2016 Hyundai Elantra launched in India at Rs 12.99 lakh

Hyundai has launched the latest iteration of the Elantra in India at an introductory price of Rs 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). This sedan had made its world premiere last year and the carmaker has now introduced it for the Indian market as well.

This 2016 Elantra replaces the current sedan sold in India and gets many changes in comparison to the outgoing model. The new sedan is longer by 20mm, wider by 25mm and taller by 5mm. The fascia sports new headlights integrated with LED daytime running lights and boomerang shaped fog light enclosures. The smoothly curved roofline lends a salient look to the silhouette of the car, which rides on 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped with 205/60 section tyres. The roofline ends in a sculpted rear that boasts of striking wraparound LED tail lamps. The large rear bumper is nicely chiseled rounding off the rear end design.

Moving into the cabin, one will realise that Hyundai has brought in a makeover here as well. Borrowing traits from more upmarket Hyundai's global cars, the new Elantra comes equipped with a whole load of new features. There is an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Then there is cruise control, dual zone climate control, etc. and an array of safety features including driver and passenger front airbag as standard. The top-of-the-line trim also gets side and curtain airbags.

Hyundai is offering the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine for the Indian market. This unit produces 152bhp of power and 190Nm of torque. On the other hand, the oil-burner is a 1.6-litre mill rated at 128bhp of power and 265Nm torque. The top-end Creta and the Verna available in the Indian market also come powered by the same engine. On the transmission front, both the six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes are on offer.

The Elantra competes with the Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta, Skoda Octavia, Chevrolet Cruze and the Renault Fluence in India. Its looks and features are eye-catching aren’t they? But what about its performance? Well, the Elantra’s new platform is expected to further improve the ride and handling. This will soon be clear once we get a hands-on experience of this next week. Stay tuned.

For now, Hyundai has started sales of the car and deliveries will begin soon. One can opt from a  total of five grades - S, SX, SX AT, SX (O) and SX (O) AT. Check out the variant-wise pricing mentioned below-

Petrol versions

S Rs 12.99 lakh

SX Rs 14.79 lakh

SX AT Rs 15.89 lakh

SX (O) Rs 16.59 lakh

SX (O) AT Rs 17.99 lakh

Diesel versions

S Rs 14.79 lakh

SX Rs 16.39 lakh

SX (O) Rs 17.69 lakh

SX (O) AT Rs 19.19 lakh