Hyundai Elantra 2016 Review & Pictures: The Elan Choice

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“The Elan Choice”

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Hyundai Elantra Review Synopsis:

• New Hyundai Elantra price tag starts at Rs.12.99 Lakh. It officially launched in India on 23rd August 2016.
• It is targeted directly against models like Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Octavia.
• New Elantra is available in both, Petrol as well as Diesel engines, along with choice of MT or AT in either models.
• The 2.0L Petrol produces a peak power of 152 PS and 19.6 Kgm torque with ARAI claimed mileage of 14.59 Kpl (MT) and 14.62 Kpl (AT).
• The 1.6L VGT Diesel produces a peak power of 128 PS and torque of 26.5 Kgm with ARAI claimed mileage of 22.54 Kpl (MT) and 18.23 Kpl (AT).

Is New Hyundai Elantra equally the car of go with the show? Let's find out.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Introduction

Back in 2004 when the third generation Hyundai Elantra launched in India; true to its DNA, the car had some path-breaking features in terms of comfort and safety and was truly a value for money choice. But two factors resulted in its lukewarm response. First, the size of segment (very low volumes then). Second, Hyundai brand being perceived as a small carmaker (that has changed now and how). Nevertheless, going by market response and other factors combined; Hyundai decided to shelve the plans of the launch of fourth generation Hyundai Elantra in India.

Then rolled-out the fifth generation Hyundai Elantra which was a head turner, the fluidic design with its curves and coupe like roofline etc. made an impact and it’s a well-known fact that it turned out to be instant hit. In fact it fetched many takers solely for exterior design, interiors and list of features (as usual many segment firsts) it came equipped with. But grass isn’t always green. The initial hoopla faded quite quickly and customers started looking at other options resulting in a falling number of sales of Elantra. Then came the final stab from Toyota; the strikingly designed all-new Corolla simply snatched the design USP also of the Elantra and a change was a must need for revive. Now in 2016, Hyundai has launched the sixth generation Elantra.

The new car, like its predecessors has got striking looks, well-designed interiors and a long list of features too along with many segment firsts. We headed to Chennai to lay our hands on all four iterations on offer from Hyundai and here we put forward our first impressions.

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Overview and Design

When it comes to exteriors, Hyundai definitely knows a thing or two about creating pleasant designs. Unlike older curvy design, the new-gen Elantra is more about a mix of Korean curves along with the European straight lines, with a higher bias towards the latter. We have a liking for European designs, they look elegant and everlasting; well this time Hyundai has a taken a leaflet from Euro designs and the outcome will make some heads turn for sure.

The front is now dominated by a huge hexagonal grille which is much Audi-ish so to speak. It’s three-side chrome surrounded with five horizontal chrome slats. In fact, if you remove the Hyundai logo then there is a possibility for any untrained eye to think of the Elantra as some entry level offering from Audi itself, perhaps a curvier one. The headlamps which are wrapped around are thankfully no more stretched like the fluidic 1.0 sculpture and with that Jaguar (another design leaflet) inspired DRLs do add to their part in the design quite well. That’s an entirely different thing that we would have loved slightly sleeker unit of DRLs inside the headlamps. With the projectors present for the low beam and HIDs for your high beam, the illumination is anyways nice and they look mean. I’m imagining how hot they would have look on a red car if smoked.

However, headlamps isn’t what the special touch is, it’s the projector foglamps along with boomerang shape enclosures finished in piano black. Well, here’s also a small party trick, even the boomerang shaped enclosures also contain the horizontal slats above the fog lamps which are enclosed in the chrome rings, well; the owners will actually love this design element and those small projectors add to that feel-good-factor. BTW, the DRLs would have looked even better here instead of those horizontal slats in my personal opinion. What appealed us the most is the attention to detail here, very tight and perfectly even panel gaps, no doubt Hyundai sets the standard in terms of fit and finish and seems to raise the bar even higher with every new generation of their cars (challenging themselves?). Behind this appealing fascia lies a long, sculpted bonnet, well this is a Hyundai and it is fluidic; the bonnet is what resembles the fluidic design and has got some strong creases too. Originating from both the a pillars is a strong crease in V-shape that ends at the edges of grille along with a set of strong creases originating at upper edges of grille which quickly fades above the headlamp eyebrows. This sculpted bonnet also gives an illusion that shut lines are now pushed to the sides (as in new Superb) instead of being on the top of the bonnet; they are still there on the top though.

