Hyundai Elantra Facelift Released (+ Gallery)

Hyundai has released the facelifted Avante in its homeland Korea. Mostly known as Elantra in other market, Hyundai has updated the lighting which now incorporate more intricate inner detailing, redesigned the front and rear bumpers and enhanced the cabin for better practicality.

Externally, the facelifted Avante/Elantra can be differentiated by the DRL-equipped headlight and new fog lamp, while the redesigned front bumper is 5mm longer. At the back, apart from partial LED infused in the rear light, the rear bumper has been reprofiled with the inclusion of lower garnish, and the length has been extend by 15mm, giving it 4,550mm total length compared to before. A dash of style has been added with the belt-line moulding now finished in chrome. There is also a new design for 17 inch alloy wheel with two-tonne finish. 

The interior makeover is more extensive the exterior. The dashboard has been redesigned with the aircon outlet now mounted higher up where previously occupied by silver insert. The audio and climate control has been revised for better clarity. Passenger comfort has been upped with the raise central armrest, while the rear aircond vent which was previously only available in Indian-version has now appeared in Korean model. There's also new color scheme to inject a more modern flair to the cabin.

While the underpinning remain similar which McPherson struts up front and torsion beam at the back, Hyundai now offers sports suspension option (in Korea) and a choice of 17 inch alloy in dark gray or black chrome. Engine line-up now has been enhanced with the diesel option of 1.6L VGT offering 128PS and 279Nm in addition to the 1.6L GDi.

The comparison with the pre-facelifted Avante/Elantra can be seen below.

The gallery of the facelift Hyundai Avante/Elantra can be found after the jump.

Hyundai Elantra Facelift Spotted

Hyundai teased us with several clues on what to expect on the Elantra facelift recently. One knows that the headlight inner detailing is going to change, new look for rear lamp, as well as some update on interior display. The car is due to be launched in Korean market later this month. Prior to the launch, it has been spied by Car And Driver.

The new headlight internal can be seen clearly from this photo, as well as reprofiled front bumper lower section with more plunging fog lamp housing with the fog lamp itself more vertically oriented than before. The grille arrangement is surprisingly identical to pre-facelift car.

The giveaway for the rear end is the new redesigned lighting with more classy internals, as well as the redesigned bumper with blackened lower section. The earlier teaser from Hyundai can be seen after the jump.

Sportier Hyundai Sonata on offer & grab 1.88% interest rate

Hyundai has spiced up the Sonata range with the introduction of a sporty-look version and a low 1.88% interest rate for all Sonata variant. The latter is on offer until 30 September 2012. The new variant is available for both 2.0L and 2.4L, where cosmetic changes includes front lip, side skirt and rear bumper valance incorporating 4 exhaust(!). The rest of the exterior including wheels are retained from the current top liner of 2.0L Executive Plus and 2.4L Executive. 

Pricing is set at RM151,388 for the 2.0L version and RM169,388 for the 2.4L. This is RM2500 increased from the 2.0L Executive Plus and RM2,000 from 2.4L Executive respectively. Interior photo after the jump.

Hyundai Elantra restyled for China market, called Langdong

Hyundai has restyled the svelte Elantra to suit the conservatism of customer taste in China by giving an all-new front end, as well as giving it a new name, Langdong. Ditching the hexagonal radiator grille outlay as the rest of the world, Hyundai Langdong gets a more conservative looking front end with two-tiered radiator grille where the upper one is a simple pentagonal item, chromed surround and garnished with two chromed horizontal bars. The lower radiator grille is almost similar to the Malaysian Elantra, albeit in less "smiley" shape and gets two horizontal slats.

The car debuted at Beijing Auto Show which is currently on-going. The name Langdong which can be literally translated as dynamics for the young and new generation. The car is aimed to capture mid-range sedan market in China, which together with the Santa Fe, are meant to increase Hyundai presence in China automotive scene. More details after the jump.

Hyundai Elantra MD - Design and Driven Review (+gallery)

Hyundai new Elantra is the successor to the outgoing Avante compact sedan for Malaysian market. This time around Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors has made a commanding decision to assemble the car in Malaysia to make it more competitively-priced against other establishment in compact sedan market, namely Kia Forte, Honda City and Toyota Vios, as well as the C Segment stalwart like Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis.

