2012 Hyundai Elantra Launched

There and back again. The fourth generation Hyundai Elantra’s entry and early departure from Indian soil a few years ago was unfortunate but as we see it has proved to be a significant reality check for its Korean creator, who once again returns to the D segment battlefield but this time with a more able commander. And we are indeed smitten.

With the launch of its 5th generation Elantra, Hyundai hasn’t just earned more brownie points for its already successful fluidic design language but in a sense proved exactly how lethal an architecture it truly is in the form of this scrumptious looking sedan.

And the surprise doesn’t end there. Starting from the engine options on the new car, to its exhaustive features and premium interior fit and finish, the new Elantra packs in everything you’d expect from such a high-end passenger car and more.

First up are its 1,797cc petrol and 1,582cc diesel engine options, both of which are offered with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. The four cylinder petrol engine is capable of churning out a solid 149.5PS @6,500 rpm and a decent 181Nm of torque @ 4700 rpm.  The diesel unit is incidentally the same CRDi engine fitted into the new Verna that pumps out a decent 128PS @ 4000 rpm and a rather decent 265Nm of torque between 1,900-2,750 rpm.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the diesel manual tops any other engine/transmission combination being offered with the Elantra returning an impressive 22.7kmpl (ARAI claimed). The petrol unit would obviously be lower but it is reasonably efficient as well with a 16.3 kmpl average.

Creature comforts and features are aplenty on the new Elantra and include button start/stop, dual zone climate control, ventilated front seats (first in segment), a high end audio system, rear seat audio controls, steering mounted audio and cruise controls, rear parking sensors, rear air conditioning vents and even electronically folding and heated ORVMs.

In terms of safety features, the Elantra comes with six airbags, ABS, vehicle stability management (VSM) as well as electronic stability control (ESC). Even the base version has dual front airbags.

Despite the phantom appearance and disappearance of the older version, the Elantra especially in its current form has already created a wave of excitement and appreciation globally (winner of the North American & South African Car of the Year) and seems determined to stir up similar sentiments here in India.

Starting from a price of Rs 12.51 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) Hyundai’s new Elantra is available in three petrol and four diesel variants. Incidentally, India is the first and so far the only market for a diesel engine version of the new generation Hyundai Elantra (Read : Hyundai Elantra First Drive). And considering it’s much more than a D segment pretty face, there’s a fairly good chance it’s here for the long term.

New Hyundai Elantra variant-wise pricing:
Petrol:

S M/T: Rs 12.51 lakh*

SX M/T: Rs 13.74 lakh*

SX A/T: Rs 14.74 lakh*

Diesel: 

Base: Rs 12.91 lakh*

S M/T: Rs 13.64 lakh*

SX M/T: Rs 14.85 lakh*

SX A/T: Rs 15.85 lakh*

*All prices are introductory and ex-showroom Delhi