Long Term Review - First Report

The Hyundai Elantra diesel has just entered our long term garage in the automatic guise and I am quite excited to call it all mine for the next three months. Despite being launched four years back, the Elantra still looks fresh and makes for a good option to the recently launched Toyota Corolla or even the Skoda Octavia. There is lots of space on the inside, it has a comfortable ride, very good refinement and a car that is genuinely good value.

The Elantra got a minor upgrade last year which has helped the sedan look fresh and up to date. As part of the update, the car got a few styling changes, a refurbished interior and a little more equipment. I also chose the automatic diesel variant as it will predominantly be used for my daily commute in Mumbai and being diesel, it won’t burn a hole in my pocket too.

At the heart, the Elantra is powered by a 1.6 litre diesel motor which is mated to a 6-speed torque converter gearbox. It is a proven motor which promises to deliver a fair old punch and is one of the smoothest diesels around.

Another factor which caught my eye was the amount of equipment on offer in this top-of-the-line SX variant. It comes with climate control, touchscreen music system, powered driver seat, key-less go, auto headlamps, auto wipers, leather upholstery, six airbags, ESP and ABS. But my favourite feature in the Elantra is the cooled front seats. This will be a boon, especially on hot days to cool down those heat absorbing black leather seats.

Although impressive on paper the coming months will tell if the Elantra is still worth the money especially with its replacement just around the corner.