[JRAJE]

Originally Posted by Nitrous Power

Great review Tanveer.

Little OT here, but just FYI: Elentra's sales is decent and so far, this is the only Elentra model that is giving some competition to Corolla. BUT, it is not giving Corolla run for its money as far as Sales Numbers are concerned. Corolla with its lethargic 4 speed AT and less features than Elentra is selling more than Elentra (Little cheaper with more features). Below are the latest sales no. from WSJ:

Vehiclel July 2012. YTD
Corolla: 23,640. 175,366
Elentra: 18,512. 116,281

However, I can see Elentra giving tough competition to D1 crowd including Corolla, based on features that they are offering.

May be taking more OT. I'm more a Honda fan having experienced their reliability (City+Jazz in India) over Hyundai and Maruti. (From personal experience though) Been thinking of Honda Civic for quite some time but the perception of poor visual design and and the thumbs down in USA for Civic (and thumbs up for Elantra??) from different forums and advertisements confused me. So looked up the same WSJ reports quoted in the earlier post and other authentic sources. Interesting that the plain new Civic is still the No 1 and now increasing it's lead over Corolla and Elantra in USA though it is priced higher there. (32% increase from 2011 and No 1 in YTD 2012). Is it that the civic has come down from much higher sales in earlier generations OR it just continues to lead based on it's reliability and brand value? If the new Honda Earth dreams Diesel launches in a few months in India with the promised torque curve, that should be a pick over Elantra? or will Elantra still be a good pick counting the VFM?

[srikanth.vemuri]

Technically, the Jetta is a superior product. But the Hyundai's styling seems to bridge that gap in the mindspace of the buyers. The sophisticated interiors of the Elantra just reinforces the cutting-edge image conveyed by its exteriors. Most owners would not bother to scratch the surface and dig deep into its dynamic abilities, which should leave its weaknesses quite irrelevant. Another solid winner from the Hyundai beckons
Seems like a repeat of the Verna vs the Vento/Rapid match-up, and this time, the Hyundai doesn't even have a strong Honda rival to tackle with
Corolla's not going anywhere with that 1.4 l engine of its, no matter how practical it is!

[R17]

Originally Posted by JRAJE

May be taking more OT. I'm more a Honda fan having experienced their reliability (City+Jazz in India) over Hyundai and Maruti. (From personal experience though) Been thinking of Honda Civic for quite some time but the perception of poor visual design and and the thumbs down in USA for Civic (and thumbs up for Elantra??) from different forums and advertisements confused me. So looked up the same WSJ reports quoted in the earlier post and other authentic sources. Interesting that the plain new Civic is still the No 1 and now increasing it's lead over Corolla and Elantra in USA though it is priced higher there. (32% increase from 2011 and No 1 in YTD 2012). Is it that the civic has come down from much higher sales in earlier generations OR it just continues to lead based on it's reliability and brand value? If the new Honda Earth dreams Diesel launches in a few months in India with the promised torque curve, that should be a pick over Elantra? or will Elantra still be a good pick counting the VFM?

This is interesting. The Elantra has received widespread critical acclaim in the States and I'd assumed it would be the top seller, at least in its category. Not only is it comprehensively outsold by the newer (and widely panned) Civic but also by the old Corolla.

I wonder if this dip is a 2012 phenomenon or did it lag the category bestsellers in 2011 as well ?

Either way, even if aced the sales chart in 2011 (which needs to be checked), I wonder if its diminished sales in 2012 are an indicator of reduced sustainability / poorer reliability / issues creeping in / the 40 mpg FE controversy which led to Hyundai being sued (this single factor tilting scales so significantly is unlikely). Or of something else ?

[suhaildurrani]

Hello BHPians,

I have been eyeing this fluidic beauty from quite a while and have gone through most international reviews of Elantra aka Avante. The 2.0 petrol motor with 150BHP is a major hit for its refinement and fuel economy.

Getting to the point, I have booked myself a ANHV SX CRDI and have not been able to convince myself to pay 4-5 lakh (approximately) over the Verna to get the Elantra. I would really appreciate some help here if I should stick with my booking or consider an Elantra?

