would have been super even as an optional accessory), comfortable seats, reversing camera, rear parking sensors (very sensitive, beep even though I have enough space, so I stop at double beep), projectors, the LED positioning light is cool, electrically operated driver seat adjustment with lumbar support, auto headlights, electrochroamatic IRVM are some of the features offered. I did not find much lag in terms of auto headlights coming on. The buttons are illuminated and is quite easy to find the right button even during night drives. This is something I missed in my earlier car. As soon as you slot the car into "R", the reverse camera gets into action and is displayed on the touch screen and not on the IRVM. ORVM gets auto-heating function as well.

The passenger side seats should also have been electrically operated as well. The vanity mirrors do not get auto on lights function. The glove box is not illuminated but cooled (I think illumination is a better feature to have here than cooling). Also, the glove box cannot be locked, like in Jetta.


Steering:

I found steering to be ok, not super light as indicated by others. In fact, our petrol Sunny has even lighter steering compared to Elantra. There is sufficient feedback at higher speeds. However, the steering is not responsive to my input while cornering or turning. There is a little bit of lag. The steering feels solid to hold.

Ride and handling:

Certainly, Hyundai's are notorious for its ride and handling abilities. However, I found it to be supremely comfortable in terms of ride and acceptable in terms of handling. The bumps did not cause much undulations and the sideways and vertical movement is minimal. I did not drive a Verna, so I would not be able to compare Elantra against verna, but certainly Elantra feels good at ride quality. The back benchers did not complain on the ride quality. Coming to cornering abilities, I did not do this at higher speeds so I cannot comment on this now. As and when the situation arises I will feedback on this.

Engine (1.8 L VTVT Automatic):

As can be expected, the petrol engine is quite silent and smooth and refined. The upshifts are quite ok and smooth and in fact you will not notice the shifts at all. The automatic is very compatible to drive in the city. No more worrying about the "clutch-gear change-clutch-gear change" routine in bumper to bumper traffic. Just slow down, hold the brakes and move on. If you slightly release brakes the car moves forward lightly, so this can be useful in number to number traffic where you snail forward with just the usage of "brake". The up hill assist is useful as well but not as much as it would have been because the vehicle anyway moves forward with release of foot brakes. As I'm in the run in period, I'm not pushing the car beyond 2000 RPM and the vehicle manages to stay in 60-80 KMPH band around 1500-2000 RPM. As of now, I'm always driving in "ECO" mode on. The engine produces 147 BHP at around 6500 RPM and a peak Torque of 177 NM at 4700 RPM.


What could have been better:

1. The automatic is a bit slow to respond to throttle input, not super slow but a little bit. I'm comfortable with this though. Not a deal breaker for me. I also observed wasted revs. The RPM increases but the corresponding acceleration is not found at wheels (this may improve after a bit of driving, not sure though).
2. Missed the full time MID. Real time fuel efficiency indicator and distance to empty should have been given
3. The head room might be a bit cramped for hefty build people. It's perfect for me as I'm short and medium built.
4. Could have provided auto rain sensing wipers, headlight washers, sunroof, bigger touch screen with navigation at least as an option.
5. Braking could have been better even though it comes with 4 disc brakes.

Booking and delivery experience:

The entire booking to delivery took about 2 weeks and is as smooth as it can get. The dealer is KUN HYUNDAI, Kondapur, Hyderabad. I was greeted by the sales executive when I went for the first time to check out the Car. I was explained about the features and quoted 2 weeks for delivery with 50k INR as the booking amount. The first thing I have told them is, "I'm interested in Elantra and not here for time pass. If we can strike a deal on the offers I will go ahead and book it right away after a test drive". The SA wanted to check with his boss and asked me for a day's time as it was already 9 PM then and decision makers have left the showroom by then. Negotiations went the next day on phone and I was OK with the offer and booked the car the same day in the evening. Please private chat me for the offer provided.

