new elantra in Civic’s kingdom…
Honda Civic is the largest seller in the lower D segment and is the ‘Car of the Year 2006’. The style and the features it offers makes civic invincible and even once the best seller – Toyota Corolla is selling in meagre numbers now. Whether it’s Toyota or Mitsubishi or General Motors, the manufacturers have to revamp their strategy and have to roll out new models to compete civic. The same is the case for India’s second largest car manufacturer – Hyundai. Hyundai’s existing Elantra fails to match the much stylish Honda Civic. To stay in this hot segment, Hyundai has to bring India a worthy competitor – Hyundai has launched the new Elantra in western markets and the right hand version of new Elantra is already offered in countries like Australia. So, we can expect Hyundai new Elantra soon in India too. Will Hyundai’s new Elantra match Honda Civic? Let’s see
Generation by generation, a car usually evolves slowly as the technology under the nameplate gradually improves. But in a single stroke, the new Hyundai Elantra has leapt ahead, and now it’s right in the mix with sedans such as the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla.
Engine and Powertrain:
The new Elantra will feature a more powerful 2.0L, CVVT (Continuously Variable Valve Timing) engine which pumps out a maximum power of105KW (143 PS) and a torque of 186Nm@4600rpm. The new Elantra will be 16PS more powerful than the now available Elantra. Existing corolla or civic is less powerful when compared to new Elantra. The new Elantra may also feature a more powerful diesel engine. For the new Elantra Hyundai may source the same CRDi engine which powers the recently launched Sonata Embera CRDi. Sonata Embera’s 2.0L, CRDi with VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) develops a max power of 142PS@ and a torque of 323Nm@2000-2500rpm. The new diesel though same displacement offers increased power and torque. But will the increase in power come without a bane? Hyundai Sonata Embera CRDi engine response is relatively dull and don’t produce the expected response in 500 – 1500rpm range which means a tad tiresome ride in the city. Hope Hyundai will tweak this CRDi engine before fitting into India’s new Elantra. A 5-speed manual transmission will be offered as standard, a 4-speed automatic as an optional for the petrol variants. Six speed manual may be used to derive power from diesel Elantra.
Design and Styling:
Photos:Existing elantra/new elantra side/front/rear
The 2007 Hyundai Elantra has been totally redesigned. Now, for the first time, the Elantra features handsome styling with nice lines. New Elantra features a much wider horizontal grille replacing the existing vertical one. Wraparound headlamps and new triangular integrated fog lamps gives the new Elantra a modern look. Side lines starting from the headlamps flows like a wave and reaches the neatly gelled tail lamps. The tail gates have become smaller to accommodate wider tail lamp cluster. The inbuilt rear indicators which are placed in the boot and steppe body coloured bumper are notable design additions in the new Elantra.
Comfort and Engineering:
Passenger’s Zone:
The Elantra has become wider by 50mm and taller by 30mm with a minimal reduction in overall length. The increased size has been used to good advantage inside the spacious cabin; not only that, there are storage compartments galore. Previous-generation Elantra owners complained about interior storage space, so Hyundai made sure the redesigned model addressed this concern. Storage compartments are abundant. In addition to the large glovebox and adequate center console bin, Hyundai provides a purse hanger on the dashboard, a sunglasses holder in the overhead panel, a tray just forward of the shifter and convenient to the auxiliary input jack, generous door bins with integrated bottle holders, and dual rear map pockets. There are also two covered bins: one in the top of the dashboard and one just below the climate controls. The center of the back seat has a nice fold-down armrest with cup holders. Even though the new Elantra has ample boot/trunk space when you move the rear seats forward for more cargo space, Elantra’s pass-through area from the boot to the rear seat is too small to your accommodate larger objects because of Elantra’s new ‘c’ pillar design.
Download:
Need quicktime player to view new Elantra’s interior 360′ view
Driver’s Zone:
Utilities and accessibility:
The driver faces a simple, functional dash, with legible instruments, two 12-volt outlets and everything where it should be. The air conditioning has big, translucent buttons, while the high-mounted audio head unit, a single CD with an input jack (in the centre console) for an MP3-WMA player, uses a simple, conventional layout. The blue backlighting of the gauges has a youthful spirit, and makes the driver feel like it’s a cool car. The arcs of the speedo and tacho are a thin blue line, with red needles pointing the way. Below the three climate control knobs there’s a small companion to the glovebox, and below that, forward of the shift lever, there’s also an open storage area. There are two cupholders behind that, and a double console under the driver’s elbow.
Ride and Handling:
Elantra’s new electronic power steering may be terrific at low speed hence easy parking but many western auto journalists feel it is very light at high speeds. New Elantra requires 10.33m to make a circle. This all-new Elantra has also been engineered to a high standard. Its chassis is 49-percent more rigid than before (9% stiffer than even that of the Toyota Corolla), and this translates to a quieter ride and better handling. The new Elantra has the requisite suspension hardware – a MacPherson strut front-end and a sophisticated new multilink rear layout. The steering wheel is height and reach-adjustable. Elantra new design ensures you a clear vision around the car which is aided by wide side mirrors and wrap-over rear seat head restraints.
Safety and pricing:
ABS (Antilock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) will come as standard in this saloon. Especially with a very light steering, Elantra’s driver will find ABS a very useful system. Dual front airbags, energy absorbing steering column and adjustable head restraints will give Elantra’s occupant additional safety. Finally, Hyundai has offered unheard type of warranty in western markets i.e. 5 years/96000Km for bumper to bumper coverage and hoping the same in India too. One of the world’s best seller – Hyundai Getz has failed in India due to its higher pricing in and Maruti SX4 due on May, I believe Hyundai will reasonably price its new offering.
