Hyundai Overview
Hyundai-elantra.jpgThe Hyundai models available in South Africa are the 1.6L (in manual and ) as well as the 2.0L (only in ).

The 2007 has been completely redesigned with new styling (by the American team) however the car still projects a and that might appeal more to a mature buyer.

Interior
Overall the impression is that the interior of the is very spacious and roomy for a car of its class, with in the front seats. This is not just an illusion since the 2007 redesign added to its wheelbase and the car was also made wider, making the inside of the bigger than, for example, the and the Nissan Civic.

The seats themselves are also very comfortable, although the versions available in South Africa only comes with a cloth trim, with no leather trim options available.

comes standard with the .

Exterior
The new design borrows heavily from the bigger , and most reviewers think it that it is stylish. The only problem is that some reviewers do not think it very exciting - the main comments being that it will not stand out in the crowd, and that the design will probably appeal to a more .

That being said, it is generally agreed that a lot of high work went into the exterior, both from a design as well as a finishing perspective. It is a , not having to stand back a jot to its closest competitors.

Performance and Handling
Overall, the delivers zippy performance with a , adequate acceleration and the handling responsive. Braking is good, and the is also very good, with the car not slipping away when braking hard and going round a corner.

Safety
Only the 1.6 comes equiped with Electronic Brake , which helps with since it distributes the braking effort and assists with braking for example, on wet surfaces.

Once again, the number of airbags available in the South African version of the car is considerably less than in its overseas counterpart. Where the overseas version of the car sports eight airbags, only the two in front are offered in the South African version.

The car comes with crumple zones, side impact protection bars and a built in transponder immobiliser. So basically the risk of getting hit by a taxi (protection through airbags) is considered less than the risk of the car being stolen (immobiliser)!

PROS

  •  Roomy Interior
  •  Stylish, if unremarkable, design
  •  Good value for money

CONS

  •  Manual gear shifting is not as smooth as it could be
  •  Design is conservative

Price range comparisons
The 1.6L manual starts at R162 000, while the 2.0L retails for about R183 000.

Prices as compared to other cars in the same target market:
The Hyundai competes with the Honda Civic and the .

The Honda Civic starts at R177 500 for its lowest spec 4 door model (1.8L) and ends at R205 000 for its higher spec model () with the leather seats and 6 speakers.

The has a variety of models to choose from, varying from the Corolla 160i Sprinter at R 175 300 to the Corolla 2.0 Advanced D-4D at R 203 900. The Corolla Corolla 2.0 Exclusive D-4D retails at R 226 600.

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