Side profile is where the sixth generation car has slight resemblance to the outgoing one. First and foremost is the signature Hyundai coupe-like roofline which gives a very stylish silhouette. Actually, the entire side profile is dominated by two creases and a roofline. The two creases on doors; the upper one is the weaker one that starts at the badge and ends at taillight and the lower, stronger one that starts at front door and ends at the rear one. Wheel arches, like in everything on offer, are flared. Coupe-like roofline seamlessly ends into the boot with a slight kink. Gorgeous gun-metal finished ten-spoke 16” alloys gel really well with the entire vehicle design. Nothing under or over-sized, the wheel and tyre size seems to be just perfect here; we would have liked the wheels to be a bit bigger but not at the cost of ride quality. Shark fin antenna, chrome window lining (lower section) and superbly finished chrome door handles with welcome light look pleasant in dark.

Frankly speaking, I prefer the rear design more than any other section of New Elantra. Neither the rear looks much cluttered like outgoing model, nor does it look plain as of a Volkswagen Passat. Everything seems to be in right place, in right size and of course; right style. The best thing about rear is set of LED tail lamps which appear simply delicious when illuminated in dark. I believe that what was on offer on the Sonata was even better looking but these ones aren’t behind either. Now many can claim that Hyundai again got ‘inspired’ from an Audi SUV, they just took the tail lamp design, twisted every square by a specific angle, twisted entire assembly then and voila, a striking design is ready. Doesn’t matter! It looks good and that’s all that matters to me if I am a buyer after all. Good thing is that there is no ugly thick chrome strip above the registration plate housing. It’s simply stylish, there are tail lamps, a huge bumper affixed with a reflector each on either sides and yes, model and variant badge to complete the rear design. Lower section of the rear bumper is finished in black but it’s the silver or white shade where it actually makes its presence felt. This overall smooth flowing design language is what seems to have given this car a commendable coefficient of drag of 0.29.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Interiors, Features and Comfort

It won’t be an exaggeration if I claim that I had my jaw dropped when I opened the front door for the first time. Where’s beige? Wow. How can you be so kind Hyundai? Well, before you read further, let me give you an idea of what is coming. This is a Hyundai. Hence, fit, finish, quality and attention to detail are best in segment. I opened the door and it ain’t a light one. That’s what added to my confidence that this car is Euorean (Euro + Korean) and not just a light and efficient Korean one. The doors open and close with an assuring thud (still not close to Octavia or Jetta though) but there is a good sense of strength associated to them.

The first point of contacts when you are into the driver’s seat is the steering wheel and you guess it right, the seat itself. Well, exactly what I like in terms of steering design is what the wheel of this car is. Three spoke, easy reach for every button, good leather wrap and a thick rim to hold, this steering wheel is good enough to wow any driver coming from a smaller car. The steering is good to hold and light to operate, horn or buttons etc all are placed spot on and won’t give a reason to anyone to complain. The LHS controls consist of phone and ICE controls while RHS controls consist of cruise control and MID like selector switch, toggle switch etc.

Behind the steering wheel is the instrument panel, I have a distinct liking for this rather simplistic but still stylish, functional and information loaded panel. The fonts are well illuminated in white backlight (I personally hate blue backlit instruments panel), are perfect sized and are damn easy to read too. There is this long and wide MID which actually has got a very nice set of fonts, feels more like using an actual car setting computer instead of those regular MID screens which have just a couple of settings like say an old basic mobile phone. The MID itself has controls and settings for most of the car controls like auto door lock, headlight delay, smart trunk, welcome lights etc. So basically in the Elantra you have a long list of features available with an option of choosing which you want to work and which way.

Front seats are exactly what they need to be for any medium sized adult. Seats are well sculpted, well designed, well padded and well… they are cooled (in only top end AT variants) and that’s the best part about them. Once you are in this snug front seat, it is when you actually appreciate the hard work Hyundai has done to make this car look and feel premium at every nook and corner. The seat itself is 10 way-electrically adjustable and mated to a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel; it is really easy to find that perfect driving position. Back support or thigh support, nothing will give you a chance to complain and I am not exaggerating when I say that this may be the best front seat available in the segment for now. The cooling function deserves a special mention as it was just a matter of seconds that it started making my back feeling cool and of course, no more the same old shirt-spoiling-and-uncomfortable-inner-sweating; thanks for this one Hyundai albeit it would have been wonderful if you had provided it in top end manual too.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Interiors, Features and Comfort

Talk about ergonomics and everything is at the place where it’s supposed to be. The way every button or lever feels and works is impressive. All the armrests etc are also positioned just spot on. The all black dashboard; well you need to take a look at it to believe how better all-black is as compared to the beige (when there are no low rent shiny plastics). The dashboard is, as already mentioned, all black with tasteful silver inserts like a thick silver strap finished in brushed aluminum to separate the upper and lower dash along with ACC unit fascia, AC vents surrounding, around and on the gear lever. You guessed it right, there is no India’s favorite chrome inside and I personally thank Hyundai for omitting the chrome and beige bling, giving us a truly premium feeling cabin.

