Interiors – The Hyundai Elantra is as sporty on the inside too. Futuristic ‘Waterfall Effect’ instrumentation looks fabulous and is in sync with the Fluidic philosophy. The dashboard is of soft touch type and overall quality is top notch, even better than the Verna. Silver inserts on the dash enhance the overall feel and run all around the gear lever. There are cup holders in the central armrest and bottle holders in the door, however, a 1-litre bottle will struggle to fit there. There is a healthy list of equipment to pamper the driver.

Front seats are equipped with ventilated function with 3-speed settings. The drivers seat gets a 10-way electronic adjustment feature with electronic lumbar support. Adjustments for the front passenger seat is done manually and it is devoid of lumbar support. The seats are extremely comfortable with sufficient back and thigh support, cushioning is great too. Hyundai has taken care of the ergonomic aspects well with the driver having good accessibility to controls. The rear bench is generously spacious and the Hyundai Elantra scores well over the competition in terms of cabin space. My co-journalist on the drive was 6 feet 2 inches tall and sitting behind him, I had more than enough knee and leg room. Despite the sloping roof-line, the headroom is adequate for tall passengers. The Hyundai Elantra now gets a flat rear floor which aids in accommodating the third passenger at the rear.

The air conditioner works well and has dual zone climate control settings at the front. Rear vents are provided in the central console between the front seats. The ventilated function is a boon and certainly helps you cool off faster than usual. The AC unit also incorporates a cluster ionizer for cleaner air quality in the cabin. The audio unit consists of 4 speakers on the doors and 2 tweeters at the front. Sound quality is good with provision for Aux, USB and iPod connectivity. You can also pair your phone and stream music through it and also use it to make and answer calls. Audio controls are also present on the rear armrest along with the steering wheel.

The steering is good to hold and houses various buttons like cruise control, audio controls, phone call receive and end buttons, etc. The footwell is spacious and has a dead pedal. The organ type accelerator pedal reduces driver fatigue over a long drive. The instrument cluster is easy to read with a eye soothing blue lighting. There is no Distance to Empty on the display, Hyundai has somehow missed that. There are tons of features on board such as reverse parking sensors, reverse parking camera, automatic headlamps, smart key, push button start, etc.