The elantra was launched quite late in india even though hyundai was very successful here.this is actually an accent with another cylinder.it has been placed in the ’luxury’ d-segment.it has been successful in other countries.well I have written this review a bit late because ms did not have a section for elantra earlier.it has enjoyed an enthusiastic reponse.should one go for the car?
the car looks good but I just can’t find what I don’t like in this car.it looks a bit odd in the front.it looks different from the other hyundai products.there are three options for the front grille.without any chrome, with chrome border lining, or with vertical strips of chrome.the headlamps are multi reflector and suits the rest of the front facia.the bumper gets treatment similiar to the hyundai coupe with an air dam which has integrated fog lamps.in the side it looks very conservative.it gets chrome door handles.the alloys look sporty.the rear is also conservative in its styling.it is very ’american’.overall the elantra is good looking but it is not as good as its competitors in looks.hyundai has been a bit conservative in this department.-8.5/10
the interior is again conservative with nothing new or different.the seats are comfortable.the door shuts with a solid ’thud’.even if not as solid as the octavia, the elantra has good build quality.leather is available as an option(i think).there is enough legroom in the front(if you are 6 feet or less).the steering is very attractive with the hyundai logo in the middle.the speedo and tacho are white on black.there are lcd readouts in the instrument panel.the dash has fake wood inserts(hyundai has an upgraded interior in india because of its price tag).but the ’wood’ does not look very originnal.the side panels on the doors also get wood inserts.in the rear the legroom is okay while the seats are also ok.the quality of the materials used in the interior are very good even if it is a hyundai.but there is one very big advantage.there are airbags on the elantra.twin airbags, one in the steering for the driver and the other for the front passenger.this is good thinking from hyundai.it has more safety sysytems, more on that later.-9/10
there are two engines available in india.a 1.8 litre engine that runs on petrol which pumps a whopping 130 bhp(the highest in its class!) and a common rail direct injection diesel which can displace 2 litres that pumps out 112 bhp(22 bhp more than octavia!).max power is available a bit higher in the rev range.so drive at low speeds feels a bit harsh.but as the speed increases the ride quality increases.the amazing power translates into good performance.the elantra is quicker thna the octavia.even the top speed is very good(petrol 185 kmph).the diesel is quicker than the petrol!!!it is also quicker than the octavia.again top speed is 185 kmph.performance of both cars can be described as excellent but the diesel offers better ride quality.even nvh levels are almost nil and so it is hard to digest the fact that it is a diesel.the ride and handling is good.the elantra gets abs(anti lock braking system), tcs(traction control system) and ebd(electronic brake force distribution)!with these you can easily get out of any sticky situations.these safety features are a boon to indians who do not get things like airbags and these features in cars cheaper than mercs.
performance-petrol-9.5/10;crdi-9.8/10
ride quality-petrol-9/10;crdi-9.2/10
the fuel efficiency of the petrol elantra is not very good.it gives less than 10kmpl in the city and mixed conditions.in the highway it manages 11 kmpl.but the diesel gives as much as 14 kmpl in mixed conditions.but efficiency is not as good as that of the octavia tdi.the maintenance costs are not very high either.the maintenance cost of the diesel is ofcourse more than that of the petrol.the petrol version can be bought for less than 10 lakhs.the diesel costs 1 lakh odd more.but I suggest that you go for the diesel.its performance is better than that of the petrol and it also has lesser running costs.the crdi retails for around 11.5 lakh.
value for money-petrol-9.2/10;crdi-9/10
running costs-petrol-8.5/10;crdi-9.5/10
the over view-the elantra is a very good driver’s car.the petrol gives very good performance but the diesel has a considerable edge over the petrol elantra.the performance of the sophisticated crdi engine is better than that of the petrol engine.the fuel efficiency of the crdi is also better than the petrol version.the elantra crdi is easily one of the best diesels this side of the mercs.so if you are ready to spend a few more bucks then get the hyundai elantra crdi.but it faces tremendous competition from the octavia tdi.more over, skoda is going to bring in the octavia tdi automatic!i am sure that will sell like hot buns because you get the convenience of an auto transmission and the efficiency of a diesel.even I am looking forward to the tdi auto.the petrol elantra is less expensive compared to the crdi.however it faces more competition(corolla, optra, octavia).hyundai has got its act right yet again. overall(petrol)-9/10;crdi-9.5/10
PS-don’t make your decision based on this review alone.take a test drive.
please leave your comments.if you don’t have time, atleast give your rating for the review.
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