Hyundai Elantra 2006 News

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. 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.

Now it's down to the judges to decide which of the 10 finalists will win the award to be announced in a special edition of CARSguide next Friday.Our top 10 has been achieved after an extensive search and culling process covering all cars launched in Australia in the past year.The judging criteria included assessing styling, safety, innovation, value, functionality, build quality and performance.Our motoring experts, motoring editors and senior motoring writers from The Daily Telegraph, Herald-Sun in Melbourne, The Courier-Mail in Brisbane, The Advertiser in Adelaide, The Mercury in Hobart and The Sunday Times in Perth extensively tested the 10 finalists earlier this month. The three-day back-to-back testing, included a full day's driving at Wakefield Park in Goulburn.The finalists were driven in a wide mix of environments and road conditions, including wet, dry, city, freeway, highway and country roads.Fiat Punto EmotionJudge Keith Didham's comment:Fiat returned to the Australian market in August after a 17-year gap. The Punto is one of Europe's biggest sellers, but can that success be replicated here?Fiat reopened the batting Down Under with four variants, with a choice of five-door or three-door manual hatches powered by 1.3 or 1.9-litre turbo diesel or a 1.4-litre petrol motor. Fiat last month added two more smart sequential automatic variants to round out the range to six. Prices range from $19,990 for the Dynamic to $27,990 for the better-equipped Emotion as tested here.The cute Giorgetto Giugiaro styling comes with a strong hint of Maserati about its nose, while the cabin is unmistakably Italian, so the car appeals to the buyer looking for something out of left field from the bevy of small-car clones. The Punto's biggest attractions, however, are its frugal fuel economy, comfortable four-seat cabin and five-star crash rating.The perky diesel feels robust once you get it up and running and riding the torque wave.It's a strong performer, with plenty of grip and good dynamics, but the trade off can be a harsh ride, while the steering sometimes lacks feedback.The Punto is premium priced, but standard kit includes electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, height and reach adjustable steering wheel, cloth trim, cruise control, a decent CD audio system, remote locking, airconditioning and power windows.Holden Astra CDTiJudge Bryan Littlely's comment:There is a very straightforward reason for the Holden Astra CDTi's inclusion in the CARSguide Car Of The Year Award - and that is its diesel engine.The stylish, imported Astra is the first diesel passenger car to wear the badge of an Australian manufacturer in more than 20 years, a wise move by Holden given the surge in popularity of diesel powered vehicles amid rising fuel prices.But the Astra is an attractive option for much more than its powerplant. It has the styling that would appeal to a wide range of car buyers and, at $29,990 for the six-speed manual, it is very competitive with European brands on price.The Holden Astra offers good ride and handling in a comfortable and practical package that is fun to drive - if not all glitz and glamour - and it certainly proved its worth during the judging.Holden still has some issues to overcome with this car if it is to convert car buyers from petrol to diesel but, overall, it offers a solid package and a good entry point for buyers wanting to make the shift to diesel-powered vehicles.Hyundai Elantra EliteJudge Kevin Hepworth's comment:Once the whipping boy of poor build quality, Hyundai has turned around its reputation to the point where it is now winning quality surveys in major 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 it is still not perfect it is a huge improvement and a credit to Hyundai's determination to improve wherever it can. And while there may still be the odd question mark over styling - the curved crease-line down the car's flanks comes readily to mind - the Hyundai Elantra Elite offers a comprehensive package for its $24,990 sticker price.Not the least of the attractions in the Elite is the included 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.The finalists1: Audi Q7 TDI 4WD, $85,7002: Fiat Punto Emotion diesel $27,9903: Ford Focus XR5 5-cyl turbo hatch, $35,9904: Holden Astra CDTi diesel $29,9905: Holden VE Calais V8 V-series sedan, $58,4906: Hyundai Elantra Elite $24,9907: Mazda3 MPS 4-cylinder turbo hatch, $39,9908: Porsche Cayman S 2-door coupe, $148,5009: Toyota Aurion Presara V6 sedan, $49,99010: VW Passat wagon 4-cylinder turbo, $44,990The winner will be announced next Friday.