As per other CKD-ed Hyundai, the new Elantra wears the Inokom badge on the outside, while the badging on the interior has retained the italic "H". For Malaysian market, 4 variants are up for offer namely 1.6L in Standard trim (6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic) and High Spec (automatic only) and the 1.8L in High Spec (Auto only). Price for each model are RM86,888, RM91,888, RM96,888 and RM111,888 respectively.

Exterior

The new Elantra is skinned with the latest evolution of Hyundai's fluidic sculpture design concept. Fluidic Sculpture concept emphasize the fusion of the wind and rigid surface to create the illusion of dynamism. This can be seen in the strong flowing lines present on the body surface. The front end of the new Elantra is dominated by the new Hyundai corporate grille design, the hexagonal outlay flanked by the heavily swept back headlamp. Overall the design presence is less intense than the sharp flamboyant lines on the Sonata, and the fussiness of the Tuscon. The new body styling is less draggy too, with drag coefficient stands at 0.28, among the lowest among the mass-produced 4 door sedan compact car.

As can be seen above, the snout of the Elantra is not as attention-demanding as the Sonata. The soft radii lends a more cohesive and pleasing look, not to mention more relaxing to the eye too. The chromed slats you see on the car here is exclusive to the 1.8L version, with the 1.6L make do with blackened slats.

The white 1.8L here wears non-standard skirting and alloy wheel. The standard alloy wheels are 16" for the 1.6L wrapped with 205/55 R16, while the 1.8L is shod with 215/45 R17 tyres.

The side profile of the new Elantra is nice wedge shape, with flowing theme continues with the strong belt line character crease that melt into the wrap-around rear tail light. The rear door trailing edge window line kick upwards, ending with sharp delta panel. Note that the extra delta is no longer part of the door, instead is a stylistic element added to the C-pillar. More and more details (+gallery) after the jump.

Coming soon - Hyundai Elantra MD Test Drive Report

Malaysia Motoring News tested the newly available MD Elantra over the weekend. Both 1.6L and 1.8L were sampled. Both version deliver enough punch for your daily ride,even the 1.6L version. More importantly, the new Elantra is dressed to kill. The svelte new look is fluidic and easier to the eye, unlike its bigger brother Sonata which is packed with intense styling element. The range starts with 1.6L manual at RM86,888, 1.6L Auto Standard RM91,888, 1.6L Auto High Spec RM96,888 and 1.8L Auto High Spec at RM111,888. Stay tune for the test drive report!

For those in Klang Valley and interested with the new Elantra, you can contact Mr Benjamin Ang from Hyundai 3S Old Klang Road at 012-5272562.

Hyundai goes defensive in the US - launched Elantra GT and Coupe

In market where both hatchback and sedan rules, Hyundai has launched a defensive strategy to cover the compact market with as much exposure as it can. It include launching a single model with multiple body style to cover the attack in every corner. Enter a duo of new Hyundai Elantra. While the fluidic sedan body style is deemed interesting-looking enough already, Hyundai now try to fend off the likes of Ford Focus and Subaru Impreza hatchback with its Elantra GT. The 2 door coupe Elantra coupe meanwhile has sets its sight firmly on the new Civic coupe.

Think you've seen this car before?Well, it is the Hyundai i30 in the Europe, brought over across the continent to live as Elantra GT. The 5 door hatchback is pitched as a sporty 5dr hatch with its sports-tuned suspension. The car is claimed to the lightest in its class, which include the aforementioned Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza and Mazda3 as a rival. The drivetrain package is however similar to the Elantra sedan, which means a 1.8L which kicks out 148bhp at 6500rpm. Transmission option is either manual or automatic with 6 forward ratios.

The Elantra GT features Hyundai now-customary hexagonal grille that blends smoothly with the hoodline, which then travel along the sleek beltline. Carefully-honed aerodynamically, the implementation of Hyundai latest fluidic approach here yields a drag coefficient of 0.3, better than any of its rival. Sleek side mirror and 17" alloy complete the exterior styling panache.

