Initially christened by Hyundai as the Lantra, it was only in the early 2000s was the name changed to the now well-known Elantra. According to the South Korean carmaker, this new name came from the term “Elation” – something Hyundai wanted its customers to feel when driving this car.
Today, the new 2019 Hyundai Elantra is in its sixth generation and promises to be one of the best value-for-money deals in its class. All is not easy for this C-segment sedan as it faces stiff competition in the region in the form of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, and Kia Cerato.
Exterior
Featuring Hyundai’s latest dynamic Fluidic design language, the new Elantra wears one of the most fashionable yet sophisticated exteriors around. The front fascia is adorned by a large hexagonal grille and flanked by sleek projector headlights that also house LED daytime-runners. The lean yet sculpted front bumper comes with integrated halogen fog lamps and further up, the hood gets two sharp character lines too.
The side profile of the Elantra reveals a sloping roofline along with a rising window line, both lending a hand to the coupe-ish stance of the car. The fluidic design continues to the handsome-looking rear where the sloping roofline culminates at the rather stubby boot, the latter gets a subtle spoiler too. The taillights get their own LED treatment, while a pseudo diffuser is incorporated into the bottom of the rear bumper for a sportier look.
The new Hyundai Elantra bears dimensions of 4.569 meters in length, 1.801 meters in width, 1.435 meters in height, and 2.700 meters in wheelbase. The total cargo capacity of the Elantra’s boot is 408 liters.
Interior
The cabin of the 2019 Hyundai Elantra features a driver-oriented layout, with the centre-console tilted slightly towards the person behind the wheel. The interior is spacious enough for 5 occupants, and cabin ergonomics are also a non-issue. The seats are well padded and contoured so as to offer decent comfort and support. Surprisingly, despite its sloping roofline at the back, headroom is good even for taller passengers, plus there’s ample legroom for everybody.
To lift the ambience of the cabin, Hyundai has also thrown in some glossy piano-black and satin silver plastic trim. Despite the perceived flair, the quality isn’t the best in class, though everything does seem to be bolted well into place. The features on-board include leather upholstery, automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, rear air-con vents, electric sunroof, cooled glovebox, heated and ventilated, plus power-operated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, and keyless entry with push-button start.
As one of the safest cars in its segment, the new 2019 Hyundai Elantra features 6 airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control, blind spot detection, and a tire pressure warning system.
Engine and performance
The base trim of the Hyundai Elantra gets a mundane 1.6-liter four-popper that makes 127 HP and 157 Nm of torque. Mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and driving the front wheels, this one will hit 100 km/h in 11.6 seconds, whilst returning an average of 7.0L/100 km.
Meanwhile, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 150 HP with 192 Nm of torque. Maintaining a similar drivetrain to the 1.6, 100 km/h comes up in 9.5 seconds, while top speed is 205 km/h. Fuel economy of the Elantra 2.0 is rated at 7.4L/100 km.
Verdict
Depending on the trim level, the new 2019 Hyundai Elantra is priced between AED 58,900 to AED 75,900. Insurance premium starts at AED 1,325 for the base 1.6 variant, while that for the full-option 2.0 variant starts at AED 1,708.
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