A few variable that will help you to help me;

1. Comfortable seating across the car.
2. Sofa like suspension both in city & highway (I'm not much of a city racer or highway dragster, I do not expect to have neck break cornering).
3. Decent amount of creature comforts like Bluetooth, Center Arm rest front and back, steering controls etc.
3. Since I will be doing a lot of inter-city (mostly Bangalore-Hyderabad and Bangalore-Goa) decent fuel economy will be appreciated.
4. Decent boot space (will be hauling luggage for my trips).

I am not talking about the engine requirement here as both the fluidic sisters share the same 1.6 diesel motor. 2.7m of wheelbase is one of the longest in the segment, but I dont see this translating into great legroom in the rear (from what I have seen in the pics).

Criticism against Verna: I currently own an i20 1.4 SPORTZ CRDI and in terms of space and gadgets I don't think the Verna is a worthy upgrade. I feel it's just an added boot. It's not that the Verna is a small sedan, it's just that i20 is a big hatch.

Criticism against Elantra: Don't have any yet, but I have a serious question on it's VFM over the Verna.

Best regards,
Suhail

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by suhaildurrani

Hello BHPians,

I have been eyeing this fluidic beauty from quite a while and have gone through most international reviews of Elantra aka Avante. The 2.0 petrol motor with 150BHP is a major hit for its refinement and fuel economy.

Getting to the point, I have booked myself a ANHV SX CRDI and have not been able to convince myself to pay 4-5 lakh (approximately) over the Verna to get the Elantra. I would really appreciate some help here if I should stick with my booking or consider an Elantra?

A few variable that will help you to help me;

1. Comfortable seating across the car.
2. Sofa like suspension both in city & highway (I'm not much of a city racer or highway dragster, I do not expect to have neck break cornering).
3. Decent amount of creature comforts like Bluetooth, Center Arm rest front and back, steering controls etc.
3. Since I will be doing a lot of inter-city (mostly Bangalore-Hyderabad and Bangalore-Goa) decent fuel economy will be appreciated.
4. Decent boot space (will be hauling luggage for my trips).

I am not talking about the engine requirement here as both the fluidic sisters share the same 1.6 diesel motor. 2.7m of wheelbase is one of the longest in the segment, but I dont see this translating into great legroom in the rear (from what I have seen in the pics).

Criticism against Verna: I currently own an i20 1.4 SPORTZ CRDI and in terms of space and gadgets I don't think the Verna is a worthy upgrade. I feel it's just an added boot. It's not that the Verna is a small sedan, it's just that i20 is a big hatch.

Criticism against Elantra: Don't have any yet, but I have a serious question on it's VFM over the Verna.

Best regards,
Suhail

It all comes down to the price. From what I saw, I think Elantra is worth about 30% more than the Verna. If its priced any higher than 30% over the Verna, then its overpriced. So fully loaded A/T Elantra should not cost more than 30% over the price of a fully loaded A/T Verna.
Now that is my opinion.
Different people may give different weight to different features.
From an objective comparison, significant features in the Elantra are

1. Drivers side seat is really nice. The adjustments make it possible to fit the tallest and the shortest of frames
2. Ventilated seats are amazing
3. 6 speed A/T
4. Good rear legroom, and very comfortable rear seat
5. Handling and electronics

Thats why I said 30% higher.
Verna SX A/T fully loaded costs
11.25 lakhs approx

30% premium means 14.625

So if Elantra A/T fully loaded crdi costs less than 15L ex showroom Delhi, its a deal

The Jetta A/T is priced at 19.25 lakhs ex showroom Delhi
The Cruze A/T is 15.5 lakhs ex showroom Delhi

So if Hyundai matches cruze pricing, I would prefer it over the Cruze if you want a comfortable car. However, if you are performance hungry, then the cruze makes more sense.

Sure the Jetta has a better engine, and more gizmos, but is it worth 5L over the elantra(if elantra is sub 15), I think not!

[Jeash.vk]

Great review as usual. The pictures are excellent too. Thank you Tanveer for the detailed account.

Is the headlamp taking a little bit of inspiration from the new Swift headlamps? It does have the Hyundai's Fluidic theme, but different from the Vernas & i20s, it looks a little stretched/pulled back ALA Swift!