The SA Samiuddin is quite a pleasing man and he delivered the car as promised within 15 days. This was his first Elantra sale and he was not very knowledgeable with the features. I did not bother as anyway, Team BHP official review has listed all the features. He kept me updated on the car leaving the company, in transit, reached stockyard. He advised me to complete the finance formalities so I can take the delivery the next day of the car reaching the stockyard. The yard is very far from where I stay, so I did not visit the yard, how ever, I have told them that once the car reaches the showroom, I will do the PDI (comprehensive as per Team BHP PDF) and once I'm OK with the car, I will provide the cheque for the OTR price minus Loan amount. The cheque got cleared in 2 hours and since I have the loan agreement ready by then with the bank, I took delivery of the car amidst confetti along with my mother, wife, 2 kids. The car as per VIN is June 2015 manufactured at Chennai plant.

The finance Team lead Mr. Bhaskar who helped me on the car loan with the bank (SBI) is very helpful, approachable. He did not rush things and is quite patient in explaining the documents that I was signing. I wanted to be sure on what all documents I was signing and why?

Advantages of SBI car loan:

1. Daily reducing balance instead of monthly reducing for private banks.
2. 10.3% interest FLOATING rate for 7 years. Private banks provide FIXED rate. Very deceptive. As per current market trends, the base rate will in all probability go down for the next few years (with a right to go wrong) and the retails loans like home loan and car loan are marked to base rate + X%. So, taking floating rate of interest will help in reducing your interest further as car loan rates are bound to fall.
3. No pre-penalty charges (I'm not interested in this feature anyway) - other banks provide this I believe.
4. Part payment can be done (I'm not interested in this feature anyway) - other banks provide this I believe.
5. My loan was approved in a SINGLE day. That's quite fast for a public sector bank and goes a lot in saying that PSUs are catching up with private sector banks. Do give them a chance and take the extra effort if you can in providing all the documents that SBI require instead of going with private banks as there is minimal documentation.
6. My home loan is also with SBI which could have helped them in approving faster as they anyway have my payment track record.

INSURANCE:

I went with HDFC Ergo insurance which is provided by the dealer himself and they have cashless tie up. Going by the reputation of HDFC as a bank, I went with it. I did not do any further research here. My late dad worked with New India, had he been alive today, I would have gone with New India! The insurance came to 55000 INR which is on the higher side by a good 10000 INR I believe. I should have further negotiated here which is a miss from my side.

I sold my Alto but the new owner did NOT change the registration to his name yet, so I lost NCB (at least 40% for sure as I have never claimed for last 5 years). Can I in the next 1-2 months show the RC in the new owner's name and NCB certificate and get the NCB bonus on the current year insurance paid along with the new car?

Continued in the next post...

It's pictures time!

I have purposefully separated pictures from text as I did not want to interrupt the reading flow. I have captured pictures from the stand point of a prospective owner. Sorry, the car is a bit dirty due to rains in Hyderabad.

If you want a picture of any specific angle/component do let me know.

That's Elantra smiling from the front view:


Front three quarter's views - the best angle to look at Elantra:


That's the headlight assembly:


Welcoming Hyundai to my family for the first time:


That's the Auto label on the front right side:


The rear angle:


The rear three quarter:


The Goodyear tyres:


The passenger side door sensor:


The door front door badging and "boot opener" and "Fuel lid" opener:


The supervision cluster - looks uber cool during night time:


The gear knob from top view:


The gear knob from side view - you can look at the button to press while shifting 'gears':


The ventilated seat buttons:


The rear seats as seen from the front:


The tilt and reach adjustment:


The headlight and indicator knob:


The wiper knob:


The electrochroamatic mirror with an iPhone inside!


The tweeter and speaker at the front:


The bonnet opener lid and 'organ' type accelerator pedal:


The dead pedal and other other pedals assembly:


Another shot of the interior:


A view of the maximum and minimum space available for the back benchers!

[petrolveins]

Continued from the above post...


