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18/12/2006
By EWAN KENNEDY
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The new Hyundai Elantra is larger than ever before. The front seats are suited to full-sized Aussie males, they well shaped and provide good support. The driving position is suited to most and Hyundai gives four-way seat adjustment in the topline models, while the lower-cost Elantra has height adjustment only, so there's plenty of opportunities to tailor the seat to the driver’s needs.
 Legroom in the back seat has been significantly improved by a stretched wheelbase in the fourth-generation car, but we found rear headroom marginal for some tall people.
Hip and shoulder room have been increased front and rear and the larger cabin volume means this new Elantra could easily be used as a family car for those trading down from a six-cylinder vehicle.
Hyundai is taking an interesting direction in its latest styling theme. One that is unashamedly Korean in its lines, which is something of which we thoroughly approve as we find it rather sad when other cultures feel the need to copy European shapes.
The wave-like side profile of the Elantra's body is fascinating. It sweeps up and down as it traverses the guards and makes the car most distinctive. The domed roof works well from an appearance point of view, as well as smoothing the airflow in high-speed running.
For some reason, the effect of the side profile doesn’t show up all that well in photographs, try a trip to your local Hyundai dealer to see it in the metal and you will get a much better idea of what the Korean stylists have achieved.
Build quality on the exterior is very good, almost up to the very high standards of Japanese cars in this same class. Some of the plastics used in the cabin look as though they have been chosen to keep the price down, but the way they have been assembled has improved on that of the earlier Korean efforts.
Dashboard and instrument styling has a fresh, modern appearance and the cabin is a pleasant place in which to travel.
Power is from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that’s a development of the one seen in the previous model. The engine now develops up to 105 kW and 186 Nm. It can be matched to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
Torque has been fattened out on this latest variant of the engine and it’s happy to pull on light throttle openings from as low as 1500 rpm, though 2000 revs makes more sense in normal driving.
Fuel consumption will usually be about nine to eleven litres per hundred kilometres in suburban driving, and should drop to seven to eight litres per hundred on motorways or when making easy-paced country trips.
These figures are for the manual car we tested, automatic transmission will see increases in fuel use of about five to ten per cent.
On-road, the fourth-generation Hyundai Elantra is smooth and quiet with comfort that remains good even on rough Australian backroads that have seen better days.
The suspension is well damped to give good levels of stability and seat-of the-pants feel, but the steering lets it down by being rather ‘dead’ in its feel in the straight-ahead position. Which is a pity because steering feel aside this car has a sportier air than you would normally expect from an affordable machine in this class.
Once away from the straight-ahead position the steering takes on a much more pleasant feel. The Elantra is well balanced and front-drive induced understeer doesn’t really become a factor until the car is moving at a pretty good clip into corners. It’s happy to change direction partway through a bend if asked to do so and has plenty of safety in its road behaviour.
In a move that should be applauded, Hyundai has brought the potential safety of ESP down to a full range of lower-priced cars for the first time. An electronic stability program (ESP) is standard on the upmarket Elantra Elite and Elite S and is offered as part of a Protectz Pack for $1790 on the SX and $990 on the SLX.
Anyone in the market for an affordable mid-sized car that can be used as a family machine should certainly have the fourth-generation Hyundai Elantra sitting on their short list.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
SX 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $19,990
SLX 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $22,490
Elite 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $24,990
Elite S 2.0-litre four-door sedan - $28,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Not offered on SX, standard on all other models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Not offered on SX, standard on all other models
SPECIFICATIONS (Hyundai Elantra SX 2.0-litre four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.975 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.1:1
Bore/Stroke: 82.0 x 93.5mm
Maximum Power: 105kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 186Nm @ 4600rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.188: 1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4505mm
Wheelbase: 2650mm
Width: 1775mm
Height: 1490mm
Turning Circle: 10.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1285kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 53 litres
Towing Ability: 500kg (1200kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link type, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated Disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA
Standing 400 Metres: NA
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.4 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Five years/130,000km |
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