[Locomotive]

I have an elantra diesel. In my opinion it is borderline quirky. But it is a superb family car. on the facelift i have the following points to make.

- The tailight looks spectacular. The headlamps look good but personally i am not a big fan of DRLs.

- Projector headlamps are a welcome addition.

- Black interiors are nice but I prefer the black / beige interiors. It makes are car look airy. Also the quality of plastics and leather is quite decent in this car. Leather in my opinion looks better in beige. This is not a sporty drivers car and makes no pretentions about it. I think beige suites its character just that bit better.

- thank you for putting the vents a bit up the dashboard. at its current position it freezes my knuckles off.

- an updated infotainment system is also a welcome addition. Hope they have upgraded the blutooth phone functionaities. Even my Linea TJet had a far superior system.

- the new alloys look good. the previous ones were not too bad either.

- someone mentioned that the previous car had rear seat ventilation. Thats not true. The front seat always had the ventilation. one of the reasons why i fired my driver. He had more gizmos at his disposal than me.

- Thought i read that the rear seat audio controls have been removed. That was quite nifty. should not have removed it.

- chrome exhaust tip is nicely integrated. normally i dont like these chrome tips, but i will make an exception here.

- the blue lights on the dashboards have been toned down. thank god for that!! Still i would have prefered white.

- I am neutral about the new shape fog lamps. they are exactly like the verna's.

- the blackened rear portion of the rear bumper does mask the bulk a bit. I am neutral on this as well.

wonder what are the tyres they are put on this facelift

[nim_peter]

Not sure why, but the graphic detail of the Entertainment system looks out-dated even on high end cars. When budget phones these days are coming out with a HD screen and beautiful graphics, the car displays look 7-8 yrs behind, not sure what is the reason. Bought a blaupunkt 2 DIN for 40K, the interface is very poor, almost like the first nokia colour phones. Better to place a 7" tablet in place of the music system.

[sriramv.iyer]

If one was in market for a top-end automatic Diesel (D1), we have the following options

Hyundai Elantra - 17.94L (don't know the Bangalore ex-showroom, it is usually higher than Delhi price, even before including the atrocious road tax)

Skoda Octavia - 20.9 L
VW Jetta - 20.1

(I am just dropping out Corolla and Cruze here)

For approx 2 - 3 L more, the buyer gets:
1. European build
2. Terrific handling and ride (Achilles heel of Hyundai)
3. 2L Engine (compared to 1.6L 128 BHP engine, the same one found in Verna)
4. DSG !! (Compared to a regular (CVT?) gearbox)


Hyundai is usually rich in features, but I think Skoda Octavia and Jetta give a good competition in that front too.

I feel 2-3L is a small price to pay for going for the Europeans. What is the USP of Elantra? (Not a rhetorical questions, in case someone misunderstands. I would like to understand the mindset of a person who would choose Elantra)

Probably peace of mind? (Given Skoda / VW ASS experiences?)

[urajkumar]

I was looking at the Elantra 1.8 SX AT but I remember seeing an on-road price of 18.8 lakhs earlier in chennai but it seems to have gone up to 20.5 lakhs now! Now I am not sure if Hyundai has stopped the mid variant or raised prices by 2 lakhs but it is now dangerously close to Corolla Altis and I know the resale value would be much higher with Toyota (Since Its a toyota and selling quite well in India for now). Its now also closed to the Germans (Skoda Octavia and VW Jetta). I am confused now :(

[petroguzzler]

Originally Posted by urajkumar

I was looking at the Elantra 1.8 SX AT but I remember seeing an on-road price of 18.8 lakhs earlier in chennai but it seems to have gone up to 20.5 lakhs now! Now I am not sure if Hyundai has stopped the mid variant or raised prices by 2 lakhs but it is now dangerously close to Corolla Altis and I know the resale value would be much higher with Toyota (Since Its a toyota and selling quite well in India for now). Its now also closed to the Germans (Skoda Octavia and VW Jetta). I am confused now :(

The Elantra is way better with respect to safety features when compared to the Corolla. The latter is way overpriced for what it offers.

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by petroguzzler

The Elantra is way better with respect to safety features when compared to the Corolla. The latter is way overpriced for what it offers.

And let's not start talking about the 1.4L 89 BHP Engine that Corolla offers! i20 probably has a better engine!