Other bullet points:

1. The car comes with 4 year warranty and so there is no need for any extended warranty.
2. The car came with Goodyear Assurance 205/60 R16 tyres including the spare alloy wheel.
3. The rear view is quite good and the IRVM and ORVM has good visibility.
4. Did not test the headlights throw yet.
5. AC is quite good not bone chilling, but sufficient. The rear vents does their job well.
6. Audio system is good, not excellent.
7. Interior storage is plenty, boot space is more than sufficient.
8. NVH is absolutely fantastic. The ride is quiet, wind noise is minimal.
9. Braking is ok not excellent. Fiesta's braking was absolutely fantastic.
10. Steering is nice to hold (comes with black leather and not brown as stated during official review of the 2015 model - may be Hyundai changed it)
11. Ground clearance was good and did not hit any speed breakers with 3 adults and 2 kids and 10 kg boot luggage.
12. There was not much choice in terms of colour, we went with White which everyone in the family liked.
13. There is a luggage net provided in the boot along with first aid kit, tool kit along with spare wheel, a triangular reflector in case of a breakdown during night time as a safety measure.
14. Forgot to switch off cabin lights? Not to worry, battery will be auto disconnected after 1 hour. Is this the same with headlights too? Do not know, need to read the manual further.

General points for car buyers:

1. Take everything in writing. Any discounts offered, let SA mention in the booking form. Even the delivery date at the time of booking.
2. DO NOT disburse the loan soon after it is sanctioned. Write to them specifically that you will give your nod for loan disbursement. After PDI only, disburse the loan.
3. Know what is the stamp duty for your loan in your state. I was fleeced 1000 INR, but decided not to pursue.
4. Tell them not to put Teflon coating if you do not want it. Team BHP does not recommend it. Some dealers put it. Y default for free.
5. PDI is compulsory. Do not get carried away by the new car enthusiasm and do not fall for sales people sweet talk.

CONCLUSION:

Overall, I feel that Elantra deserves more than what its current sale numbers indicate. I certainly did not bother about brand equity in terms of how the brand is perceived by others. I just evaluated the product with respect to my requirements and budget. I also predict that few years down the line, Hyundai would certainly command a premium brand equity, not that I care about it as my next car would be the product that suits me at that point of time and it may be from Hyundai or may not be. The ON ROAD price as per dealer was 19.81 lakhs for Elantra 1.8 VTVT Automatic SX variant.


A special mention and a big goes to the below BHPians whose threads/posts/private messages have helped me in reaching my decision.

Moderators:

GTO, Vidyut (Vid6639) on his feedback on City AT vs. Ciaz AT, Ajmat (for his reply on my query on Fluence), S2 for his 2015 Elantra facelift review, tsk1979 for his official Elantra review thread.

Fellow members with whom I have exchanged message(s) privately during the process:

VSG12777, autonarr, aditto, cs_rajesh, amarendranath, Arjun Reddy, Brishti, adentist, Diesel9999, Tanveer_2558

Absolutely fantastic ownership threads that helped me:

graaja for his below excellent ownership thread on JETTA:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...es-home-3.html

severus for his excellent ownership thread on Corolla Altis:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ed-review.html

Tanveer_2558 for his XUV 500 New Age and Jetta ownership threads:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...0-awd-w10.html

Amarendranath for his Jetta ownership thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...s-arrived.html

...and further pictures will follow below...

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line section. Thanks for sharing!

[urajkumar]

That's a comprehensive and straight forward thread. Certainly got me thinking because today took a test drive of XUV but found the seating a bit high (I am 6 foot) suprisingly. Creta seems over valued for the features and value and certainly not a upgrade from ecosport. so back to elantra and I am going to watch your thread a little while longer before I decide. Do keep the thread alive with your mileage, ride and other details. Cheers on your good choice and happy mile crunching! Of course I will pm you on the deal you recieved we all can't resist that can we

[Amarendranath]

Hey Buddy,

Finally! Good to see you with your dream car. Hearty Congratulations. I appreciate all the details mentioned in the thread. Wishing you miles of safety and a niggle free ownership.