The center console is slightly tilted towards the driver with the upper part being dominated by the 8-inch touch screen ICE system with centre AC vents on its sides. Oh yeah, no more those small and weird looking central AC vents here now with that lady-figure shaped old center console. The new unit feels a lot like it’s inspired from some premium German (look at that design language) and there’s a really tasteful usage of piano black finish along with silver inserts. I tell you, Hyundai gives a lot of thought when it comes to design and it shows here quite well (If Verna gets similar theme, it may shake up the segment). This 8-inch Arkamys ICE is one nice sounding system (not segment best though) that is loaded with some latest tech like android auto, mirror link and of course, you get the satellite navigation too.

What I particularly like is the provision of buttons and controls for volume, phone etc given the fact that touch screens aren’t easy to operate while on drive and you literally can never operate them without taking your eyes off the road while the buttons give you that luxury. Rest the ICE is just a tech loaded new generation touch screen system with nothing special or exceptional, it simply does what it is mean to. USB and auxiliary connection can be made via the ports which are lower down well hidden inside a covered cubby. Under the ICE is the ACC control cluster, which is basically a normal ACC unit with an option of dual zone climate control up front, in the rear it is more or less same anyways. Rest the ACC is an effective unit in both petrol and diesel and cools down the cabin quite quickly too, in fact it did a good job in keeping us cool in the hot Chennai weather.

The stubby gear lever is nice to hold and offers really precise and crispy shifts in the manual while the automatic has the similar looking gear lever without any marking on the head. Well, I particularly like the gear lever of the manual and equally I dislike the one on automatic, it looks plain jane, some style could have been added up there to make it look something not like a shiny black egg; one wrapped in leather. The blue backlit display under the gear selector in automatic is a good addition; I just hate the ones which don’t have this part illuminated like in say Honda BR-V etc. While the automatic gives you the buttons for drive mode and seat ventilation, there are still 3 dummy buttons which completely look out of place, here the plain insert that we have in the manual appears better.

The rear doors open nice and wide but I am not impressed with the overall design. It’s where the lower and upper window lines meet, the door has a distinct edgy design and if you have shorter hands then you will definitely need to be a bit cautious while opening the door else this section will hit you for sure, I saw this happening twice, it’s a negligibly small issue any ways but any owner who ever face this, will not like this small trait. The seat, well, it’s a good leather seat which is well designed and well padded too. Legroom, thigh support, seatback etc all are just spot on but headroom is bad, thanks to the stylish coupe like roofline that you are robbed off the headroom. The rear centre armrest – placed just spot on and right sized, oh yes; where is the old party trick Hyundai? Where are those nifty ICE control buttons? I don’t think you needed to skip them as they were actually a BIG feel good adding item. My hairs brushed with the roof whenever I sat straight.

You will never find a reason to complain of the rear seat ride quality, legroom or thigh support or even headroom if you are less than 5’8” but if your height is more then take my suggestion seriously; don’t try to find the comfortable seating position by trying to sit upright during long hauls. Armrests etc all are placed spot on; absolutely nothing to complaint but the rear windows have a really narrow opening (in terms of height), thanks to the rising lower window line that the lower point of rear windows is already very high for say any 5ft adult or kid, adding more to the vows is the coupe like sloping roofline that makes things worse. I can bet that with these windows and that rear windshield, your kids will definitely feel claustrophobic in this seat. Although seat is fantastic in terms of shape, size and cushioning and numbers also favor it but in terms of overall rear seat experience, I would rate Elantra lowest among the Jetta, Corolla, Octavia and Elantra.

In terms of storage spaces, first of all let’s take a look at the boot. The 458 litre boot is having a high set loading lip but is well accommodating at 458 liters. On the launch date, Akash called me up to say “it doesn’t look that big or it’s shaped such a way” and I echo his thoughts. The boot is actually much accommodating but you will have your own share of issues if you try to carry anything bigger than medium sized bags in this boot. Well, there’s a nifty feature called smart trunk. You come to a shopping mall, both hands full and the car is locked. Just go and stand around 3 feet behind the boot and it will pop open at fourth blink of the indicators. Again Hyundai, you added a feature but no thought to it. Now since there is no hydraulic assistance for the bootlid and hence although it pops open by itself but it’s never properly open and you will anyways have to put down your luggage or belongings to completely open the bootlid. Now if I have to anyways use my hands for the job then what’s the point of this feature? Sorry Hyundai, you attempted to do Superb but couldn’t match the thought they gave while providing that magic virtual pedal.