[prakhar1998]

A decent update in all. Ventilated rear seats and a sunroof would've been the icing on the cake. Those all black interiors look so much more upmarket. However, the price rise is a lot is respect to the changes made. Looks like Hyundai is joining the bandwagon with VW, Skoda and Toyota to push up the prices of the cars in this segment.

[arvi86]

There is something about the Elantra's design that tugs at my heart strings like no other. This is, by far, the best car from Hyundai sporting the famed 'Fluidic Sculpture' design language. Though this is just a mild facelift, the changes have increased the appeal of the car further. The only grouse externally now is probably the alloy wheels that doesn't gel well with the overall styling.

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

If one was in market for a top-end automatic Diesel (D1), we have the following options

Hyundai Elantra - 17.94L (don't know the Bangalore ex-showroom, it is usually higher than Delhi price, even before including the atrocious road tax)

Skoda Octavia - 20.9 L
VW Jetta - 20.1

The difference might appear small but I feel that this is still significant. What should also be considered is the service costs over the car's lifetime that, on an average, would be lesser for the Hyundai compared to its European rivals. Lastly, the Elantra isn't a poor handler by any means and 90% of the population on road doesn't even know the difference in handling between the Elantra and the Jetta.

Originally Posted by urajkumar

but it is now dangerously close to Corolla Altis and I know the resale value would be much higher with Toyota (Since Its a toyota and selling quite well in India for now).

The Corolla is selling just for the brand pull of Toyota and its supreme reliability. It offers far less in terms of features, power and technology but commands a premium for no reason. More or less, the Corolla is like the Innova and Fortuner - all three are not the best in segment but, by far, the best-sellers in their segments. Also, the Corolla is not that great a handler like the Jetta, Octavia and the rest. I would any day pick the Elantra over the Corolla. Of course, the sales charts would prove that I am in the minority group here.

[Locomotive]

Not a rhetorical questions, in case someone misunderstands. I would like to understand the mindset of a person who would choose Elantra)

Probably peace of mind? (Given Skoda / VW ASS experiences?)

Peace of mind is a huge consideration. When I was in the market to buy a car, Hyundai was at the bottom of my list. I had only owned Fiats and VWs before, including a remapped TJet, so driving pleasure was right at the top of my Wishlist. But a not so distant second is a hassle free ownership. No, I am not saying that Fiat was bad. In fact my experience with Fiat's after sales support after they split from Tata was very pleasant.

While looking at the vehicles first I was put off by Skoda's pretentious (annoyingly snobbish) sales staff.

Next I learnt of their high maintenance costs and service horror stories. And lastly their famed reliability (or lack of it). In fact a close friends superb had its DSG gearbox replaced 3 time in 2 years, thankfully under warranty. Otherwise it would have costed him upwards of 1.5 lakh each time.

I have to say I am very very happy with the Elantra. Yes it is not a corner carver but you don't carve corners in a car of this size. it is extremely comfortable, very frugal and very easy and inexpensive to maintain. I am actually sold on the brand Hyundai.

In fact the next car(s) on my sights is the Santa Fe and the Punto Tjet.

Please forgive my grammatical errors. It's a bit difficult typing on the phone.

Mod Note: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[bhaskaracs]

Another interesting and valuable addition which is going unnoticed.

It is also a bit confusing.

The hyundai elantra page now (it wasnt there two days ago) seems to suggest that the buyer is offered a 60/40 folding rear seat as an 'option'. It reads "... the rear seat can be replaced with a 60:40 split-folding feature".

It doesnt seem to come as a standard fitting. Now what is unsaid is if this is being positioned as an 'accessory' which will supplant the incumbent rear seating arrangement. If it is an add-on, do we need to pay a full cost for the 60/40 and forgo the implicit price we have paid for the existing one? Or do we need to state at the time of booking that we need a 60/40 arrangement in lieu of thhe standard fit? If it is the latter, for a nominal charge, even the most irrational buyers will pick a 60/40 over a no-folding one.

[Arjun Reddy]

I spoke to the Sales Manager at Advaith Hyundai Bangalore with regards to the new projector lights. He has asked me to wait for at least a week to get the pricing of the spares.
Was looking to fit my May 2013 model with the projectors.
The new on road price for the CRDi SX manual is now 21.02 L at Bangalore. I got mine for 18.5 L on road in May 2013. That's a steep increase in the price for the same model.

