Hyundai has just launched its new Elantra in South Africa. With an all-new look, a high specification level and a new selection of engines, this latest edition to the Hyundai fleet has all the credentials to compete with the market leaders.
The fifth-generation Elantra’s look is a far cry from the boring and non-descript appearance of Elantras that have come before it. The lines along the car and the swept back headlamps are an attempt from Hyundai to create a “constant feeling of movement”. It certainly is striking and, like many of the Korean products that have been released over the last few years, shows how far the company has come in terms of design.
There are two engines available, and three derivatives. The 1,6-litre engine in the entry-level GLS has 96 kW at 6 300 r/min and 157 N.m at 4 850 r/min. It is offered with a six-speed manual transmission. The 1,8-litre engine is available with a manual or automatic transmission. Outputs stand at 110 kW at 6 500 r/min and 178 N.m of torque at 4 700 r/min.
At the launch, only 1,8-litre-equipped Elantra’s were available to us. I got behind the wheel of the automatic version. The first thing I noticed was that the brakes were quite sharp. It took some getting used to, but this is hardly something that you could fault. The automatic transmission is quick to change, but the engine does tend to get a bit noisy when you’re trying to overtake and the gearbox clings to second gear.
Korean vehicles tend to have light steering, but the Elantra’s was quite precise and maybe even a bit on the heavy side. It was put to good use on a mountain road in Cape Town, and proved more than capable of handing all the twists and turns that it was faced with. It’s not an exciting drive, but it is a family car and should suit the needs of dad, mom and children. The suspension on our “test” car felt a bit harsh and uneven road surfaces could be felt in the cabin. This was something that we also picked up on the Elantra’s Sonata sibling. Initially, it’s quite obvious, but after a length of time in the car, it becomes less of a problem.
The interior represents perhaps the biggest step up from the prevoius model. The design is striking and the quality levels very impressive. Also, there’s plenty of space and standard specification list is very generous. As a value for money offering, the 1,6 GLS looks very strong in particular.
All in all, the new Elantra is definitely a step up from the previous-generation. It looks good, delivers what it promises, and although it’s not very exciting, it certainly isn’t a bore. It deserves to be considered by potential buyers and to do well in SA.
For more details on the new Elantra and a full specification list, you can click on the documents tab in the top right-hand corner of the image block and download a spec sheet.
Elantra pricing:
1,6 GLS – R168 900
1,8 GLS MT – R214 900
1,8 GLS AT – R224 900
