[accim]

Okay, so today I've (test) driven the new Elantra for 30 min. I must say I really liked the car. The engine was 1.6 petrol with 132 hp, 6-speed manual, Comfort (middle) equipment.

The performances of the car are really good.. Goes better then the 1.6 petrol i30. Accelerates smoothly and after 4k rpm, you can feel some how it just keeps on "pulling" till the end. It's a great alternative to 2.0 petrol engines and it's quiet. The 6-speed gearbox is great and "short" enough. Pleasure shifting the gears.
The handling is also great, you can really feel what's going under the wheels quite well, it's also very responsive, even though it has 195/65/15 tires on.
The interior looks nice (you like it or not, I do), the seats are great and comfortable, so is the fabric, overall the materials are very well. Especially the upper part of the dash. The fuel consumption in the end was 7,3 lit/100 km, which is great, regarding the fact, the car has under 100 km on the clock.

What can I say.. If I was looking for a petrol (don't know if there are any other engines available in Elantra, but here we'll have only 1.6 petrol) and didn't need the "wagon", I would definitely consider it. Just the right size, goes and handles well, looks nice and it has a very reasonable price.. Great job Hyundai!

Here are few, not so good (mobile phone) pictures of the Elantra, I've driven today:

[Doggie 1]

Thanks for the review - it's good to know what other members think of a car and whether they like it, especially when we've all got pretty much the same benchmark to judge from. 
I haven't driven one of these yet.
Dave

[Dazzler]

You are a good fella accim thanks for the review (the pix are fine)

I must try one too, they are 1.8 litres petrol here and the accent is 1.6 (I think) without checking the local website...

[Surferdude]

You are a good fella accim thanks for the review (the pix are fine)

I must try one too, they are 1.8 litres petrol here and the accent is 1.6 (I think) without checking the local website...

Yep. The Accent is 1.6L

[AlanHo]

I am getting more confused with the Hyundai model line-up.

Car models in the UK are i10, i20, ix20, i30 and now the new i40.

How do I slot into this line up the Accent, Elantra, i45 and Sonata. I suppose the i45 would be top of the list but how do the others compare?

[Surferdude]

I am getting more confused with the Hyundai model line-up.

Car models in the UK are i10, i20, ix20, i30 and now the new i40.

How do I slot into this line up the Accent, Elantra, i45 and Sonata. I suppose the i45 would be top of the list but how do the others compare?

Yeah Alan, it's confusing and annoying when marketing types change things for "their"market.
We have the i20 and i30 obviously. And (for a while) the Getz. Plus the ix35. And now the Accent and Elantra, so there seems to be no consistency in the Oz market.

[AlanHo]

My question is - are the Accent and Elantra better models than the i30 in terms of size and equipment - or are they more equal to the i20.  From the photos I have seen the Accent and Elantra seem very closely related but it is difficult to determine where they would slot into the UK model line up if they were sold here (which will not happen of course)

[Surferdude]

^
Speaking purely off the cuff, the Accent falls in size between the i20 and the i30 and in my opinion, fits the gap well. They've axed the 1.6 L engine in the i20 so it is only 1.4 L in Australia now.
As for the Elantra, I don't know the details but looking at it, it seems to be pretty much an i30 with a boot.
Someone else may have more detail for you.

Trev

[Dazzler]

How do I slot into this line up the Accent, Elantra, i45 and Sonata. I suppose the i45 would be top of the list but how do the others compare?

I reckon Trevs summary is spot on ... and the i45 and the Sonata are the same car (they just retained the Sonata name in the USA)

[accim]

Yes it can be confusing.. As mentioned before, the new Elantra is something like the i30 with the boot. But it's hard to compare current i30 and the new Elantra, as they were built with a different "spirit" -> hmm, I'll try to explain what I think with that (that's of course only my opinion).

