Flagship Hyundai Elantra: Comfortable sedan with zippy performance

Just a glance at its sloping roof-line, tapering bonnet, gaping black air-intakes, sporty alloy wheels and twin chrome exhaust outlets is enough to spell out its zesty personality which is further emphasised by the red ‘turbo’ badge on the front grille and the prominent ‘sport’ lettering on its tail.

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I recently spent a week zipping around Cape Town in a flame-red Elantra Sport, beautifully furnished with red seating and black and silver cabin trim. The small, flat-bottom steering wheel with red stitching adds additional sporty flavour along with the chrome brake and acceleration pedals.

One of this Elantra’s most appealing features is its versatile seven-speed EcoShift dual clutch transmission that offers the choice of Eco or Sport driving modes as well as the choice of automatic or manual cog-swopping.

At the heart of it all is a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that produces a hearty 150kW and 265Nm that is good enough for a top speed of 210km/h, and 0 to 100km/h dash in 7.7seconds.

I enjoyed the fairly quick manual shift option, but even at foot flat pace, the automatic setting works just as well. The Elantra’s on the road manners are top notch and the ride is quiet and fairly confident as long as it is not pushed to the limit through the bends. Being, in essence, a family car, the suspension setup is more inclined towards comfort and driving pleasure than dynamic handling. The steering has a pleasant and fairly direct feel and is a good match for the Elantra’s character.

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The Elantra also scores good points for its spacious and comfortable interior which is well insulated against outside noises. The airy living quarters are pleasantly matched by a generous standard boot space of 384 litres which can be further enlarged when the rear seat is split 60:40. A smart, multi-function infotainment system further enhances the cabin.

The Elantra range competes in a tightly contested market segment but this multi-talented flagship model is good enough to go up against the best in this segment.

The Elantra 1.6 T-GDI Elite is priced at R399,000 which includes a five-year 90,000km service plan and a five-year 150,000km warranty.