Hyundai Elantra 2008 News

New-car buyers have a unique opportunity to bargain with dealers as the industry weathers a perfect storm of plummeting demand, rising costs and fallout from the credit crunch.“Right now, it's an epic fire sale. We'll never see this repeated,” Channel Nine motoring expert and consultant John Cadogan said.“If you've got the money, now is the time to buy. It won't be this good again.”Some brands are offering huge incentives, including extended warranty, free on-road costs and price reductions running from $1000 to more than $10,000.Mr Cadogan said that for a determined buyer these were merely the beginning.“The basic formula for getting a discount is to ask for the drive-away price, subtract 15 per cent and offer that,” he said.“If they won't be in it go somewhere else, because some dealer somewhere will trade in for that sort of discount. Be prepared to compromise on colour and trim if you have to.“And even if it's not the make you want, you will get the same sort of car.“The only caveat is that the car has to be in stock.“When it's on the floor, the dealer is paying the finance cost of owning it because he has to buy it from the manufacturer.”AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver said car sales were “in the process of falling off a cliff”.“Given the urgency with which some dealers need to get rid of their stock rather than have it repossessed, there are bargains out there,” Dr Oliver said.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew Mackeller said brands are “doing what they can to clear the decks. There are excellent deals to be had on 2008-plated stock.”The window will not be open for long.The Australian dollar's dramatic plunge against major currencies will soon bite hard, forcing prices to rise.For the moment, dealers disadvantaged by the credit crunch and the market downturn seek to urgently shift stock.This buyer's market has been brought about by a downturn in car sales so dramatic that Holden has suspended production at its Adelaide plant for the first three months of 2009.New-car sales for October were down by more than 10,000 units on the same month in 2007.Dealers have also been hit by the withdrawal from the car market of financiers GE Money and General Motors Acceptance Corporation. This has caused a funding shortfall of about $2 billion which affects as many as 30 per cent of the nation's dealerships. 10 TIPS TO A GREAT DEAL* Look for slow-selling models* Look for 2008-build models* Compare prices from dealers* Go for a car that's in the showroom _ these are the ones the dealer needs to get rid of* Big, thirsty cars are unpopular, but the savings on the purchase price can equal a year's worth of fuel* Demand the driveaway price and offer under that* Demand extended warranty and on-road costs* Lean hard on the dealer to include optional extras* Compromise on colour and trim and even make in order to save big* Be ready to walk away there's no lack of competition out there START HERE AND THEN OFFER 15 PER CENT LESS ...HONDA ODYSSEY: $39,290 (Driveaway)MITSUBISHI LANCER: $20,990 (with $2008 cashback)HYUNDAI ELANTRA: $19,990 (Driveaway plus $1000 gift card)NISSAN MICRA: $14,990 (Free on-roads) 

After coming under fire, Hyundai is increasing the number of models with electronic stability control.The Elantra, Tucson City and Getz will get stability control as standard from this month, the South Korean brand has announced.The trio join the Grandeur, Tiburon and the new iMax van with the safety feature.The company has been questioned for offering stability control only as an optional extra, despite admitting it is life-saving.Hyundai Australia executives were questioned about the decision not to offer it as standard on the 3.3-litre Santa Fe at last year's launch.The new deal is part of the company's rollout of the feature across its range before the State Government's new laws mandating it by 2012 come into effect.“Our vision is to see electronic stability control mandated across all new vehicles in Australia,” Hyundai Australia's director of sales and marketing Kevin McCann says.“Our research shows that stability control can reduce the risk of single-car accidents by as much as 68 per cent.”Hyundai now charges $990 for the ProtectX Pack that offers electronic stability control as part of a safety upgrade.Hyundai spokeswoman Tiffany Junee says: “Hyundai has been progressively introducing stability control across its range of lifestyle vehicles.”She says the company completely supports the new Victorian laws.“We presented at the Victorian Government's vehicle safety inquiry at the end of last year and have invested significantly in training and making the lifesaving technology available to Australian new-car buyers.“Our research indicates that stability control is the biggest safety technology in motoring since the seatbelt."“Not surprisingly, we have thrown our full weight behind mandating stability control across all new cars sold in Australia.” 

