Hyundai Elantra Review

1. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Overview

Pros and Cons

• Upmarket and stylish design 

• Premium and smart interior 

• Improved NVH level and driving dynamics 

• Competitive price 

• A long list of features 

Hyundai Elantra is a legendary sedan in India and in the international market. Debuted in 1990, the Elantra has an admirable history of almost three decades. In 2000, the first Elantra introduced in the Indian market was from its third generation. The current version of the Elantra, introduced in 2016, is of the sixth generation. Back when it arrived, the Hyundai has claimed that it is their best Elantra ever produced. 

Hyundai has recently opened about their plan for the new Hyundai to be launched in 2019. But for now, let’s take a look at this out-going version to see how this car performs and maybe, consider to buy a used Elantra of this version. 

2. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Exterior

Belonging to the D-segment, Hyundai Elantra stands at 4570mm long and 1465mm high. Its width measures at 1800mm. With this version of the Elantra, Hyundai has applied a new chassis which is made of enhanced and stronger high-strength steel, promising a stronger and more resilient than its predecessor. 

As a proud D-segment sedan, the current Elantra looks undoubtedly glossy and styling.  On the front, it features a huge shiny chrome-slatted hexagon grille which is typical on most of the Hyundai’s models. But the key element lies in the thin swooping head-lamps, together with the L-shaped projector fog light housings, leveraging the classy and swanky look of the car. The design is simple but highly effective in creating the intentional impression of an upmarket car.

On the side of the car, there is a long shoulder line linking with the rear spoiler on the back of the car emphasizes the length of the car. Generally, the side is a perfectly neat and balancing part of the overall design. 

To the rear, the most noticeable part is the thin and sharp LED-used taillights. The curving spoiler adds more appeal and elegance to the rear profile. The rear air dam is smartly hidden under the curving edge of the rear bumper.

Throughout the exterior design, the Elantra has fondly displayed the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design scheme with abundant of cutting creases and some wise curves. 

3. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Interior

Interiorly, the Elantra also shows a certain growth from the previous model. On the recent version, the interior of the Elantra is modernistic and well-designed with a smart and practical dashboard layout, much neater than the fifth-gen. With chrome trims and silver paint insert along the dashboard adds some highlight to catch people’s eyes.

The interior of the Elantra showcases what most people would expect from a premium car: It has a high-quality and feel-good material, and the finish and fit is among the finest.

The dash employs a big 8-inch touchscreen which is a phenomenal size compared to the same year-launched productions and even to the newest cars in the market. More than that, this unit even boasts one of the best performance in the market. The centre console includes a cluttered controls panel. What’s more, Hyundai Elantra comes with a user-friendly controls-mounted steering wheel whose function concerns the audio-telephony system as well as cruise control and MID display setting.

Interior features

The Elantra’s touchscreen supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and more importantly, voice recognition. This unit also displays images from the rear parking camera.  Besides the above highly functioning touchscreen and steering wheels, the interior of the Elantra also has some well-appreciated features like dual-zone automatic climate control system, ventilated seat, which are meant to bring the best experience for passengers on both front and rear row, especially on the summer days. To add more appeal to the package, it also comes with cruise control, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, keyless entry and go, electric sunroof, 10-way power adjustable seat for the driver, and different driving modes.

Storage 

The interior of the Elantra is packed with many well-thought storage spaces, for example, you would have cup holders on the front and rear row, bottle holder on the front and rear door, as well as a cooling glove box. Besides, there is also a nice touch near the gear department where lies a storage compartment with sliding lid. In this small boot, you can find the USB charger to charge your phone. 

To the rear side, Elantra houses a boot space of 420 litres. It is an enormous space for luggage storage, but the cherry on top is that car users can now open the boot without using their muscle with the boot sensor opening. 

Space and seating

In terms of space, the Elantra comes with absolute comfort. It offers plenty of leg and shoulder room, but the taller folk might find the headroom not as ample as it should be. The cushioning is not something that we could complain about. Support and quality are all on point. 

Safety Features

The Elantra is a strong competitor concerning the safety aspect. It comes with a rich safety feature list including dual airbags and ABS as standard, not to mention other additional features like six airbags, Electronic stability control (ESC), Vehicle stability control, and Hill-Start Assist Control which will be available on the top-spec variants.

4. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Performance

Engine options 

Petrol engine 

The Elantra’s petrol version is powered by a 2.0-litre engine which could put out the power of 151PS and the torque of 192Nm. It comes with both manual and automatic transmission which are 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox. The automatic option brings in a sprightly performance which comes most obvious at top mid and top-rev range, which is a big step ahead when compared with the previous automatic version.  Both manual and automatic version comes with the same mileage of 14kmpl.

Diesel engine   

On the diesel version, the Elantra will use a 1.6-litre U2 CRDI engine. The engine comes with a maximum power of 127PS and the peak torque of 260Nm. The transmission options also include both manual and automatic gearbox. This motor could speed up from the low-end to the higher range with a smooth and effortless manner without obvious lag. But the relaxed nature might dull the performance a bit as it could not accelerate as quickly as some might expect. Another praise-worthy aspect of the Elantra is that it offers an outstanding NVH level. The fuel efficiency comes at 22.5kmpl, which is a good number.

Riding quality and handling

The biggest miss on the previous model of the Elantra is the poor riding quality, which requires an essential improvement on this suspension. And the recent version has shown that they have done a good job to better the overall performance of the Elantra. The proof is that now, the Elantra comes with a more compliant manner even on rough surfaces. Even when the car is fully loaded, you can barely tell any vertical movement inside the cabin.

The Elantra also find a good balance between riding quality and handling. Given that the Elantra is built on a more endurable and rigid chassis, the Elantra comes with a firm and more stable dynamics. 

The steering gives a good amount of feedback and very confident when driving at high speed. Braking might require a little work-out and feel quite sudden. 

5. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Price

6. Hyundai Elantra 2018 Specifications

Verdict

Hyundai has taken the Elantra line-up to the new level with the recent generation, mechanically and cosmetically. It obviously looks more appealing and more decent in its performance, not to mention how feature-rich its package is. And it is obviously worth your consideration.