As we gaze out our office window at the 2011 Hyundai Elantra compact sedan, we are prepared to forgive Hyundai for ever uttering the phrase “Fluidic Sculpture,” the company’s intensely awkward tag line for its current styling.
This is because Hyundai’s fifth-generation Elantra is the one car in this reinvigorated class that actually looks like anything at all. That the Elantra’s jutting-jaw face has a passing resemblance to the Montauk Monster, the half-decayed and unidentified creature that washed up on a New York beach and into internet notoriety, is actually not at all a bad thing. We suggest, though, that Hyundai consider describing the Elantra’s styling as “Pelt-ic Sculpture,” since it appears that an extremely strong headwind has peeled back the dermis from its face and sent it flapping and undulating down the side of the body. And somehow, it looks great.
The interior materials are certainly on the upper end of the spectrum for this segment, with the majority of the controls placed on the tight, compact center stack. The iPod integration on the base GLS model can be little tedious, with users being forced to scroll through their ostensibly large list of artists and songs using the standard audio controls, but the LCD screen on the Limited makes the task less frustrating.
Once you get your music sorted out, you’ll find the Elantra is at home on the highway, where the car moves silently and effortlessly across the open road, immune to crosswinds or buzzy powertrain noises that plagued the previous generation of small cars.
he driving position immediate strikes us as better than many competitors, and the ride quality, while not as composed as the Cruze or Corolla, won’t trouble the average customer looking for a comfortable, compliant ride.
Rear seat passengers will find adequate space, despite the sloping roofline’s propensity to minimize headroom on other cars. Overall, we’re pleased with the Elantra’s styling, which looks like a more rotund version of the current Sonata, and will likely prove a hit with style-conscious consumers who can’t quite afford a premium nameplate.
Interestingly, the Elantra does share one trait with premium German luxury cars in that it looks best when equipped with large wheels and low profile tires.
One notable selling point not being touted by Hyundai is safety. One Hyundai rep stated that he wasn’t able to confirm if the Elantra would get a 5-star crash test rating, a near ubiquitous rating in the compact car category, let alone the mid-size class that the Elantra is technically classified as by the EPA.
The all-new Hyundai Elantra is fitted with a McPherson strut front suspension, with coil springs and gas shock absorbers. The rear suspension is a light weight coupled torsion beam rear suspension for enhanced steering stability and monotube shock absorbers for ride comfort. A 23.0 mm diameter front stabilizer bar helps reduce body roll when cornering.
All Elantras have column-mounted, motor-driven electric power steering that adjusts instantly to changing driving conditions while improving fuel economy over a conventional steering system. A quick-ratio steering rack is used for crisp feel on turn-in. Hyundai Elantra's turning diameter of 34.8 feet is better than Corolla's at 35.6 feet.
World-class weight efficiency was one of the program targets for the Hyundai Elantra engineering team. In fact, the 2011 Elantra leads all of its competitors in weight efficiency. Hyundai engineers also targeted leadership in power-to-weight ratio. Having these targets paid huge dividends in both performance and fuel economy.
The Hyundai Elantra's widespread use of high-strength steel provides a 37 percent increase in body stiffness at a lower body weight. High-strength steel allows the suspension to work optimally. At 2,701 pounds, the automatic transmission Hyundai Elantra GLS is lighter than its competitors, while offering more interior room than Focus, Cruze, Civic and Corolla, with body-bending rigidity 50 percent higher than the Corolla. This weight efficient unibody architecture allows for Hyundai Elantra to achieve an estimated 40 mpg EPA highway rating, without the need for a special eco model.
Under the hood, the Hyundai Elantra is powered by an all-new 1.8-liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque (145 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque for Elantra PZEV). The Nu engine was developed to replace the 2.0-liter Beta engine from the previous generation Hyundai Elantra. The Nu is smaller in size, weighs 74 pounds less and helps achieve an 18-percent improvement in highway fuel economy, when compared with its predecessor. Thanks to advanced clean engine technology, most Hyundai Elantras sold in California, Oregon and several Northeast states are certified as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) by the EPA. The PZEV Elantra is as clean as many hybrid electric vehicles. The PZEV Elantra helps Hyundai meet its environmental commitments. Outside of these "green" states, the Hyundai Elantra is available as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).
The Nu engine features an aluminum block with a cast iron cylinder liner, cylinder head and crank. This unique configuration results in a block that is 30 percent lighter than an iron block, shedding more than 74 pounds off the entire engine weight, while still providing comparable strength.
The 1.8-liter Nu also offers Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (D-CVVT) camshafts and hydraulic engine mounts for optimum power, efficiency and refinement. Using D-CVVT on both camshafts has several advantages when compared with using it just on the intake camshaft. They include a two percent improvement in performance (increased volumetric efficiency), two percent improvement in fuel economy (reduced pumping loss) and a 30 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions. In the valvetrain, roller swing arms and hydraulic lash adjusters reduce valve driven friction to improve fuel economy one percent compared with direct valve driving. The Nu engine also features a maintenance-free silent timing chain system to enhance durability and improve Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
The application of a plastic two-stage Variable Intake System (VIS), enables switching between long and short intake manifolds, resulting in an across-the-board performance increase. These result in a four percent improvement in performance, a 15 percent reduction in cost and 30 percent reduction in weight, when compared with aluminum.
Hyundai Elantra was one of the first compact sedans with ESC when it launched in July of 2007. The 2011 Elantra now takes compact car safety to the next level with the introduction of Vehicle Stability Management (VSM). Similar to the one found in the Hyundai Equus, VSM optimally manages ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and the Motor-Driven electric Power Steering (MDPS).
VSM works to control two effects. The first is when a driver accelerates or brakes on a split-mu surface (slippery on one side, dry pavement on the other) and the vehicle wants to pull in one direction. VSM detects this condition and sends a signal to the MDPS to apply steering assist. VSM counters the pull and automatically provides 8 Newton meters of counter steering. VSM reacts the same way during sudden lane changes or fast cornering. ESC is still not standard on the 2011 model year Civic.
Hyundai Elantra features six airbags - including dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbag.
The Hyundai Elantra also features a state-of-the-art braking package. The package includes four-wheel disc brakes (Civic, Jetta and Corolla still feature rear drum brakes) and an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) including Brake Assist, which provides maximum braking force when a panic stop is detected, and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), to automatically adjust the braking force to front and rear axles based on vehicle loading conditions. This package delivers shorter braking distances from 60 miles per hour than Civic, Corolla and Mazda 3.
Hyundai Elantra engineers even looked at something as simple as the parking brake, having introduced Hyundai's first integrated rear parking brake caliper for weight reduction.
In terms of passive safety, the Hyundai Elantra has strong unibody construction, along with front and rear crumple zones and the rear doors have internal dual beams unlike some of its competitors.
reference:www.autoguide.com,www.netcarshow.com,www.caranddriver.com
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