Hyundai Elantra

The Hyundai Elantra (sold in South Korea as the Avante) is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea launched in 1991. This vehicle was known as the Lantra in some markets. Between 1996 and 1998, the Elantra was called the Bimantara Cakra (1.5 L) and the Bimantara Nenggala (1.8 L) in Indonesia.

The Elantra was sold as the Lantra and Avante in some Australian and European markets until the 2001 model year, when the name was renamed and brought into line worldwide. Mitsubishi of Australia complained that Elantra was too close to its Elante trim level, and Lotus in the UK and Europe suggested it was too close to its Elan name. By 2001, both the Elan and the Elante had ceased to exist. The Avante's renaming was necessary as Audi owns the Avant name in Europe.

See Wikicars' comprehensive Hyundai Elantra Review.

Recent Changes

 * At the 2010 Busan International Motor Show, Hyundai unveiled the next generation Elantra as the Avante in its home market. Designed under design director Oh Suk-Geun, the new compact sedan will feature a 1.6-liter Gamma Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine under the bonnet and mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine is rated at 140 hp and 122 lb-ft (166 Nm) of torque. Standard equipment will now also include HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps, LED rear lamps, heated rear seats, puddle lamps and color TFT LCD information display. South Korean sales of the Avante are expected to start in the second half of 2010, with the rest of the world to follow either towards the end of the year or early 2011.

Styles and Major Options
The 2008 Hyundai Elantra comes in two trims: GLS and SE. The Limited trim was dropped for 2008. Both trims share the same 2.0L 138hp I-4 engine and standard 5-speed manual transmission.

Some of the features are:

GLS
 * 15 in. steel wheels
 * Front bucket seats with 6-way adjustment
 * Radio-prepped
 * Power locks, windows, mirros, trunk release
 * Tilt steering wheel

SE adds to or replaces GLS features with:
 * Air conditioning
 * Fog lights
 * 16 in. silver alloy wheels
 * Leather shift knob and steering-wheel
 * Dual illuminated vanity mirrors
 * Manual front air conditioning
 * AM/FM/XM/CD stereo system w/MP3 capability
 * Cruise control

For trim levels for the Australian bound Elantras, go to Trim levels for ADM Hyundai Elantra.

Pricing
Today's actual prices for the Hyundai Elantra can be found at CarsDirect.

Gas Mileage
The City/Highway gas mileage averages for the 2007 Elantra are as follows:

Engine and Transmission
Specifications, details, graphs, pictures and other information regarding the powertrain is placed in this section.

Performance
Please make sure to write information of the vehicle's performance in a third-person point of view. This section should include information about the car's acceleration figures, handling, braking, etc.

If using information gathered from Road Test articles from a reputable automotive source, then please make sure to cite the quote.

Reliability

 * RECALL ALERT: On April 18, 2009, Hyundai issued a recall alert affecting 170,610 MY2001-2003 Elantra and MY2003 Tiburon and 85,036 MY2001-2003 Santa Fe models due to corrosion on the rear suspension trailing arm. This is already on top of an earlier recall affecting 170,000 Sonata and XG300/350 models. The recall primarily affects vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the 'salt-belt' states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Hyundai urges owners to visit their local dealer for inspection and Hyundai itself is available for contact over the issue at 1-800-633-5151.

According to Car Survey.org, the average reliability rating for the latest model Elantra is 7.88 out of 10.

Safety
The 2007 Elantra has yet to be rated by the NHTSA, but IIHS reports Marginal rating for side impacts. Previous models received high marks on frontal impacts, had some serious issues with offset impacts which were finally resolved in 2005, and also fared poorly in side impacts. NHTSA reports the 2004-2006 models all performed with the same results, earning 4-Star ratings for rollover, rear side-impact, and passenger front-impact tests, and earning 5-Star ratings for front side-impact and driver front-impact tests. Some of the standard safety equipment found on the Elantra includes:
 * Front and rear anti-roll bars
 * Four wheel anti-lock brakes
 * Driver/passenger front-impact airbags
 * Seat mounted side-impact airbags
 * 1st/2nd row overhead airbags
 * Side impact bars (Video available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GThLbn_Xd3U#)