[GTO]

SCOOP!

Thanks to Ronit Khetarpal for sharing this Dealer training PDF which includes details of the Elantra variants

Download Link

[suhaildurrani]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

It all comes down to the price. From what I saw, I think Elantra is worth about 30% more than the Verna. If its priced any higher than 30% over the Verna, then its overpriced. So fully loaded A/T Elantra should not cost more than 30% over the price of a fully loaded A/T Verna.
Now that is my opinion.
Different people may give different weight to different features.

Thank you for your detailed response. You might be right about the pricing, anything more that 30% increment over the Verna would be an overkill. Anything below that will be a hole-in-one! Also, I found your comparision with Jetta and Cruze pretty informative.

From the previous discussion regarding the MID, I guess it's coming. From the screenshot we can see it clearly indicates fuel economy. Fingers crossed.

Note from Team-BHP Support: Please do not quote a large post in its entirety while replying to a specific point. It inconveniences our small-screen and mobile users. Thanks!

[wordsworth]

Originally Posted by GTO

SCOOP!

Thanks to Ronit Khetarpal for sharing this Dealer training PDF which includes details of the Elantra variants

Download Link

Thanks GTO and Ronit !!

The base variant has all the bells and whistles I need and can live without the others. Hoping for the VFM tag

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by suhaildurrani

Thank you for your detailed response. You might be right about the pricing, anything more that 30% increment over the Verna would be an overkill. Anything below that will be a hole-in-one! Also, I found your comparision with Jetta and Cruze pretty informative.

From the previous discussion regarding the MID, I guess it's coming. From the screenshot we can see it clearly indicates fuel economy. Fingers crossed.

No, thats the average speed and distance travelled indicator. No fuel efficiency display. Even the brochure says so(uploaded by GTO)

That said, base variant has all the safety features!

[R17]

Originally Posted by GTO

SCOOP!

Thanks to Ronit Khetarpal for sharing this Dealer training PDF which includes details of the Elantra variants

Download Link

The SX MT looks perfect to me

If Hyundai prices that under 14 ex-showroom, it will be an absolute no-brainer.

[wordsworth]

Based on the training brochure uploaded by GTO, the base model is not available with the petrol engine. Given the additional features the S variant has over the base variant and the high powered petrol engine, IMHO the base diesel could well be priced lower than the base petrol.

Also the base variant does not majority of the features of the SX(O) diesel Verna (read six aitbags, smart key, push button start). Starting to wonder if Hyundai is intentionally trying to price the base Elantra diesel within 20% increased price of the SX(O) diesel Verna. Marketing strategy to gain what ?

GTO, tanveer what are your opinions on this?

[drchernish]

Wow that dealer PDF was so informative including the comparison chart of all the segment competition. Given all the features plus safety plus quality the elantra sits in the golden middle point. Thanks to our team bhp for giving us so detailed insight into the cars that we can omit the customary test drive needed before booking the vehicle. I am so being very inclined to book this car over cruze after reading all the info.

[dezrskb]

Can anybody compare Elantra diesel and Fluence diesel?

[srikanth.vemuri]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The Jetta A/T is priced at 19.25 lakhs ex showroom Delhi
The Cruze A/T is 15.5 lakhs ex showroom Delhi

So if Hyundai matches cruze pricing, I would prefer it over the Cruze if you want a comfortable car. However, if you are performance hungry, then the cruze makes more sense.

Sure the Jetta has a better engine, and more gizmos, but is it worth 5L over the elantra(if elantra is sub 15), I think not!

Then again, the top of the line Jetta is overpriced, no doubt, as even the most ardent of the VW fans might agree. But the Jetta Trendline @ 15.5 ex-showroom comes with no mean list of equipment, and for buyers looking at making the jump from the ANHV segment, a well sorted out solid Trendline might appeal more to many, over a fully kitted and cheaper , but certainly less capable Elantra.
The manual Diesel Elantra would be hard pressed to maintain a 5 lakh gap against the reasonably priced Trendline. Unless the base Elantra diesel version comes in @ close to13 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, it's gonna have a big bruising fight with VW and the other 2.0s to contend with!