As the designer-esque moniker 'Arnejs' suggests, Hyundai's FD Elantra hatch will feature a very appealing (read: less conservative) and more radical design adaptation of its sedan sibling launched here in September 2006.Led by Hyundai design chief Thomas Bürkle, the Hyundai Motor Europe design team in Rüsselsheim, Germany, based the Arnejs on the development plans for the production Elantra hatch. Its form language is a continuity of design elements first introduced with the Genus crossover concept car unveiled in the Geneva Auto Salon in March, and marks another milestone in Hyundai's development of a stronger brand identity.Hyundai expects FD Elantra Hatch to further boost European and Australian sales and market share following its launch in Europe late in the second quarter of 2007. It will launch locally later next year, where it will fill the role formerly occupied by the previous Elantra five-door liftback.Also on display at the Hyundai stand will be a jet-black 'Pimp My Ride' version of the Sonata sedan, trimmed in black leather and kitted with a variety of performance and prestige upgrades – and possibly a new diesel engine. The company is taking its market research seriously, and inviting feedback regarding the feasibility of an upscale SXi model.Those with money to spend were tempted by a limited-edition Accent, available only during the Show.

Some things just feel instantly comfortable - an old pair of jeans, a fat roll of $100 bills in your hand, the driver's seat of a Ferrari. Then there's the new Hyundai Elantra. From the very first minute, this car like wearing socks with sandals. The seats are flat rather than flattering, the steering wheel has all the tactile feel of a garden hose and as you attempt to drive off you find the accelerator pedal is touchier than a domino expert at the end of a long day. The instantaneous thrustiness gives a misleading impression that this is something of a jackrabbit in the acceleration department. Obviously, the Elantra is a budget mid-sizer, not a sports car, but while it boasts an engine size advantage over some of its 1.8-litre competitors, the 2.0-litre powerplant produces just 105kW and 186Nm. Hyundai claims a 0 to 100km/h time of 8.9 seconds, but they must have had a cyclonic tail wind of when they recorded that time. It's also noisy and rough sounding. Then there's the steering, which is about as talkative as Humphrey B Bear. The lack of feel would be mildly annoying, but it's actually worse than that. There seems to be a disconnect between the steering-wheel position and the reaction of the wheels. In fact, it gives new meaning to understeer. Not only does it exhibit this tendency in the traditional sense, it actually is literally under steered. Throw in the generous amount of bodyroll and you've got a car that doesn't exactly inspire confidence. When my colleague and I swapped places I discovered that these feelings weren't entirely my own as she apologised for wandering around the road like a drunken wombat. She couldn't get to grips with the Playstation-like steering either. To be fair, on smooth freeways the Elantra's ride, with its new rear suspension, is reasonably supple and indeed, amid the mundanity of everyday driving, the car's failings would hardly be noticeable. It's roomy, with a decent back seat, it's got a sheen of classiness and the exterior styling, with the “curvaceous character line” along its waist will no doubt turn heads. As will the pricing. The base SX model of what Hyundai calls its “very big small car” is $19,990. But at that price you miss out on some things - like steering-wheel adjustment, side-impact airbags, curtain airbags and buttons on the wheel for the stereo. The rest of the range, which tops out at $28,990, gets all that and more, including a very capable ESP (Electronic Stability Program) system. Buyers of the SX, who will make up the vast majority of customers, have the option of paying for a Protectz Pack, for $1790, which adds ESP, traction control and the curtain and side airbags. While this option is a potential life saver, safety just isn't sexy and realistically people are more likely to shell out for alloy wheels. Hyundai already offers a similar pack for its Getz and out of the 1800 units it sells a month, only 10 to 15 buyers have chosen to Protectz themselves. The company tips a similar take-up rate for the Elantra, which it expects to sell between 750 and 800 a month when it goes on sale in October. It's a real shame Hyundai couldn't have made ESP standard across the range, but a sub-$20K price is a far better selling point. The other attraction for buyers will be the claimed fuel consumption of just 7.4 litres per 100km (7.8 in the auto). Strangely, though, our car on the launch drive returned a less impressive average of 8.7 litres per 100km. Even so, at least drivers will get a good feeling from the Elantra when they get out of it to approach the bowsers.