Photos
US-Spec

Colors
Colors for the 2007 Elantra will vary by trim, and a complete list is viewable at CarsDirect.com. Some of the available combinations include:

Exterior
 * Black Pearl
 * Captiva White
 * Purple Rain Pearl
 * Quicksilver Metallic
 * Redfire Pearl
 * Regatta Blue Pearl

Interior
 * Beige
 * Black
 * Gray

Main Competitors

 * Mazda Mazda3
 * Toyota Prius
 * Honda Civic
 * Subaru Impreza
 * Toyota Corolla
 * Volkswagen Jetta
 * Nissan Sentra
 * Ford Focus
 * MINI Cooper

Hybrid Models
There are currently no hybrid models of the Elantra.

Interior
This section should include information on the interior's design, build quality, ergonomics, space (head and legroom, front and rear), features, stowage compartments and overall comfort and livability. Add pictures wherever applicable and keep information in a third-person point of view.

Resale Values
Add more fields as necessary.

Criticisms

 * "There isn't much grunt at lower engine speeds." - New Car Test Drive
 * "Rear-seat headroom is cramped." - The Detroit News

Fourth generation (2007-2010)
In 2006, a redesigned Elantra (codename HD) debuted at the New York Auto Show.

This model is not available in the UK, following poor sales of the previous generation model, which was quietly dropped in 2005/6.

Third generation (2001-2006)
An all-new model (codename XD) was launched in 2001. The wagon was dropped in favor of a five-door hatchback. Both were facelifted in 2004. Starting in 2001, all American models came with standard front and front side airbags, air conditioning, power locks, power windows and power steering. This simplified dealer inventories and repairs and also sought to improve Hyundai's image of 'value' cars. A GT trim with a stiffer suspension, leather seats, fog lights, alloy wheels, lip spoiler and blue-lit instrument cluster has been offered as a hatchback since 2001, leaving the only options an automatic transmission, power moonroof and anti-lock brakes with traction control. The GT trim sedan was introduced in 2003 and discontinued in 2005.

The Elantra is available with 1.6 and 2.0 L gasoline engines and a 2.0 L turbodiesel. North American models are only available with the 2.0L gasoline engine.

While compact on the outside, it is listed by the EPA as a midsize car because of a spacious interior. The four-cylinder engine is known to be powerful and economical, and in the US, Hyundai offers a powertrain warranty of ten years. Although the basic powertrain design has changed little since the second generation, successive improvements have improved fuel economy from an EPA rating of 24/33 to 25/33 and the current 27/34 for manual transmissions, with automatic producing 2-3mpg fewer. Horsepower also improved from 135hp to 138hp and torque from 132 to 136 mainly thanks to the addition of continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) in 2004. Originally, the horsepower rating was misrepresented as 140hp.

Second generation (1996-2000)
Launched in 1995, the second generation (codename J2) was offered as a sedan and station wagon. A mid-life facelift arrived for 1998.

First generation (1991-1995)
Launched in 1991 as a replacement for the rear wheel drive Hyundai Pony, the Elantra (codename J1) received a mid-term facelift in 1993.

The Elantra was powered by a Mitsubishi-designed 1.6 L (1596 cc) straight-4 engine. This DOHC 16-valve unit produced 113hp (84 kW) at 6000 rpm and could push the Elantra to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 9.5 seconds. The quarter-mile (0.4 km) run took 17.1 seconds and produced 80 mph (129 km/h). Top speed was 116 mph (187 km/h). The Elantra got 22 mpg (10.7 L/100 km) in the city cycle.

Worldwide
The first and second generation models outside North America were sold as Lantras.

Design quirks and oddities
10 Hyundai Elantras have been used in Seven's reality TV show, Last Chance Learners. Half the amount of the cars are coloured red and blue respectively to represent the two colour teams. All of the cars are manuals and each had their anti-lock braking systems and stability controls disabled.