NEW CAR BUYER | 67The current Hyundai Elantra
is almost as big the original 1978
Holden VB Commodore. Bumper
to bumper, it’s just 20cm shorter,
but the Hyundai has a bigger
cabin and boot.
Pricing kicks off at $21,490 for
the 2.0-litre petrol Elantra Go
six-speed manual, and $23,790
for the six-speed auto. Activeauto is $25,990.
Sport runs a 150kW 1.6-litre
turbopetrol engine, with six-
speed manual or seven-speed
dual-clutch automated manual
transmissions, priced at $28,990
and $31,490 respectively.
It also has independent rear
suspension, rather than the
basic torsion beam setup of the
other models. Sport Premium
specifi cation adds $2500.
The Elantra drives well. It’s
superbly comfortable over bumps
and feels solid, stable and secure
in corners. Hyundai has been
adapting its cars to suit local
conditions for several years
now and the improvements are
starting to yield dividends.
The seats are comfortable
front and rear and visibility allaround the car is clear.
The headlights on low and high
beam are superb.
A full-size spare also gives you
peace of mind if travelling big
distances in remote areas (and
convenience if you get a fl at tyre
in the city). Most of the Elantra’s
rivals have skinny space savers.
Compare Elantra with the
Kia Cerato, Honda Civic, Toyota
Corolla, Holden Astra and
Subaru Impreza.
The Holden and Subaru’s
overall reliability record isn’t
as good as the others, and the
Civic is arguably the pick of them
overall. The Kia has a seven years
warranty.
You should never pay full retail
for any of these cars. All of them
are regularly offered at drive
away prices that will save you
thousands of dollars.By Joshua DowlingHyundai’s Accent is cleverly
designed to offer generous interior
space in a compact body and
comes as a sedan or hatchback.
Prices start at $15,490 for the
103kW direct-injection 1.6-litre
petrol Accent Sport hatch and
sedan. A six-speed manual is
standard and a six-speed
auto adds $2000.
The 1.6 is one of the most
powerful engines in this class,
so performance is strong. It can
also return reasonable highway
fuel economy running on regular
unleaded, but it’s got a bit of a
thirst in town and it’s not the
most refi ned device either.
Handling is vice-free given
the Accent’s purpose in life,
while the ride is comfortableand compliant. The driver
sits high on a saggy cushion,
with no steering-wheel reach
adjustment available.
Infotainment includes a 5-inch
touchscreen and Apple CarPlay.
Rear vision is partially blocked
by the rear-seat head restraints
and thick rear corners.
Rear-seat space is generous
and the boot is huge.
If you’re after a small
outside/big inside car to use as
your day-to-day city drive, the
Accent is worth a look.
Hyundai’s long warranty, low
running costs and grief-free
ownership reputation are bonuses.
Accent is the top-selling car
in this class, where the manual
hatch is regularly offered at
$15,990-$16,990 drive-away.
The Kia Rio, Mazda2, Honda
Jazz and VW Polo are more
sophisticated cars, but at
considerably higher prices.S HYUNDAI ACCENT FROM $15,490
THINGS WE LIKE
Generous interior space for a
small car
Works beautifully as a city runabout
Most powerful engine in the class Excellent quality and reliability
Full-size spare
Good value for money
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
^ No steering-wheel reach
adjustment
^ 1.6 can be a bit thirsty in town.
^ Remote-control steering
^ Restricted rear vision in hatchSPEX (Sport manual) (^) Made in South Korea
(^) 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-
speed manual/front-wheel drive
(^) 103kW of power at 6300rpm/167Nm
of torque at 4850rpm
(^) 0–100km/h: N/A
(^) 5.1L/100km highway; 9.2L/100km
city, 91 octane regular, CO 2
emissions are 154g/km
(^) Warranty: Five years/unlimited
kilometres
(^) Standard: Six airbags, stability
control, 16-inch alloy wheels, Apple
CarPlay connectivity, Bluetooth
with audio streaming, USB, air-
conditioning, cruise control
(^) Redbook future values: 3yr: 45%;
5yr: 33%
Safety
ANCAP
Green Vehicle
Guide
Not available
Performance
Handling
Quality and
reliability
Comfort and
refi nement
Value for money
Overall
STARS
compare with ...
Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz/City, Kia
Rio, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, VW Polo
HYUNDAI ELANTRA FROM $21,490
Comfortable over bumps and in
bends
Excellent quality and reliability
Long warranty
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
^ Lacks auto-up driver’s power
window switch
^ Interior design is a bit bland
^ Better value at discount
drive-away prices
^ Weak resale values
SPEX (Active auto)
(^) Made in South Korea
(^) 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-
speed automatic/front-wheel drive
(^) 112kW of power at 6200rpm/192Nm
of torque at 4000rpm
(^) 0–100km/h N/A
(^) 5.5L/100km highway;10.1L/100km
city; regular unleaded; CO 2
emissions are 167g/km
(^) Warranty: Five years/unlimited
kilometres
(^) Standard: Six airbags, stability
control, touchscreen, rear camera
and sensors, Apple CarPlay,
Bluetooth, USB, 16-inch alloy
wheels, full-size alloy spare wheel
(^) Redbook future value: 3yr: 46%;
5yr: 34%
Safety
ANCAP
Performance
Handling
Quality, reliability
Comfort and
refi nement
Value for money
Overall
STARS
compare with ...
Holden Astra, Honda Civic, Mazda3
S
THINGS WE LIKE
Roomy cabin and big boot with full-
size spare
Smooth engine and transmission