COTY 2006 Hyundai Elantra

Once criticised for poor build quality, the Korean giant has turned around its reputation to the point where it is now winning quality surveys in competitive international markets.

A fine example of that new attention to detail was the action the company took after criticism of the Elantra's woolly steering at its Australian release. Within days a team of engineers was flown from Korea to recalibrate the cars. While most of the judging panel acknowledged the commitment from Hyundai, they felt the end result still fell short of what was considered a reasonable benchmark.

There was also a slight question mark over some styling points on the car but generally the impressions were favourable.

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The Elite features 16-inch alloys, foglights, a trip computer and tinted glass.

Interior space is good, with generous room both front and rear (provided you don't attempt to squeeze a fifth passenger in) for head, leg and shoulder. Ergonomically, everything in the cabin falls easily to hand but there was considerable comment about the "fractured" look of the centre console with its rather stylish display for the airconditioning placed below what is a basic sound system display.

At $24,990 the manual Elantra Elite represents reasonable value, and scored well for the inclusion of the safety pack of electronic stability control and six airbags.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, coupled to a five-speed manual, puts out a reasonable 105kW and the Elantra offers a good quality ride for a car in its segment.