In terms of storage spaces inside the cabin, there are 1-litre bottle holders in all four doors, driver 2 glass holders behind the gear lever, one rectangular cubby ahead of the gear lever which is also covered and has connection option for USB or Aux. The glovebox isn’t much accommodating but is cooled. BTW I guess cabin air filter is behind the glovebox and can be accessed by opening up two rotary screws in the sides of glovebox itself. There is another storage space under the front armrest with a USB charging point, what is better that a small kink is given on the armrest borders so that you can pull the cable out from there and keep charging your phone or iPod connected from inside the armrest, with armrest closed up and phone/ iPod still out. The rear passengers get front seat pockets, door bottle holders and two cup holders on their centre armrest in terms of storage space. Boot can be accessed from the cabin from a point behind the rear centre armrest (same as what we have in Skoda and VW cars since a decade maybe) but here’s also an issue, opening is high in the boot (check pictorial review section) and therefore if anything is even slightly far from this opening then it’s only going to be useless.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Petrol Engine

The sixth generation Hyundai Elantra is offered with two engine options, the newly introduced 1,999 cc four cylinder 16 valve Nu Petrol engine which gives a peak power output of 152 PS @ 6200 RPM and a peak torque of 19.6 Kgm @ 4000 RPM. Along with this newly introduced petrol engine is the already familiar 1582 cc CRDi Diesel motor which is already doing duty in Verna and Creta and also was used to power the outgoing Elantra.

The 2.0 Nu Petrol

The new petrol engine with its peak power output of 152ps is marginally higher than the outgoing 1.8L engine in terms of power but where the difference lies is the way this engine delivers the entire available grunt. First and most important is the NVH of Elantra petrol, if you want to experience what is pin drop silence at idle then this is exactly the car you’d like to pick up in this segment. Press the engine start button and with a very slight vibration the engine comes to life but you won’t be able to tell until you look at tachometer. Press the accelerator and it becomes slightly audible and then turns into music to ears once the needle nears redline.

The car we drove the most was the 2.0 petrol M/T and our experience has been nice overall with this car. Press the engine start button and the engine comes to life. The clutch is light and much progressive, make 4-5 start stops and you will instantly get hold of the biting point and after that you will love launching this car time and again. Clutch travel is nice, light and short but what impresses the most is the rev happy nature of this engine. Although the peak power is rated at 152 PS but there is one issue, the low end is really weak and the progress gets stronger only after you cross 3500 RPM mark; don’t get me wrong, this is a big displacement motor and you always get instant response whenever you bury the accelerator but it’s only after 3500 RPM that the progress starts getting violent and it keeps on going same way all the way to 6500 RPM after which there is a drop in power (I didn’t hit rev limiter even once though). We can attribute the weaker low end to the absence of GDI which is a norm these days in modern petrol engines for enhancing the low end torque. Hyundai could have used GDI in this car to make the performance livelier. It is in low end and lower mid range that you will feel the need for more grunt, for an instance I was overtaking a line of three trucks in third gear and was really disappointed with the way the car accelerated. Had it been an Octavia, the trucks would have been overtaken in half the time taken by Elantra.

I don’t say that add a turbo, but lower end could have been stronger or maybe Hyundai left that entire job on the displacement itself. Gear ratios are good and help you make out most of the performance available on tap. For an instance, the first gear will take you to 55 Kmph, second to 110 kph, third to 156 kph, fourth to 180+ and fifth and sixth we couldn’t max out into; video is attached for reference. In terms of fuel economy, one can expect an overall fuel economy of over 12 kpl from this 2.0 Nu engine, the frugal nature of this engine was well highlighted even in over 200 Kms of testing we put this engine into. The sixth gear is anyhow short for our liking; I was expecting the engine to hover around 2000 rpm in sixth cog for that perfect cruising experience but alas! I asked Khalid to shift up and he said “it’s already in sixth”, well; 100 kph comes at 2500 rpm in sixth cog and there goes the entire NVH thingy down the drain because at this engine speed the engine makes its presence felt in the cabin, with a good note though. Perhaps Hyundai kept the 6th gear so short to take care of weak low end but it was a disappointment for me.

