The new 2011 Hyundai Elantra is here and it’s a real head turner … well it certainly made me look twice when the local dealer drove one through the roundabout in front of me.
This isn’t a mid-model upgrade we see in the new Elantra … it’s an all-new body shape and it comes with an all-new 1.8 litre petrol engine too.
The exterior
On the outside Hyundai have incorporated their “Fluidic Sculpture” into the design and you can see the family resemblance that the Elantra shares with the i45 … no surprisingly they both came from the same design studio.
The range
There are three variants in the 2011 Elantra range. The base model is the Active and it comes as either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Trim specs include cloth upholstery, a four-speaker sound system with USB and iPod compatibility and controls mounted on the steering wheel along with Bluetooth controls for your mobile phone.
The Active rides on 15 inch steel wheels.
The next step up is the Hyundai Elantra Elite which is only available as an automatic. Trim specs include everything that comes in the Active plus a premium steering wheel, piano finish black inserts in the centre console, automatich climate control, dusk sensing headlights, rain sensing wipers, push button start with proximity smart key, fog lamps, tinted glass and rear park assist.
The Elite rides on 16 inch alloy wheels.
At the top of the range is the Premium and in addition to everything that you get in the Active and the Elite you also get leather trim, electric driver’s seat, Electrochromatic rear view mirror, front seat warmers, a sunroof and a reversing camera.
The Premium rides on 17 inch alloy wheels.
The engine
All variants in the new Hyundai Elantra range are fitted with the same engine. It’s an all-new 1.8 litre petrol engine that produces 110kW of power at 6,500rpm and 178Nm of torque at 4,700rpm. This new engine incorporates Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CCVT) camshafts and hydraulic engine mounts for power and efficiency and that helps the new engine produces 30 percent less emissions than the one it replaces.
Hyundai have coupled their new engine to a six-speed manual gearbox in the Active and a six-speed automatic transmission in the Elite and Premium … the auto is an option in the Active.
The new gearbox is 5kg lighter than the previous box used in earlier Elantra models and Hyundai says that it contains 62 fewer moving parts than were in the old box.
Fuel consumption on a combined cycle for the new Elantra is 6.6L/100km for the manual version and 7.1L/100km for the automatic version.
Safety features
As well as all the usual safety features … enough to earn the new Elantra a five-star safety rating from ANCAP … the Elantra also has a Vehicle Stability Management system. This system integrates all the active safety systems in the vhicle to help maintain vehicle control by apply a variable input to steering weight. This helps prevent the vehicle from losing control in emergency situations.
Pricing
All prices quoted here are the Manufacturer’s List price … delivery and government charges are extra.
- Active Manual: $20,590
- Active Auto: $22,590
- Elite: $25,590
- Premium $28,990
And you can add another $375 if you want metallic or micra paint.
