Hyundai Elantra fluidic, which has been in international markets for a while now, has won many awards from various reputed automobile publications and has done a world of good to the Korean car maker. Now, Hyundai India has finally launched the much talked about sedan in Indian market. The car, which has option of both diesel and petrol engine, is priced between INR 12.5 lakhs to 15.5 lakhs.
SCROLL DOWN FOR BOOKING DESIGN REVIEW, BOOKING DETAILS, PRICES AND SPECS.
Design Review:
We have been talking about the all new Hyundai Elantra ever since it emerged that the Korean car had planned to introduce its D segmenter in rapidly growing Indian car market. Now, till very recently, Hyundai used to be known as the maker of some really (f)ugly cars. The condition was so bad that at many parts of the world, owners of Hyundai cars used to be at the butt end of every possible car design joke. As if dishing out one weird car design after another wasn’t an insult enough, Hyundai decided to get a bit too ‘inspired’ from the design of Jaguar S type and came up with the fourth generation of Sonata entry level luxury sedan.
History lessons apart, it won’t be much of a overstatement to say that Hyundai car designs have come a long way since the days of yore. No longer are Hyundai cars weird looking. Some years back, Hyundai decided to embrace a new design language that it calls as Fluidic design and rest as they say, is history. Case in point here is the all new Hyundai Elantra that we were talking about in the beginning of this story. The design of the new Elantra is a galaxy ahead of that of the two generation old Elantra that was on sale here in India.
The latest edition of the car follows Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture and the design language is surely at its best on this car. Gone is the hideous front end and what we instead have is a front fascia that is pleasing to the eye and yet manages to look distinctively Korean. The front also has sleek head lights that extend very much into the fenders. The bumper houses a pair of fog lamps that look surprisingly bland in comparison with rest of the design and we wonder why Hyundai decided to opt against giving the LED treatment to the new car. The crease lines on the hood merge neatly into the ones surrounding the grille on the bumper unit. One look at the rake angle of A pillars and it is easy to understand why Hyundai decided to name its design language as fluidic. In side profile, the car has a beltline that runs along the length of the body from front door to the tail lamps. This surface treatment coupled with a greenhouse design that mimics that on sports coupes further elevate the fluidity of the car’s styling. At 4.53 metres long, the car is almost as much in length as a Skoda Laura. The new Elantra will come fitted with chunky five spoke mag wheels that do a good job with filling in the wheel arches. Coming to the rear, the tail lamps seem to be an evolved species of those seen on the new Sonata and consist of two sub units for each taillight unit. The bumper at the rear again (!) reminds of the one seen on the new Sonata and as in the bigger car, sports two reflector units on each side. The discreet integrated spoiler on the boot lid is a neat touch.
Overall, as we mentioned earlier, Hyundai seems to have got it very right with the styling of the new Elantra and the fluidic design will help it seamlessly merge between the new Verna and the new Sonata.
Booking Details
Other than heading to the nearest Hyundai dealership, one can also initiate the booking process by SMSing Hyundai <SPACE> ELANTRA to 53456. The booking amount for the car is INR 25000.The car is being offered in three petrol and four diesel trim levels and following is the list of variants being offered:
Hyundai Elantra petrol variants and price-
As expected, the price range for the new Hyundai Elantra starts at close to 12.5 lakhs (ex showroom, Delhi). The new Verna should be seen targetting buyers of the new Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Laura and the updated Chevrolet Cruze. At these prices, Hyundai seems to have got it quite right for the new Elantra. What do you say?
VTVT S (base variant)- INR 12.5 lakhs
VTVT SX (mid-level variant)- INR 13.74 lakhs
VTVT SX with Options Pack (top-end variant)- 14.74 lakhs
Hyundai Elantra diesel variants
CRDi 1.6 (base variant)- INR 12.91 lakhs
CRDi S (mid-level)- INR 13.64 lakhs
CRDi SX (mid-level)- INR 14.85 lakhs
CRDi SX with Options Pack (top-end variant)- INR 15.85 lakhs
Features:
Base- 16″ alloys. ABS, dual airbags, auto climate control, beige and black interior, reverse parking sensors, audio with USB, aux-in, Bluetooth and i-pod cable and steering mounted controls.
S- Above features + Fog lamps, reverse camera with electrochromic mirror and some chrome bits and pieces.
1.6 SX (1.8 petrol and 1.6 diesel)-will have additional leather upholstery, side and curtain airbags, smart key with push button start, auto headlamps, auto cruise control, ESP, traction control, stability control etc.
SX- Above features + Hill launch assist on automatic variants.
Colour options- black, white, maharaja red, sleek silver, twilight blue and bronze.
New Hyundai Verna specifications –
Technical specifications-
Fuel-Diesel/Petrol
Engine-1582cc, 4-cyl, 16valve, VGT, DOHC/ 1797cc VVT 4cyl DOHC
Power- 126.2bhp at 4000 rpm/ 147bhp at 6500 rpm
Torque- 26.5kgm at 1700-2500rpm/ 18.1 kgm at 4500rpm
Gearbox-6-speed manual/auto
Front Suspension- Macpherson Strut type with coil spring
Rear Suspension- Coupled Torsion beam axle
Physical Dimensions-
Length- 4530mm
Width- 1775mm
Height- 1470mm
Wheel base- 2700mm
Wheels-16-inch Alloy
Tyres-205/60R16
Viva Honda ! m/