Hyundai Elantra Active

STILL CHEERFUL, BUT JUST NOT CHEAP ENOUGH

BRAND Korea has fortified its market position over the years by being tenaciously cheap and cheerful. Valuefor-money covers a multitude of dynamic sins in the eyes of many a shopper who, at this end of the market, often buy on spec rather than ability. But the value equation starts to get a bit harder to rationalise when once bargain-basement cars become more expensive relative to the competition.

Such is the fate of the Hyundai Elantra Active. At $24,250 with an automatic, the entry-level Elantra sits in the thick of these affordable heavy-hitters. The rest of the kids have come to play in its sandbox.

Outwardly, Elantra does a decent job of looking the money. Its coupe-styled roofline, large hexagonal grille and slim headlights do their bit to eschew a pseudopremium aesthetic, and as a base model it benefits from a sprinkling of nice-to-haves including LED daytime running lights, alloy wheels and fog lights.

There’s no such justification inside, where even the country that can turn cabbage into kimchi hasn’t worked out how to spice up vast expanses of plastic.

The Elantra’s steering wheel – the first tactile experience and the single most-used control – is bare urethane. Of these cars, only the Astra shares this plight, though the Holden’s wheel isn’t as hard or Fisher-price as the tiller in the Hyundai.

There’s a smattering of mod-cons like Apple Carplay, auto headlights/wipers, and a reversing camera with sensors. It’s not bare-bones but Elantra Active is only on par with most others, and is thoroughly outgunned by cars like the $24,690 Impreza 2.0i-l, which has standard sat-nav, climate control and active safety systems.

In a surprise turn, it’s the oldest elements of the car that go some way to redeeming it. The ironically named ‘Nu’ 2.0-litre MPI four is a bit like grandpa’s axe, yet paired with a conventional six-speed auto it’s competitively quick and economical, and sounds less buzzy than it does in the older Cerato.

The platform Elantra rides on is meant to be a next-generation version of the one still underpinning the Kia. And the Hyundai is clearly more mature and refined, yet it feels like an evolution rather than the all-new platform it was billed to be.

Steering is improved from the over-light systems of old. Elantra’s body tips over the front wheels on initial turn-in, and it needs a quarter turn of lock before there’s any discernible connection, but once rotating and pointed in, there’s grip to be found.

What it lacks is refinement at the end of its short suspension travel. The Elantra is repelled by deep culverts, which affect a kiss of the bump-stops and an abrupt ricochet upwards. Hyundai’s local engineers did their best reworking the suspension tune for Aussie roads, which goes to show there’s only so much that can be done with existing hard points.

On the plus side, cabin comfort and space enhance the overall user-friendliness that has become the Elantra’s forte. Its front seats have decent lateral support, rear legroom is good, boot space is generous and there’s a full-size spare under its floor.

There’s nothing fundamentally flawed or evil about the Elantra. But it suffers in this Megatest now that the base level at this price point has come so far, wielding so much equipment and all-round ability. RL