The Hyundai product development folks were over enthusiastic about how they have tuned this new torque converter auto gearbox for better responses and we returned back disappointed. Be it in eco mode or sports mode, this gearbox is always in a state of confusion over whether to upshift or hold on into same gear, you read it right; this gearbox doesn’t think about shifting down quite easily and shifts down only when you order it to do that with a hard foot. So we can say that the progress is like press hard wait a second and it starts moving, wait another second and it shifts 2 more gears down and then you go. There are two modes, Eco and Sports, in the Eco mode the engine will try to run relaxed and the gearbox will try to shift up as early as possible; even before 2000 RPM if you maintain a steady light foot on a flat surface. Sports mode is slightly better with regular up shift point going over 2500 rpm for light foot, 3500 for light to medium foot and all the way to 5500-6000 for hard driving but note it down, the gearbox is never going to hold all the way to 7000 except an occasion or two and will still any ways try to shift up as soon as possible. We couldn’t test the manual mode in the auto box because of time constraints, shall be doing that at a later stage though.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Diesel Engine

The 1.6 U2 Diesel

The familiar, tried and tested 4 cylinder 16 valves DOHC diesel engine equipped with a variable geometry turbo charger is the same 1582 cc unit doing duty in Verna and Creta 1.6 CRDi. The rated peak power output is 128 PS @ 4000 RPM and the peak torque output is of 26.5 Kgm @ 1900 - 2750 RPM.
This particular diesel engine is known for its incredible refinement, quick performance and frugality. And no prize for guessing that it is same in Elantra too. Anyone who drives a Verna should be ready to get disappointed because this car is not going to deliver such a performance as the Verna has, attribute it to a higher kerb weight of Elantra. We spent more time with the Elantra diesel automatic and less with the diesel manual (the red car) and the impressions were nothing to write home about. First things first, start this diesel and if you don’t look at the tacho then you will even bet your kids that this is petrol. Anyone habitual of the 2.0 diesel of Octavia or Jetta will definitely be surprised over the NVH of this engine, especially at the idle.

Performance is just adequate (no Corolla here please), this car will quickly move you from point A to B but don’t expect any exhilaration in it. There is turbo lag and it is more evident than in Verna, maybe due to higher kerb weight. The power delivery is like, under 1000 RPM it’s just dead but will keep you moving, around 1500 RPM slight power comes in and it’s at 1800-1900 RPM that the vehicle starts picking up speed, this performance will last till around 4000 RPM after which the power again starts tailing off. Actually while driving the car with the manual box, I felt that it is reasonably quick and it is possible to get some reasonable performance out of it in the car with three pedals and a sideways movable stick in between. With 100 Kmph coming with the motor spinning around 1900 RPM, you actually get a good cruising ability along with a cabin where the diesel engine will be making its presence felt but you never get a feeling that the engine is having to do even slight of the hard work to keep the car moving. At 100 Kmph you are already smack at beginning of the meaty range and hence no need to downshift for overtakes or picking up the speed, just press the right hand side pedal and the progress is instant.

The auto box like in the petrol one is again a hesitant unit, it will as usual love to shift up as soon as possible and in the diesel you feel that the progress is further blunted by this ‘box itself. Anyone who has driven even a Vento DSG may come up and claim that his car has a way better performance; I know I went a segment down but that’s truth, the DSG performance is DSG performance and this TC doesn’t come even near to that. What this box is better meant is for relaxed highway cruising, this is where you’ll love the seamless and jerk free drive this gearbox offers.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Safety, Braking, Ride and Handling

Hyundai claims to have used around 39 times more adhesive to fix various body panes as opposed to the outgoing car. The usage of adhesives has given the chassis a more rigid built along with an improvement in terms of NVH. Additionally the new Elantra has already scored a commendable IIHS Top Safety Pick + accreditation for its exceptionally high safety standards, we hope the Indian car will also fare equally well in the event of a crash as it’s US counterpart does. ABS and dual front airbags are standard throughout the range while the top of the line SX(O) A/T is the only trim gets six airbags, ESP and VSM are equipped on the SX(O) manual variants too though. The picture attached shows an example of extensive usage of adhesive in the engine bay:

Another thoughtful addition is crush box. This is basically an extension in the chassis components like and impact attenuator affixed at the front, to work in sync with the crumple zones and help absorb a bit more of the collision energy than what only crumple zones can do (in fact it is much more than that), they are affixed here:

Doing duty up front are McPherson struts while the rear suspension is a torsion beam axle. The actual change lies in the shock absorbers which are a new design with Hydraulic Rebound Stoppers (HRS) which help in giving a smoother rebound process and hence enhancing the ride quality. We must accept that when it comes to suspension, Hyundai is improving with every new model coming out of their tech centers. The suspension is anyways on the softer side but is still absorbent and confidence inspiring enough that you can confidently push this car to some mad speeds. Where the problem lies is that there is significant body roll in Elantra and it could be felt quite well while we were taking wide corners on the ECR at three digit speeds. Overall for low to moderate speeds and for our rough roads, the suspension is simply the best in class but if you up the speed or hit a twisty highway then it gets caught and how.