The new Elantra is one of the Hyundai's, of the new i-flow "generation/spirit", like the i40, looks also very similar to the ix20 and to the i30 2012. When you look at the interior, it looks very like the i30 2012, but has less (available) equipment and gadgets then the i30 2012. So I guess, the Elantra is something like the i30, but maybe it's key markets (and key customers) are not the same as i30's. Not only because it's a limousine and not a hatchback/wagon, but just because it has "everything you need and more for a great price", and the i30 2012, will be more like (again, it's my opinion!), "everything you need for a normal price, which can increase for 50% if you keep adding optional equipment, that you don't really need that much, but is also available in VW Golf, R Megane,.., and thus - must be available in i30, in order to make Hyundai, not so Hyundaish anymore"

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. Many people (at least in Slovenia) are like: "Yes okay, Hyundai looks nice, has a great price, is reliable, has great warranty, etc, but doesn't have a lot of optional equipment, like LED and xenon cornering lights, heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, etc." It does have most of the things now in i40 and future models, but for many years it didn't have it and because of that, it was always considered as "low budget brand". Well, now it wont be. It will have all the gadgets and it will also have "gadgetish" price. Well, I see Elantra as one of the old-school Hyundai models, where you have everything and more for a great price. I always liked that about Hyundai. I also like that Hyundai is gaining on it's "premium reputation" with new models, just hope it will not lose the great reputation of being reliable and not expensive-to-run car and become, one of "them"..

Of course, I might be totally wrong, so feel free to say it's not true 

[Dazzler]

Sounds spot on to me accim... (would you like to be our Prime Minister?) you make a lot more sense than the one we have now 

[accim]

Sounds spot on to me accim... (would you like to be our Prime Minister?) you make a lot more sense than the one we have now 

Thanks, and btw, I think most of us would be better then our Ministers 

[2i30s]

excellent reviews and opinions guys.  Hyundai should keep the model names the same world wide. 

[Dazzler]

I drove a Petrol i40 today (see separate review) and this tidy base model Elantra...



Because I drove the i40 1st the Elantra felt a bit "low rent" 



It felt a bit zippier (but I think that was partly due to the greater engine noise) and the slightly revier 1.8 motor.. Had an Eco light on and I couldn't work out how to turn it off, I assumed that it made the Auto changes less aggressive but went pretty well.

Considering it is a newer design than the i30 I wouldn't say it is any better. Quite similar to drive, brakes seemed a bit softer though 

The one I drove has i30 SR alloys on it .. apparently a lady found the SR ride too firm so they got her similar 15" alloys and put her alloys on this car.. Really transforms it .. Looks great I reckon 





Recessed dials better than i40 for glare but much less info..



Road noise and engine noise on this base model probably a tad worse than the i30 (party due to the 17" wheels i assume)



 

[Phil №❶]

alanho

Since when do you get time to consider this problem.

I thought you were full time researcher of humour. 

Just joking of course  (pun) 

[Dazzler]

I forgot to mention Trish wanted to swap the SR wheels on the Elantra with her Alloys  I don't think the Dealer would have been too impressed 

Don't suppose anyone has a cheap set of SR alloys lying around (I want first refusal) 

[Doggie 1]

My question is - are the Accent and Elantra better models than the i30 in terms of size and equipment -

Apparently size and equipment does not make them better. It just makes them bigger.
I had a girlfriend once who told me this and I have since always believed it to be true. 
Therefore, the i10 could be better, even though it is smaller than say, an i40 

[accim]

My question is - are the Accent and Elantra better models than the i30 in terms of size and equipment -

Apparently size and equipment does not make them better. It just makes them bigger.
I had a girlfriend once who told me this and I have since always believed it to be true. 
Therefore, the i10 could be better, even though it is smaller than say, an i40 

Elantra is close to i30, but Accent is definitely not.. And when looking at size.. Elantra and i30 are about the same size.. One is sedan, the other one is hatch and you also have the CW, which is wagon.. I know Elantra nad i30 are not the same cars, but they are very close. Elantra l. 4.530 m × w. 1.775 m and i30CW l. 4.500 m × w 1.775 m.

I would just say they are newer and with that, have some new stuff, that previous Hyundai's didn't have - like side indicators, which "indicate" 3 times when you push/pull the lever to certain point. I like that, especially for overtaking, where you don't have to turn "on" the indicators and turn them "off" again, when you are done - i don't do that, because I don't have that much time I usually indicate before and when I start and then when I'm finishing.

Overall it's hard to say if it's better/worse then current i30, just different.. If you compare it with the new coming i30, the Elantra will be (in my opinion) less "premium" vehicle..