Last night, Hyundai drew the digital canvas of the completely new and tighter Elentra. The seventh generation borrows design elements from its big brother Sonata.
The North American car market is introduced to a completely new Elantra, a car that the South Koreans in the homeland call Avante. At the end of 2018, Hyundai carried out a striking facelift on the previous generation and the sleek design language that the brand showed on that car is strongly continued. Last year, Hyundai already showed cars like the new Sonata which direction it would take in the future in terms of design, so it is not surprising that this new Elantra borrows design elements from its bigger brother.
Just like that Sonata, the Elantra has a grille with concave lines, although the Elantra is even more eccentric. The muzzle of this new sedan, which is remarkably enough again called i30 Sedan in Australia, is inspired by that of the HDC-2 Grandmaster Concept presented in 2018. The lighting elements of the turn signals are incorporated in the grille. It is striking how steeply the roofline of the Elantra slopes, seen from the side you could just mistake the sedan for a liftback. At the very back we see a lot of sharp folds again. The lighting here consists of two units that are connected by an LED strip. The resulting light signature is therefore H-shaped.
Of course, the Elantra grows a bit compared to its predecessor, a car that was already a few centimeters longer in its previous facelift. The new Elantra measures 4.67 meters in length and has therefore grown more than 5.5 cm in length compared to its predecessor. With its height of 1.41 meters, Hyundai’s youngest is 2 centimeters lower than before. The wheelbase also increases by 2 centimeters and up to 2.72 meters. This has its consequences for the passengers in the back seat, who have about 6 centimeters more legroom than before. The platform hidden under the carriage is officially called K3 and is completely new.
Inside you can also see that Hyundai has clearly invested time in designing the workplace. The Elantra has a sleek-looking dashboard with a new steering wheel, a four-spoke model that resembles the steering wheel in the new i20. Behind the wheel, a fully digital 10.25-inch instrument cluster, one that optically blends into the right-hand display of the infotainment system of the same diameter. Hyundai has also placed a screen on the left side of the digital clock shop. The rest of the dashboard is characterized, among other things, with its ventilation grids running over almost the entire width and the ‘handle’ that is placed on the right side of the center tunnel. Mood lighting that lets you choose from 64 different colors is on the option list. Also optional: Digital Key, a system that allows you to unlock and start the Elantra via your smartphone.
Hyundai puts a 150 hp and 180 Nm strong turbo-free 2.0 on the engine list, a machine that is linked to a CVT transmission. New is a hybrid variant of the Elantra. This version has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder under the hood that runs according to the Atkinson cycle. This petrol engine is assisted by a small electric motor that derives its zest for life from a 1.32 kWh battery pack placed under the rear seat. The drivetrain is coupled to a six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and delivers a system power of 140 hp and 265 Nm of torque at the bottom of the line.
In terms of safety systems, the new Elantra is also a mustache. The standard equipment includes standard systems such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, an active and passive lane assistant, automatic high beam and a reversing camera is always present. The list can be extended with things like Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and even High Driving Assist, a system that keeps the Elantra on the highway in the middle of the lane and which is linked to the adaptive cruise control.
In the United States, where new Elantra has been presented, the car takes on well-known models such as the Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 Sedan, Nissan Sentra and Honda Civic.