The steering wheel is the lightest of those I have ever operated, at parking speeds this steering wheel is a breeze to use (overtly assisted?) and you can literally carry out U turns using your little finger itself (I did that, albeit on the sand) but there lies a problem; this steering wheel is any ways too light for three digit speeds. Any regular joe who has a habit of simply resting his hand (not holding the wheel) on the wheel of Octavia or Jetta will be actually holding the wheel in its position to keep the car going into the intended line. The 205 section tyres (they have flowers made on them) are low rolling resistance type and I am not at all happy with the grip on offer. I made a ‘Moose Test’ type maneuver (50% of actual test at max) and the front wheels lost grip, the saving grace was that the road was empty, speed was manageable (80 kph) and ESP did its job else the soft suspension and bad grip would have made us go into news in no time (Ecosport media drive anyone?). But that gave us a confidence too that the ESP actually works and kicks in on time to save you, given that you aren’t going fast enough that physics rules apply their effect way over the limits of tyres and ESP.

Brakes have bite but the pedal has a wooden feeling. I experienced this and shared with Khalid and he also had the same opinion (He also witnessed that grip loss episode). Actually while on a highway, if you are driving an Octavia or Jetta at 120 kph and you see an obstacle at say 300 meters away then what you do is put a very light foot on brake pedal and drop the speed to safer limits. Not that in Elantra, if you merely place your foot on the pedal and press slightly then the pedal will show resistance (like any disc brake setup) but the slowing down progress is a bit too low. That is when you press slightly harder and everything is normal. Don’t get me wrong; while doing 100-0, the car stopped perfectly in line and brakes also bit real well, it’s just a situation like coming from 80-60 or say 60-40 under light braking where you will feel that the feedback is poor from the brake pads as compared to the force applied on the pedal.

Now coming straight to the main question: are we impressed? Actually we are. First of all this is an honest attempt from Hyundai and they have put their best foot forward here and aren’t asking anyone to break the bank too for getting the hands on their offering. The car has best in class fit and finish along with a couple of segment first features. I agree that if I compare it to an Octavia then the situation is like that where Octavia trails behind Elantra, it trails with a negligibly low margin but where the Octavia excels, it demolishes Elantra. But What the Elantra gives you is more VFM product along with a better after sales service experience. All in all Hyundai has made a serious attempt to liven up the ever shrinking D-segment and we appreciate the offering they have put together.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Likes, Dislikes and Star Ratings

You’ll Love:

• Potent and frugal motors on offer
• Long list of features with a couple of segment firsts
• Spacious and comfortable with exceptional NVH levels
• Meticulous attention to detail with commendable fit, finish and quality both in and out
• Safety: Top-end loaded with six airbags, ABS, ESP and VSM along with top safety pick + accreditation
• Fantastic warranty scheme:

• 3 years roadside assistance
• 3 Times map care package
• 3 Years / unlimited kilometers
• 3 years/30,000 kilometers free maintenance
• 3 home visits as 15th day, 6th month and 1.5 year of purchase consecutively

You’ll Loathe:

• Petrol motor lacks the initial punch
• Poor rear view, especially in the IRVM
• Ride, handling and body roll could have been better
• Steering feedback is still poor and not confidence inspiring
• Rear seat headroom and rear windows add to claustrophobic feeling
• Six airbags & ESP available only in expensive SX(O). Lower variants have to do with dual front airbags & ABS + EBD. Ventilated seats only in SX(O) A/T

Hyundai Elantra 2016 Star Ratings:

• Design and Quality.................:
  
• Comfort and Features............:
  
• Engine and Performance.........:
  
• Handling and Ride Quality.......:
  
• Safety and Security Levels.....:
  
• Overall Fuel Consumption.......:
  
• Sales and Service Network.....:
  
• Value For Money Factor.........:
  
• The Automotive India's Verdict:
  

Here's how to interpret above ratings: The Automotive India Reviews Star Ratings Explained

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Price, Specifications and Brochure

