Hyundai Elantra Elite review New Zealand
Among the plethora of treats we had our family home every Christmas was a large 8 sided tin of Quality Street. Essentially they were a mix of toffee’s, fudge and chocolates manufactured by Nestle and they were a family favorite because there was something for everyone. The confectionery was individually wrapped in bright shinny colours which made it simple to pick out the ones you wanted and avoid the ones you didn’t. My personal favorites were the purple (Hazelnut in caramel) and the green triangles (Noisette pate) and the red and orange wrappers (strawberry delight & orange creme) were avoided at all costs – unless EVERYTHING else had gone and things turned desperate – hey chocolate is chocolate!
To me, Hyundai’s new Elantra is just that – Quality Street, let me explain.
Outside you get the choice of an array of bright and shiny colours, from Marina Blue and Fiery Red, to Platinum Silver and Sparking Metal. It has Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille (in bright chrome), Projector beam headlights (Elite), and sporty alloys. The Sedan has been redesigned to make it visually eye catching (with strong shoulder lines, black accented front air curtains, sleek headlights and a slight flick to the rear boot lid) and given a peppy 2L, 16 valve, CVVT engine (in the petrol Elite version they loaned me) – for those of you that are interested, it offers up 112kW’s and 192Nm.
But as with the confectionery, it’s once you get the wrapper off (or in this case get inside) that you find out what you’ve bitten into. Just as the aforementioned sweets have an all pleasing coat of chocolate, the Elantra’s interior has an easy on the eye appearance. It’s a black, gray and chrome look that is possibly a bit conservative but is also both professional and family friendly. Leather seats, door trim, centre console, wheel and gearstick. 10 way seat adjustment and lumber support, plus 3 stage heat. A 7” TFT LCD in-dash infotainment screen, with Apple Carplay, MP3, and reverse camera. Cruise control, AC with pollen filter – All this and more, in fact I can safely say there is something for everyone.
The ride is a great all rounder. The six speed auto box is smooth and non judgmental, comfortable slowly looking for parking spots at the mall and plenty of legs outside the city limits. Hyundai have refined the suspension and it really iron’s out the lumps and bumps. Cornering was better than I was expecting too. Topping it all off is the electric motor driven steering, it felt perfectly weighted throughout the variety of driving conditions I gave it.
From a family point of view, I was lucky enough to have ‘the old’s’ out here, and there was plenty of room for four adults – with great ease of entry and exit for some of the (let’s say) lesser mobile among us. Boot space is aplenty too (458 VDA Litres) and although it’s a reasonable size overall (1.8m) it doesn’t really feel that way.
The Hyundai Elantra really is a bit of a family favorite. It has sporty appeal (with a spritely engine and handling combo), it’s loud and informative (with its interactive infotainment system) and yet it also has a classic conservative side when needed. Think of it as the Christmas Quality Street treat that everyone likes – regardless of the colour they choose.
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