IT is a pity to learn that the Hyundai Elantra Sport 1.6L has been dropped from the new facelifted Elantra lineup.
The car was a blast to drive and is highly-worthy of consideration, even if you are going to end up with the Honda Civic or Volkswagen Jetta at the end of the process.
The facelifted 2019 Hyundai Elantra 2.0L Executive is now the only offering by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) in the C-segment.
It is priced at RM109,888 on-the-road without insurance and comes with a five-year ,or 300,000km, warranty, topped with 24-hour road assistance.
As the name indicates, the Elantra gets its 152PS grunt and 192Nm of twisting power from the familiar 2.0-litre Nu engine.
The naturally-aspirated four-cylinder unit is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.
With the facelift, the exterior of the Elantra has been thoroughly-restyled, now featuring a “triangle” theme around the body sheet.
For instance, the halogen projector headlights are now in a triangular shape, down to the fog lights that are recessed further into the corners of the bumper.
The Cascading Grille has also been restyled, with the rear combination taillights now boasting a jagged section.
Other changes are at the Hyundai emblem on the boot lid now positioned lower, with the Elantra lettering underneath.
This leads to the rear plate holder to be repositioned to the bumper, flanked by the rear fog light and reflector.
Despite having the same wheelbase as before, the new Elantra is longer and wider, measuring 4,620mm and 1,800mm, respectively.
In terms of the interior, the changes are very minor with most of the overall design being retained.
But sharp-eyed observers will spot new silver trims across the dashboard, new air-conditioner consoles as well as a new gear lever.
Elsewhere, the Elantra is fitted with leather upholstery, 3.5-inch TFT LCD multi-info display, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.
And there is more to this visual update than meets the eye.First is the addition of Smart Mode to the Drive Mode selector button on the centre console and secondly, some tweaks to the car’s handling characteristics.
THE DRIVE
The previous Hyundai Elantra was a supremely fine car to begin with, be it the regular Elantra 2.0L or the potent Elantra Sport 1.6L.
The company’s Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) chassis construction gave the car a solid foundation to start off, both figuratively and literally.
The differences between the 2.0L and the Sport 1.6L went beyond engine and transmission combination, where the Elantra Sport was also suspended by an independent rear suspension as opposed to the base Elantra that made do with a torsion beam setup for its rear end.
Of course, this 2019 facelifted Hyundai Elantra gets the latter suspension, but the tweaks done to the chassis elevated the car’s feel and stability, although this was only apparent when you reach nearer to its limit.
Driving on the fast and twisty Karak Highway easily invited you to sometimes brake a little deep into the corner.
This was where the tweak revealed itself. Coming out for a right-hand corner to a left-hander and braking a little hard into the second corner, the Elantra felt like it tightened its line more, instead of simply pushing its weight to the outside front wheel.
I was quite amazed when I first discovered it and even applied the same kind of braking technique a few corners later to reaffirm the sensation.
Interesting enough, it felt almost like a torque-vectoring doing its thing but in a less sophisticated way.
I suspect this was the cumulative result from brake systems (anti-lock braking and electronic brake distribution), front suspension geometry and electric steering system working together.
But for 98 or 99 per cent of the time, where most drivers will be while driving the Elantra, the car was a truly fine and easy one to live with day by day.
It was not too driver-centric like the new Mazda3 or the Jetta, and not too “regular” (I suppose?) as the Corolla Altis — it has struck a sweet spot between these two.
It was one of those very sensible cars for a family of three or four; where you drive it to drop the kids off to school, drive it to work, go on grocery runs or balik kampung.
The front and rear seats were comfortable and had a decent quality of materials, while the rest of the cabin looked solid and well-built.
It’s almost like those from the German marque, only more contoured.
The engine and transmission were smooth and engaging. It was not as direct as the seven-speed DCT on the Elantra Sport, but this six-speeder was one of the more satisfying units to operate.
On top of the Eco, Normal and Sport modes, there was now Smart mode selectable from the same drive mode button.
What it does is alternately and automatically select between the Eco, Normal and Sport modes by gauging the input from the throttle pedal.
It worked rather responsively although you need to really be aggressive on the throttle to make it trigger the Sport mode.
I personally prefer to manually boss the car and select whatever mode I want.
In essence, there was no wow factor in the Hyundai Elantra, but almost no fault to be found either.
If I really have to pick one thing I dislike about the car, that should be the buttons around the gear knob. There are six buttons but only one that is actually assigned, which is the Drive Mode.
All in all, I found myself liking the Hyundai Elantra as a practical daily and weekend car.
I must say that the Elantra deserves more attention and is worth giving a try if you are really shopping in this segment.