Hyundai Elantra vs Volkswagen Jetta vs Toyota Corolla vs Skoda Octavia

Hyundai Elantra Price (Ex.showroom, New Delhi):

Petrol

• S: Rs.12.99 Lakh
• SX: Rs.14.79 Lakh
• SX AT: Rs.15.89 Lakh
• SX(O): Rs.16.59 Lakh
• SX(O) AT: 17.99 Lakh

Diesel

• S: Rs.14.79 Lakh
• SX: Rs.16.39 Lakh
• SX(O): Rs.17.69 Lakh
• SX(O) AT: Rs.19.19 Lakh

Hyundai Elantra Specifications:

Petrol

• Engine: 1,999 CC
• Power: 152 PS
• Torque: 19.6 Kgm
• Transmission: 6 MT / 6 AT
• Fuel Efficiency (kmpl): 14.59 (MT), 14.62 (AT)

Diesel

• Engine: 1,582 CC
• Power: 128 PS
• Torque: 26.5 Kgm
• Transmission: 6 MT / 6 AT
• Fuel Efficiency (Kmpl): 22.54 (MT), 18.23 (AT)

General Specifications

• Front Brakes: Disc
• Rear Brakes: Disc
• Front Suspension: McPherson Strut, Gas Type Shock Absorber With HRS
• Rear Suspension: Coupled Torsion Beam Axle, Gas Type Shock Absorber With HRS
• Fuel Tank: 50 Liters
• Boot Space: 458 liters
• Length: 4,570 mm
• Width: 1,800 mm
• Height: 1,465 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,700 mm
• Tyre Size: 205/60 R16
• Ground Clearance: 175 mm
• Turning Radius: 5.3 m

Hyundai Elantra Exterior Colors:

• Marina Blue*
• Polar White
• Passion Red*
• Sleek Silver
• Phantom Black*

Note: Asterisk (*) denotes our preferred choice of colors.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Videos Review

The MID has a wide range of information and functionalities like auto lights, pocket lights, smart trunk etc.​

Nifty smart trunk feature aids you on shopping trips. But there’s an issue, you are anyway required to use your hand to open the boot fully. ​

A feature not completely usable but nifty enough for show-off.​

Maxing out in first three gears, the petrol Elantra is indeed a seriously quick car. ​

We wish the dynamics supported this performance and this would have been a fun to drive machine​

The soft suspension setup did real well in absorbing all the minor undulations on this beach sand. ​

Look at how the camera/body of the car is completely insulated from all small to medium bumps here. Also notice the tyres with flowers on them ​

Idle NVH of 2.0 Nu Petrol, this is a silent motor I must say and makes equally good noise when being revved hard. ​

Personally I like this motor for its NVH and very smooth and linear power delivery.​

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Pictorial Review

Hyundai Elantras with all the available colors (except black) lined up for the media drive.

You bet, I know you like this color especially with those delicious alloys.

“New Thinking. New Possibilities!” Both are Hyundais and are...well, very comfortable to ride into.

The rear look is somewhat on the same lines as of the outgoing model.

Probably the best angle to look at this car. You'll just love the way it looks if seen from rear three quarters.

These well-crafted 16" with 10-spoke and gun metal finish alloys do grab attention

Wheels fill the arches quite well. There’s proper insulation cladding in all the wheel wells too. This is the first time we're seeing flowers designed on tyres.

Shark fin antenna looks cool.

When I say that panel gaps are tight and consistent, I’m serious about it. Look at how tight and consistent is the upper close line of the boot, nice attention to detail.

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Pictorial Review

No insulation under the hood of petrol car, but the NVH is still exceptional.

The diesel, however, receives sound deadening material.

This is what you get under the body, front has a proper splash guard / engine guard installed.

The headlamps have Jaguar inspired DRLs with projector doing duty for low beam and HID for high beam.

And this is the illumination they offer under high and low beams respectively.

These delicious looking tail lamps are definitely going to grab attention during night.

That’s how your Elantra will look with only DRLs illuminated in the dark and with its tail lamps illuminated.

Nice and chunky door handles are chrome finished.

Welcome light is basically this seamlessly fit LED light in the door handle.

Leather wrapped manual gear lever good to hold and offers nice shift action

Petrol car gets a 60 AH battery while the diesel car gets a bigger 68 AH one

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Pictorial Review

Doors open nice and wide with front ones in triple and rear ones in double action. Additionally the door pad quality is nice and they seem to be well screwed too.

Child lock can be accessed using the car key

Door opening latch is also finished in brushed aluminum and we personally liked it more than the shiny and bling chrome.