Unlike the rebadged i30, the Elantra Coupe is an all-new effort, albeit with a heavily borrowed cues from its sedan sibling. The rakish coupe is actually slightly longer than the 4dr version, so don't worry too much on the loss of practicality. Elantra Coupe was designed at Hyundai's North American Design Center in Irvine, Calif where the exterior styling was honed to an impressive 0.28 of drag coefficient. From the side, Hyundai Elantra Coupe conveys a wedge-like sport coupe silhouette with deeply sculpted surfaces, while the steep A and C-pillar angles frame a sharply tapered greenhouse, further accentuating the wedge profile. Just below the belt line, a prominent character line carries from the door through to the rear deck. Wheel arch creases give a subtle flared appearance around front and rear wheels, for a wide and aggressive presence. Further, a beveled rocker panel rounds out the lean and muscular effect.

Under the hood, the Elantra Coupe is powered by the similar 1.8L Nu engine as per the Elantra GT and the Sedan. For the US market, the Coupe comes in two trims level, the base GS and the SE range topper.  The SE model gained 17" alloy wheel (instead of 16" item on GS),  rear lip spoiler, sportier suspension tuning and gets the option of touch screen GPS systems and a rear camera.

The gallery of both model can be found after the jump.

Proton Saga FLX vs Perodua Myvi vs Hyundai i10 by CBT

Ever wondered what is the best car for your RM50k? For the price bracket, there's not much choice, and not much point to choose other than the national cars and the locally-assembled budget car. They are a much better and reliable choice than buying a dying old banger.

CBT runs the test to help you in choosing the right car for this budget. Ultimately, what they concluded is the Proton Saga FLX has the best interior and boot space due to its sedan body, Hyundai i10 has the best interior quality, Perodua Myvi triumphed on equipment level, the lithe i10 suprisingly topped the performance and handling, and the overall winner, after everything considered, is Proton Saga FLX.

The article can be found at CBT website and Motor News Magazine #6. Summary of the articles can be found after the jump and belong to CBT.

Hyundai i30 motorshow photos

Hyundai has released technical details and studio photos of the their latest European hatchback challenger, the new i30 ahead of Frankfurt motorshow. However, those photos are very limited, especially on the rear end of the car. So here it is, photos from the floor of Frankfurt Motorshow.

Hyundai really makes beautiful car these days. While the Sonata and Tuscon were the pioneer of this fluidic design concept, its elements have been refined further in the Elantra and i30 where they are simply mindblowingly pretty, too pretty, in fact, for the mainstream automaker.

The car comes with 1.4l and 1.6l  engine, where both capacities come with petrol and diesel option. The petrol features direct injection system and the diesel version are of CRDi family variety. All four engines are hooked up to standard 6 speed manual gearbox, and the higher capacity duo of petrol and diesel gets the option of 6 speed autotransmission too.  More after the jump.

Hyundai Santa Fe 2013 spied

The 2012 model of Hyundai Santa Fe has been spotted in South Korea. The popular crossover will be replaced with a more agressively styled model, in-line with current Hyundai design trend. The CUV is said to adopt Tuscon styling cues, which should make it to be one of the most stylish CUV around.

In Malaysia, the latest Santa Fe creates quite a buzz when the facelifted model gained an updated turbo-diesel engine which produced 442 Nm of torque. The torque figure alone is worth a lot of conversation in the office and mamak. So a capable diesel engine plus stylish body with 7 seater space to boot, what's more could one ask for!

The CUV is slated to make an appearance in 2012 LA motorshow, and will probably go on sale at the middle of that year as 2013 MY. For Malaysian market, our wait might be longer than the US as Hyundai typically take some time to arrive here. The new Elantra is said to be coming soon. It has recently reached Singapore show. For over excited new Elantra fans, heads off to Singapore Car Mart to see how the new-age Hyundai fares against competition.

Inokom i10 facelift - RM 47,988 - RM53,988

Sime-Darby Motor today launched the improved i10 model, with an enhanced engine as well as updated cosmetic in line with the latest Hyundai design language.

More after the jump.