- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
105kW, 186Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 8.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
5 Yr, 130000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Elite gets more power
The Hyundai Elantra's facelift is more than just a nip-and-tuck, says Jonathan Hawley.
For: Strong performance, roomy body, practical nature, good value.
Against: Downmarket interior despite leather, handling not up to class standards, strange feature list for price.
Score: 3 stars.
With 2003 shaping up as a record-breaking year for the Australian car industry, it is easy to mistakenly believe manufacturers are running around, slapping each other on the back and growing fat on the profits of a job well done.
While it is true many have had healthy jumps in sales -- the big stars so far are Toyota, Mazda, Ford and Mitsubishi -- others have managed not to do so well in what seems a buoyant market: Daewoo, Daihatsu and even Holden haven't sold as many cars compared to the same period last year, and if you go looking for others there are plenty about.
Take Hyundai, for instance. It is no secret the Korean manufacturer isn't doing as well in this country as a few years back when it sold the popular, if basic, Excel in astonishing numbers. But even with a raft of new and more upmarket models and an impressive price leader in the Getz, sales have slipped further over last year's already ordinary effort.
The factory has now taken over local distribution rights, and first round in the fight-back is a slight rejigging of Getz and Accent prices, and a facelift for Elantra. This revised model may not register high on the excitement scale for all of us, but it's an important one for Hyundai as a few times this year it has been the company's biggest-selling model, despite being around since 2000.
The facelift is more than a nip-and-tuck, too. There's a different look, thanks to a new front bumper, headlights, bonnet and grille, and the rear of both the sedan and hatch get remodelled tail-lights. The 1.8-litre engine has been dropped and the 2.0-litre has benefited from the addition of variable valve timing to produce more power.
On top of all that, the top-level model is now called the Elite. It replaces the GLS, and adds leather trim, different instrumentation, anti-lock brakes and a big rear wing to the specifications of the base car.
The Elite costs $23,990 as either a manual hatch or sedan, $5000 more than the entry-level Elantra. Apart from the differences listed above, it is the same mechanical package and there are only a few minor variations in trim, but no sign of cruise control, climate-control air-conditioning or a CD changer.
The remodelled engine certainly looks the goods on paper. With 105kW of power and 186Nm it has much higher outputs than most, if not all of its rivals, many of which make do with 1.8-litre engines. The strange thing is, despite the addition of variable valve timing -- or HVT in Hyundai's parlance -- the new figures are only 1kW and 2Nm up on the previous specification 2.0-litre.
Strange? You bet, mainly because it feels a whole lot better than the incremental increases suggest. There's certainly nothing lacking in performance, with an ability to rev and produce power at the same time and plenty of strong pulling power through the middle of the rev range to allow slow speeds in high gears. A number of allegedly hot hatches would be happy to have this engine under their bonnets.
One minor glitch is it takes a little practice to move smoothly away from standstill, as a dearth of torque at very low revs and a doughy take-up to the clutch can give the Elite an attack of the stammers. A few more revs and it works perfectly, and the gearshift isn't that bad either. It's not particularly fast in action, but far better than some previous efforts.
The Elantra gets the usual MacPherson strut front suspension and a more complex multilink independent rear, and it works well enough in giving a comfortable ride in most conditions. But while the engine marks this as a cut above the usual small hatch in terms of performance, handling is nothing special, thanks to overly soft damping, giving unwanted body movement, and the relatively high-profile tyres lose grip at the front early in tight corners. It isn't going to offend most drivers, but it's a pity there's not the chassis composure to match the promise of the performance.
This is not a large car, but it does have more than a useful amount of interior space. The back seat has enough leg room for two adults to sit in comfort, and it isn't at the expense of luggage space.
There's a big cargo area under the hatch (which, sensibly, has a handle linked to the central locking rather than a remote release) and the rear seats fold flat to give panel-van interior proportions if needed. All that and a full-size spare tyre as well. With the seats in place, there's three tie-downs for baby seats, three lap-sash belts and a central armrest with pop-out cupholders.
The interior isn't particularly attractive, however, with lots of depressing grey and black plastics that don't match or fit well. The leather isn't up to much either, but then this is a $24,000 hatchback, not a Jaguar.
Instrumentation and controls are entirely standard and uncomplicated, although the facelift has brought different vents and the stereo will play CDs loaded with space-saving MP3 files. It's a pity, then, that the sound quality borders on poor.
What's not in doubt is that this is a perfectly acceptable car in most respects, and above average in terms of engine performance and value for money.
If it had a more exciting and better-built interior and more handling poise, it would give better-fancied Japanese and European cars a run for their money.
Nuts 'n' bolt
Hyundai Elantra Elite
How much: $23,990 (manual), plus on-road costs.
Insurance: Premium $648 (RACV, 40-year-old rating one male driver, medium-risk suburb, $450 excess).
Warranty: Five years/130,000 kilometres.
Engine: 2.0-litre, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder, 105kW at 6000rpm and 186Nm at 4000rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed auto. Front-wheel-drive.
Steering: Rack and pinion, 3.2 turns lock-to-lock. Turning circle 10.1m.
Brakes: Ventilated discs front, discs rear. ABS standard.
Suspension: Front -- independent by MacPherson struts with stabiliser bar. Rear -- independent by multi links with coil springs and stabiliser bar.
Wheels/tyres: 15 x 6.0-inch alloy wheels, tyres 195/60. Full-size spare.
How heavy: 1243kg (manual).F
How thirsty: 10.3 L/100km average. Standard unleaded, 55-litre tank.
Equipment: Driver airbag, CD player, remote locking, power windows, alloy wheels, air-conditioning, ABS brakes, leather trim.
Interior notes:
. Elite gets leather trim for seats, steering wheel and gearknob.
. Uniform grey interior colour scheme not very attractive.
. Trip computer has functions for average fuel consumption and distance to empty.
. Stereo plays MP3 files but doesn't sound great.
Competitors:
Holden Astra CD -- $23,990, 4 stars
Due for replacement soon, but still a class leader in ride and handling. Starting to show its age and equipment levels not up to Korean standards.
Toyota Corolla Seca Conquest -- $24,240, 4 stars
Not an overly exciting drive but is pure Corolla in terms of efficiency and user-friendliness. Engine is a bit peaky but otherwise does nothing too wrong or too well.
Nissan Pulsar Q -- $23,990, 3 stars
No hot hatch, but good value with heaps of features for the price. Smooth, economical engine, nice ride and handling and enough space for small families.
Prices and details correct at publication date.