Is this a move to slot the IX 25 in between the Verna and Elantra?

Disclaimer. This was a price quoted on the phone and have not seen any official communication.

[rajeev k]

The instrument cluster appears to be a clone of that of the Ecosport.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

Hyundai is usually rich in features, but I think Skoda Octavia and Jetta give a good competition in that front too.

I feel 2-3L is a small price to pay for going for the Europeans. What is the USP of Elantra? (Not a rhetorical questions, in case someone misunderstands. I would like to understand the mindset of a person who would choose Elantra)

Probably peace of mind? (Given Skoda / VW ASS experiences?)

My family bought an Elantra back in 2012. The Octavia was not around then, so the real contender was the Jetta. The new Elantra and the new Jetta were introduced almost at the same time.

The Jetta - you're absolutely spot on sir! Thoroughly European. Great build, quality, safety, fantastic driving experience. And that DSG with paddles! During the test drive, I felt like Jason Statham driving the Murcielago roadster in Transporter 2 (Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but still) But sadly, when it was launched it was so bare bones in the equipment front.

The Elantra - Possibly everything one would want in a family sedan at a reasonable price. Good looks, loads of equipment, safety, pretty competent engine, great mileage, all in a package that a middle class family can afford to run without emptying their bank account. It's not exactly a sprinter, but a very very good highway cruiser.

It goes somewhat like this.
Jetta - a heart decision
Elantra - 50% heart and 50% head decision

If you want a 100% head decision, better go for the Corolla

[Arjun Reddy]

Saw the updated Elantra at Trident Hyundai, Hosur Road today. Having owned an Elantra for 2 years now, here are my personal impressions on the face lift.

The projector lights looks nice on the car. However I found the DRL a bit gimmicky. It looks very plasticky.

The tail lights though not LED look fabulous.

Moving the AC vents up is a welcome move. Now you can shut the airflow from the center vents. Thumbs up.

The chrome belt line is again subjective. Didn't look great on a sporty looking car. Almost went unnoticed on a white display car.

The alloys look extremely ordinary in flesh. The Verna's diamond cut alloys look better any day.

I was exited when they launched the all black interiors. Extremely disappointed once I got into the car. The car looks extremely dull and claustrophobic once the doors are shut.The beige/ grey combination with the silver finished buttons looked far more classy.IMO the should have used a lot of piano black to liven up the dull black. The air con switches looked extremely dull when not lit.


The system looks almost like the earlier one because of the small touch screen. They should have gone for a proper 7 inch screen considering the increase in the on road price.

The grey on the roof upholstery was also not looking great and they seem to have compromised on the quality of the roof material used.

The rear seat controls have been omitted. Not sure why? The finish there now looks bad.

No updates to the Multi Info Display. Still no distance to empty, mileage and a single trip only.

Black Cladding on the rear bumper will break the bulk for the lighter painted cars but may not look great on the black and darker ones.

Over all the interiors were a disappointment. They should have optioned the black interiors as it may not be to everyone's taste. After all we love our beige in India.

[Insane Devil]

Hi all,

I test drove the new Elantra yesterday, it was a manual diesel SX (fully loaded) variant.

Like Arjun said, it does look dull inside, too much of black, but i personally prefer the black as i had a Laura previously with beige interiors, and my cousin had one with black interiors.

The interiors in my car looked horrible after 5 years and my cousins still looked neat. This is with lot of cleaning trying to keep the beige clean.

Back to the elantra, ride, pickup handling all are same as previous (drove my friends older elantra) and the following observations:

- The white curvy strip of lighting assumed to be a DRL, is not DRL. Its the parking lamp.
Looks very hot in the dark / under the shade. In bright sunlight, you won't even notice it is on.

- rear bumper with the added black bottom and a sporty exhaust pipe looks fantastic on a white car. Had compared this against my friends white elantra.

- the head lamps with the white curvy strip and projector lights really livens up the car front look.

- no change in bumper and centre grill/slats, except for redesigned Fogs.

- touch screen audio panel is just ok. With the steep increase in price, they should really have given the 7" touch screen used internationally.

Other than these, brilliant car! Great handling, excellent pickup, no lag, and very good braking. A lovely car, and still the best bang for the buck.