As Australia's new car juggernaut rolls on towards the magic million sales mark, the number of available models continues to swell. Already recognised as one of the most diverse and competitive car markets in the world, Australian importers continue to add to the mix.With half the year nearly gone, buyers have taken almost 500,000 new vehicles into their garages with some of the traditional biggest selling months still to come.At least three new marques will arrive in Australian showrooms in the second half of  the year; Hummer, Mahindra and Skoda,  testament to the vibrancy of what is, in world terms, a minor market.However, it is the expanding model range within existing brands that will drive the Aussie market over the million mark for the first time.Over the next six months more than 50 new or revised models will arrive in Australian new car showrooms. Here's a look at what's coming soon:ASTON MARTINDip your lid in style in September with the V8 Roadster, a gorgeous extension of the Vantage. AUDI Audi starts its end-of-year program in September with the R8, the biggest, baddest Audi in the garage The Supercar looks with enough performance to keep most on their toes. Also on the cards for October is the A5, Audi's first coupe since the TT. An all-new platform which comes as a front-wheel-drive and quattro. In November the V8 4.2 TDi may answer some questions for the Q7, including on fuel economy. BMW You'll have to wait until October for the new M3, but the latest offering from the M garage has something special. It's the first V8 for an M3. CHRYSLER A Sebring convertible, topless cousin of the sedan launched in early 2007, arrives in December. DODGE The Nitro SUV joins the Caliber for Dodge next month and the US marque backs that up with its Avenger sedan in August. FIAT The baby Ritmo, sold as the Bravo in Europe, will be Fiat's second passenger offering in Australia when it lands in October. Expect petrol and diesel. FORD The rush to oil-burners continues with the Focus getting the honour of being Ford's first passenger diesel next month before the Focus CC, the drop-top concept that set hearts aflutter at Frankfurt two years ago lands in October. The other big news for Ford is the return in November of the Mondeo for a third tilt at Australia. HOLDEN The key second-half model from the General is the VE Ute, bringing all the developments in the VE sedan to the working man's Holden. HONDA The Civic Type-R is razor-sharp styling built around a high-revving fun package. Next month. HUMMER The iconic offroader from the land of the large truck opens its Aussie account in October, a couple of months later than anticipated as a result of production delays for the H3. Surprisingly agile with real offroad ability. HYUNDAI An important second-half for the Korean marque. It starts with the popular Santa Fe SUV finally getting the 3.3-litre V6 from the Sonata to give it some extra punch. In October, the new Elantra hatch joins the sedan in the Aussie line-up after a wait of almost 12 months. JAGUAR An October styling refresh for the marque's luxury sedan, the XJ, is all from the Big Cat this year before a big 2008. JEEP The second of Jeep's non-Rubicon Trail-rated soft-roaders arrives in August to join the Compass for duty around town. KIA The Carens compact people mover has never really taken off here. The new generation is a little bigger and more stylish. It will be powered by a four-cylinder petrol or diesel engine with five- or seven-seat capacity. On sale in October. LAND ROVERThe baby Freelander gets a complete makeover for this generational change. New engines and a new family look all go on show in July. MAHINDRAIndia's workhorse ute, the Pik-Up, starts to roll out to Australia in July. MAZDA A new generation and a new look for the little Mazda2. Sharper styling is the key to this one's October debut. At the same time Mazda will add a diesel option to its top-selling Mazda3 range. MERCEDES-BENZThe key model for Mercedes this year is the meat-and-potatoes C-Class. Bigger, brighter and ready to meet the masses it is available from July. Also on Mercedes' new-model list is an upgraded ML500 and R-Class in September, both getting the 285kW V8 engine. October is a big month for the three-pointed star with the crackingCL65 AMG (a bi-turbo V12 with 450kW and 1000Nm) and the more sociable S320 CDi, which marries diesel with uber-luxury. MITSUBISHI You have to love a fighter. Australia's “other” family car, the 380, wins a minor refresh with some interior updates from next month. In August the automatic turbo diesel, traditionally the model's top seller, completes the Triton range while in October the point guard for the red-hot Evo X (due late in the year), the new Lancer, promises look-at-me-styling and more punch than the current model. NISSANThe baby Micra finally gets the green light for Australia with an October date with sales. In November the X-Trail, a core model for Nissan and the compact SUV that set the benchmark for those who actually can go off-road, gets a full generational change. The Dualis arrives in December. A softer option to the X-Trail, it sits on a similar platform but is more plush. PEUGEOT It's all about size for the French manufacturer. In July the 207CC, the previous generation of which set the standard for accessorising small cars, is back and promising to reclaim the crown. Its far more focused and athletic sibling, the GTi arrives in August with its turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. The station wagon derivative of the base 207 goes on sale in October. PORSCHEThe 911 turbo cabriolet proves Porsche's belief that if you can go fast in a sedan you should be able to go just as fast in a cabriolet. In September you can prove it for yourself. RENAULT August sees the Megane diesel join the Renault fleet, while the Clio Sport returns in November in an all-new guise. SAAB The new 9-3 will highlight Saab's first all-wheel-drive system in a completely renewed model range. All models arrive in November. SKODA Launches into Australia with a two-pronged attack in October. The Octavia medium-sized hatch and the quaintly named Roomster compact MPV will carry the flag initially. SMARTIn September the next next-generation smart ForTwo arrives, a little bigger and a little smarter. SUBARU The new Impreza is one of the most polarising styling departures of the year. In basic and WRX fettle the hatch arrives in September. A cult car heads mainstream and the jury is out. SUZUKIIf it ain't broke ... A freshen-up for the car that put punch back in Suzuki's local range, the brilliant Swift is in showrooms in October with the sedan version of the SX4 “tall hatch” joining the stable in September. TOYOTA The first product from Toyota's new “hot shop”, the Aurion TRD, arrives in August with a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 with sports manners and a load of plastic kit. Also in August is the generational change for Kluger with the SUV getting a substantial facelift and the 3.5-litre V6 from the Aurion. November brings the Landcruiser 200 Series and a TRD version of the HiLux. VOLVO The highlight for the Swedes in the second half of the year is the all-new generation of the XC70 due in November. About the same time the C30 will get the in-line five-cylinder diesel. VW A hot version of the Passat, the R36, is heading Down Under in November. 

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.