Speakers are door mounted but sound quality is good enough.

Front doors get one tweeter each

The steering is loaded with many functions. On the left are ICE and bluetooth telephony controls while on the right are MID and cruise control buttons. On the right the top left button is for surfing the MID options with scroll buttons below it and the OK button to select/deselect any functions. The adjacent are cruise control buttons, well the cruise control worked simply flawlessly and will be nicer on the super refined petrol one, especially in automatic.

The stalks on the steering wheel feel durable and offer wiper controls on the left while lighting controls on the right hand side.

Driver seat is ten way adjustable but no memory function.

Well padded and nicely shaped seats provide decent thigh and back support and seat ventilation function just takes the comfort to a different level

On the left is ESP ON-OFF button, second one is a dummy button, third is the instrument cluster and cabin lights illumination adjuster button and right most is the headlamp leveler. I must add that every single button inside is nice to touch and works with a crisp click too.

The coupe like roofline and presence of three headrests at back result in a very poor rear visibility of IRVMs.

Hence, a reversing camera coupled to parking sensors is a must. Those guide lines are immensely helpful, especially in a car this long

The stylish ORVMs on the other hand offer a decent view at back

But you get a glass holder, I personally use it to store cash though in whichever car I have them.

The anti pinch sunroof is regular sized, what is nice that it doesn't go over the top, say as in Superb.

This cubby ahead of the gear lever is covered one and can easily store a 5.5 inch smartphone BUT don't do that. The phone once placed will get stuck inside as it is exactly as big as your phone is and you'll only have option of pushing the key under the phone from side and then popping it out.

 

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Hyundai Elantra 2016: Pictorial Review

The USB and Aux ports are given in this close cubby. You can also place your smartphone here and yes, this is a covered cubby and hence give your passengers a surprise music with phone visible to none.

VAG cars type hood opening latch, but you can still open the hood without opening the front door.

Same low rent boot and fuel lid opener. C'mon Hyundai; either connect them to central locking or give electronic release buttons for them; at least in this car.

Fusebox is located at a convenient position just below the ESP and headlight leveling switches cluster at the right of the steering wheel. Note that master ON/OFF switch, it's a better option to switch everything OFF than taking a battery cable out in case you need to park the car for a long time.

Sticker on the fuse-box cover gives you an idea of what fuse is meant for what purpose.

And there itself is your OBD port

Rear seat legroom: minimum and maximum

Seat is placed at right height and thigh support is also absolutely right

The rear seat is well-contoured. Backrest angle, hip point, armrest height etc all are spot on. What you lose from older car is that nifty set of buttons on the armrest.

And this perforated leather covering will definitely keep you from sweating in the back even if there is no ventilation.

Rear seat headroom with a 5'8" occupant seated in it. The headroom is actually tight here, especially if you are close to 6 feet or above. Also notice how high the window line is and how narrow in terms of height the rear window is. Your kids and wifey are gonna feel claustrophobic here inspite of good space, thanks to all black and small windows and rear windshield. Opening the sunroof gets in a decent amount of light though.

Rear seat legroom and thigh support for a 5'8" occupant. With front passenger seat adjusted for a 5'10" occupant's seating position.

This is what you get to see if you look back from front seats or even rear seats too.

Power window and mirror control buttons are all backlit

These white LEDs are enough to brighten up the entire cabin

The markings around the auto box are backlit in cool blue, also notice the shift lock there

Pedals in both the versions are in brushed metal finish, sport pedal type design. They are good to use and offer nice foot grip.

USB charging option is provided inside the front armrest storage. Also notice the small kink on the top front of the box for cables to be taken out. No need to put the phone or iPod inside.

Boot access from the rear seat

The boot illumination light is at the top of it

A lot of low rent exposed metal inside the boot, if you ever bow down to pick some small luggage then you get to see this.

These cup holders can easily hold a 500ml water bottle or maybe a 1 litre one too, the ones in smaller radius.

Front doors get 1 litre bottle holder each and..

...so does the rear

The glove box isn't large sized, it is just good enough for documents and minor knick knacks. Those round things on the glovebox sidewalls can be taken out after rotating them a bit and then you can access the cabin air filter which is behind the glovebox.

The glovebox cooling vent

The ACC offers dual zone climate control

The front AC vents are now better looking and more functional.

The side AC vents get a nice brushed aluminum finish and look good too.

Rear AC vents are merely the blowers

Hyundai has again introduced a striking product under its umbrella and we’re hopeful that market will accept it with just as much enthusiasm.

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