[Tanveer_2558]

Hello petrolveins, Many congratulations for your new ride, Its surely is a looker, The interior's in the updated Elantra are really drool worthy! Wish you many miles of happiness and i hope you enjoy every bit of the car. I am happy i could be a part in your decision process and which helped you select the car which suits you the most. 4 year warranty is something i could only wish a german car would come with And please do keep the thread updated and share some more pictures of the beauty.

[arvi86]

Ever since you posted a pic of your Elantra in the car's official review thread, I was waiting for your full-blown ownership review. Now that its here finally, here's my formal congratulations!

Now, that's one beautiful car! If there is one car that won't make my miss my Civic's design, styling and appeal, the Elantra would be it. As you rightly said, 'Fluidic Sculpture' design language has completely transformed the way Hyundai cars look these days. Unlike your opinion, I find the Elantra to be the best-styled Hyundai sedan of the three - Verna, Elantra and Sonata. The Verna looks a bit small to carry all those creases and curves while the Sonata felt a little bloated. The Elantra is just the perfect size in my opinion. It's another matter that all three of them are stunners in their respective segments.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by petrolveins

My one year search for a new car ended with Hyundai Elantra coming home on 13 July 2015.

Hey petrolveins, congrats on your latest acquisition and she looks pristine in that shade

Though I prefer clean and sedate looks when it comes to cars, Elantra 3D is a complete exception. This car is probably the best looking D segment available in India today. How I wish Hyundai had somehow plonked a 1.4 TSI type of Engine (from Jetta) onto this which would have really given the other contenders a run for their money.

At least, Hyundai must have distinguished this from Verna with a better/more powerful 1.8 CRDI engine.

Nevertheless, you have one of the best looking D-segment Sedans available and wish you a very happy motoring.

[petrolveins]

Thank you one and all for your wishes.

Moving further,

I have ordered the below car care accessories to start with. Please let me know if I have missed any as a day 1 necessity:

1. Jopasu car duster: this will be carried with me in the car's boot always. A quick 5 minute dusting on a daily basis or as and when required to keep the car squeaky clean.

2. Armor all ultra shine wash and wax: This will be my once a week wet car wash companion. 2 buckets of water. One bucket with this liquid and another bucket with soft water. This weekly regimen will not only keep the car new and shiny but also help me spent quite a few calories. I'm not going to outsource this activity to someone else but do it all by myself.

3. A pair of micro fiber cloths: no questions asked on this. This is bare minimum requirement to clean a cloth. Not expensive as well. 170 INR per cloth is all that is required.

I have ordered all the above for about 1250 INR total from Amazon.

Amazon has better collection for car related products when compared to Flipkart and Snapdeal- my observation.

[petrolveins]

Well, a car ownership for a team BHPian is not complete if there are no team Bhp keys and stickers!!!

There you go with the trio of keys ordered from the store and delivered to Hyderabad in 3 days straight!



@mods - please merge this post with the above post. I was unable to upload multiple pictures from an iPad. The last uploaded pic is overriding the previous upload this allowing for only 1 picture upload.

[br_876]

Congrats on the new car. Looks great, especially the interiors. What is the kind of fuel economy you are getting? And is the auto a torque converter type?

I'm considering a upgrade to the Jetta but this thread has made me have a look at the Hyundai.

[petrolveins]

Originally Posted by br_876

Congrats on the new car. Looks great, especially the interiors. What is the kind of fuel economy you are getting? And is the auto a torque converter type?

I'm considering a upgrade to the Jetta but this thread has made me have a look at the Hyundai.

Yes, the auto is a six speed torque converter. From the little running I have had, the mileage comes to about 10 KMPL. I'm expecting it to improve as I progress. I'm running the car in ECO mode turned on always. I'm not sure how much this ECO mode actually improves fuel efficiency.

