Hyundai Elantra Long Term Review
The sixth-generation Elantra offers a ton of practicality in one good looking package
It’s no secret that the people are moving towards SUVs. This trend is not specific to India but the world over. Does that mean that mid-size sedans are down and out? Well, statistically the mid-size sedan segment has shrunk over the last five years but these sedans are slowly making a comeback. Honda is considering the latest generation of the Civic but one car which has been in India for quite a while is the Hyundai Elantra. Hyundai recently introduced the new generation Elantra in India and it has been finding a good number of buyers. The Elantra has now made it to the MotorBeam garage and we are quite impressed with the first impressions.
Lots of cuts and creases; the sloping roofline is the design highlight
I simply loved the styling of the fifth-generation car. The fluidic design language was first introduced with the Elantra and it looked smashing. However, with the second iteration of the design language, Hyundai has gone subtler and the styling isn’t flashy but has the understated elegance and the silhouette is unmistakably Elantra. People have actually turned around and given it a second glance and have even asked about how it is to drive, price, etc. The silver colour on our car somehow manages to elevate the way this car looks.
The interiors are an awesome place to be in
Back in 2012, the Elantra was the only car in the segment which offered ventilated seats and it was such a boon in the summer. Hyundai continues to offer this in the current generation car. Unfortunately, our test car is not the top of the line model and we sorely miss the ventilated seats which are available in the top model. Though this model is devoid of the sunroof as well, it is not something that is missed. On the other side, this variant has a long list of features too, notable ones being the cornering lights, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Smart Trunk and more. The infotainment system is user-friendly and offers some good quality sound.
The flagship Hyundai sedan measures just over 4.5-metres
The 2.0-litre petrol engine offers good punch in city and highway usage
I love the all black interior theme and the front seat offers some good support which makes long drives comfortable. I haven’t, yet, had the opportunity to be chauffeured around and hence will reserve my judgment of the rear seat until a later date (probably in the second report). After the deregulation of diesel prices by the Government, the gap between the prices of petrol and diesel has never been closer. This has got petrol cars in demand again.
The 2.0-litre petrol engine has excellent refinement levels
Our Elantra is powered by Hyundai’s new 2.0-litre gasoline engine which made its debut with the sixth generation of the car. While I love diesel cars for their torquey nature, the petrol-powered Elantra is surprisingly quick with the 150 HP and 192 NM being put to good use. Engine refinement deserves a special mention here. This engine is so smooth and NVH levels are excellent. You can barely tell if the car is on. Certainly, ticks the right boxes for those who are looking for performance and refinement on the same page.
The body structure is rigid and yet quite agile
The Elantra offers a fantastic ride, filtering bumps from being felt inside
With the body structure being more rigid, Hyundai has tuned the suspension a tad bit on the stiffer side as compared to the previous generation car. This has drastically improved the handling characteristics. The car feels quite stable at high speeds, doesn’t feel bouncy at all, something which was an issue with the previous generation model. Steering feedback has vastly improved too but still not in the same league as some of the German competition but then the Germans have issues of their own.
Handling has improved by leaps and bounds while the car feels stable
The reason I am making a comparison with the previous generation car is because we had the previous generation model in our long-term fleet and the improvements in the current generation model are immediately obvious. I am so used to driving diesel cars that I rarely need to make frequent stops at the fuel pump, but it is a given that petrol-powered cars are frequent visitors to the gas station. The Elantra is currently delivering a fuel economy of around 10 km/l in mixed conditions. It delivers a driving range of around 450 kms on a full tank of fuel in the routine driving cycle.
The projector headlights and projector fog lights aid in better lighting during the dark
The 6-speed manual gearbox is a charm to work with. The cogs shift into position effortlessly with butter smooth precision. The clutch is on the lighter side, so driving in bumper to bumper traffic is not very stressful but I would prefer to drive the automatic, just for the comfort and convenience it offers. Having ticked over 1500 kms in the Elantra, I am munching the kilometres quite effortlessly. The petrol powered Elantra has immensely impressed with its performance, refinement and practicality and there is no denying that I am absolutely loving this car so far.
The sixth generation Elantra looks more European than Korean
However, one of my concerns is the frequent visits to the fuel pump and I do miss the automatic gearbox when I am stuck in stop-go traffic on my frequent trips to Andheri and Bandra. Fret not, Hyundai does offer an automatic transmission for both petrol and diesel powertrains and the diesel-powered car is extremely fuel-efficient too. Moreover, the Elantra is quite aggressively priced as compared to its competitors and makes a compelling buy in the segment. That’s all we have been dealing with now, we will be talking more about performance and service related aspects in our next report.
Our petrol MT long termer has now been replaced by a diesel AT
Further Reading –
Hyundai Elantra Test Drive Review
Hyundai Elantra Video Review