The Elantra does not have real time fuel efficiency indicator.

All the best on your hunt for a new car

[atulsian]

Congrats petrolveins for your new acquisition.

Happy miles ahead. I have test driven Elantra and man what a car it is. It looks so premium. I hope to meet you and other Hyderabad BHPians soon.

[petrolveins]

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON THE CAR:

So, the romance with the new car lasted only about a week when our super racer opposite house car owner banged my Elantra while he was reversing his car. I was inside my house unaware of the accident outside. The damage was done to the rear left side door. There are about 5 small dents and several scratches across the door. I'm still wondering how could he miss by such wide margin that his rear bumper ended at the middle of my rear car.

To top it off, he silently went inside his house without even informing us about this. I came out of my house to take out some papers left inside my car and saw what happened. My first suspicion was on water tankers which ply on my community roads quite often due to severe water shortage. Upon closer inspection, I saw black bumper marks and a tinge of red paint. So, this is not a side collision but some ones back bumping my rear door. Voila, I know he has a red car with black bumper!!

After a little bit of drama, he 'confessed' to it and was suggesting claiming the damages through insurance and was also providing me with some gyan about how these things are common on Hyderabad roads and how his even new car faced with similar fate few years back.

I said, I'm not interested in claiming my insurance as I would lose my NCB. He suggested to get the car repaired at his car's showroom garage so he 'could' claim insurance. I told him, this may not be possible and even if this is possible, I would not get the repair done anywhere but an authorized Hyundai workshop.

Anyway, I called up Hyundai workshop at Gachibowli (located at the start of Gachibowli bridge while going towards ISB, Hyderabad) and he asked to bring the car the next day. I showed up and he estimated the bill to be about 6500 INR which includes painting and dent removal. I agreed and left the car with them with a heavy heart. The car is now back to normal and I was happy with their work. They suggested not to get this through insurance for the reason mentioned above. Total bill came to 7752 INR including taxes.

After the car came back, I waited for about a day to see if he would turn up voluntarily at my house to foot the bill. It did not happen. I wanted to let it go not to be an irritant in the community but my mother and wife were against this as there was no fault of us at all in this case. So, we promptly handed the receipt to them. Let's see what happens.

Lesson 1: Instead of jumping conclusions, a careful observation of the car on type of damage, car paint stuck would reveal a lot about the nature of the accident. A la AIR CRASH INVESTIGATION types.
Lesson 2: My SA told he would give the car cover in a week when the stock is available in the showroom so I waited for it - correct thing to do at that time but may not be he best thing to do as it's never safe to leave the car without a cover and that to if it's out in the open.

I have ordered a POLCO TYVEK SEGMENT D car cover with priority delivery - to be delivered in 2 days by Amazon. The car cover costed me around 2900 INR.

Picture before giving it to workshop:


Picture after getting it back from the workshop:


Overall I'm happy with the workshop work and I felt the charges are a little on the lower side (?). How much does a similar work on a JETTA would have cost? Can the current owners please opine so the prospective buyers can get some perspective with regards to charges?

P.S.: There are still very minute scratches left beneath the door on the frame supporting the floor, but I have left them as is as they are not visible and would cost another 5000 INR as they may have to repaint larger portion than is required. I have asked them if they could just 'touch it up' but they forgot to do it.

[Tanveer_2558]

Hello, Surely an unfortunate incident. But its okay, Happy to see the car is back and yes they have done an excellent job! Looks like new again! Such careless neighbours (racers) are very easy to find actually, Do let us know if he compensated any amount. Also fingers crossed nothing like this happened to my jetta, But when i had a vw polo a biker had banged into my drivers side door, Which resulted in a quite a big dent, VW charged me 7k for the dent removal and also when no repainting was required! Obviously on the higher side but the car was like new again so i was happy. Surely a german car is expensive to own in everyway!