SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get at home.

Unlike most car reports, what you read in these pages will not be a faithful reproduction, albeit slightly reworded, of what appeared in the manufacturer's press release. We look for background material, user experience and whatever else we can find that's beyond the obvious. Our guiding rule is that you will be able to tell that the car was actually driven.

*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.

*Pre-owned: Our tests go back quite a few years, so if you are looking for something pre-owned, you might well find a report on it in here.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted are those ruling at the time the reports were written.


We drove the facelifted 2014 Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Premium manual

Grown up and prettier

Posted: 21 September 2014

Remember the J2, second-series, round-bodied Elantras we had here originally? The independent importer at the time had completely knocked down kits (CKDs) shipped into Botswana so he could assemble them there and claim a tax rebate.

A buddy had a ’98 station wagon from that era. It was undyingly faithful until a borrower impacted it violently against a solid object at about 1 a.m. one recent, moonless night. It was a write-off. But to get to some kind of point: Unlike others, Elantras, now in their fifth or MD generation, have not grown much bigger over the intervening years.

Comparing sedans with sedans, wheelbase stretched just 150 millimetres, it is but 40 mm wider and 50 mm taller, and is only 100 millimetres longer. The final 20 mm happened with this year’s face lift of the 2011 release and it’s apparently all in the bumpers; five in front and 15 at the back.

Changes included new bumpers and grille, LED guide lights and tail lamps, projection headlamps, redesigned fog lights and a chromed belt line moulding. Interior differences consist of repositioned air vents, slightly higher central armrest, new audio system with Bluetooth and a redesigned climate control interface.

Additions, some carried over from the now discontinued 1800, include electrically folding wing mirrors, 17-inch alloys to replace the 16” steel wheels, automatic defogging, backup alarm, follow-me lights and auto-up with anti-pinch for the driver’s window.
 
Improvements on the NVH front since 2011 include new HVAC duct absorption material, new higher-density carpet, thicker anti-vibration pads for cowl, dash and floor, more expandable foam in the A pillars and improved suspension linkage bushes. The 1.6-litre Gamma engine and six-speed transmissions continue unchanged.

No explanation is given in the company’s literature, but the 2014 Elantra1600 sprints up to 100 km/h six-tenths of a second more snappily than it did in 2011, while maximum speed remains as it was.

I found the car pleasantly athletic, if not a racer, although performance improved after deselecting EcoOn.  Apart from cancelling the irritating gear shifting suggestions, the car was livelier. It cruised comfortably at 3100 rpm at 120 in sixth while roll-on acceleration from 100 km/h onward was satisfying if not vigorous.

The boot opens, using either the key fob or a lever down by the driver’s seat, at about 74 centimetres and is 20 cm deep. There is a light, four lashing rings (two occupied by the standard cargo net if you’re using it) and two pull buttons for the 1/3:2/3-split seatbacks. These fold flat but leave a step. There are no release tabs on the seat tops. The fully sized alloy spare is in the usual place under the floor board. One small whine: It’s stored upside down to provide additional storage space but you can’t get to the valve to check inflation pressure.

Positively, the 485-litre boot is more usably shaped than the nominally similar cavity on a German car I drove a week earlier. Negatively, it also has a sturdy reinforcing beam across its top that steals some height and means the front-most 19 cm is best stuffed with soft luggage.

The 1.85-metre, rear seat test passenger complained of zero head clearance while sitting upright and of a bent neck if he leaned back. It’s the coupé styling. Thankfully, getting back out was easy. Facilities include bottle bins, one netted seatback pocket and grab handles for all passengers.

Moving forward, the armrest-cum-CD box is decently big, as is the cubby, a selection of slots and boxes, cup holders and door bins provide more storage and the driver’s chair is mechanically adjustable for height, reach and recline. The parking brake is comfortably positioned for RHD and the smooth-shifting gear lever is within easy reach. Pedals are well spaced and it’s easy to get to the footrest.
 
Other facilities include a 12-volt, 180-Watt socket, a separate cigar lighter with ashtray, a pair of lit makeup mirrors and the expected auxiliary and USB music plugs. Music, phone, trip and reset buttons are on the height and reach-adjustable steering wheel. The doors do not autolock.

A neat control panel for the dual channel, filtered and ionised, air conditioner is matched by a similarly smart music centre. Trim consists of cloth seats and grey headlining over black doors and dash. Fit and finish is up to the usual Korean standard.

Hyundai’s Elantra has grown but not bloated, become more powerful yet more economical, and is certainly prettier than it was back in the J2 days. My buddy says he would be happy to accept a new one; even if it is only a sedan.

Test car from Hyundai SA press fleet

The numbers
Price: R247 900
Engine: 1591 cc, all-aluminium, DOHC with D-CVVT, 16-valve, four-cylinder
Power: 96 kW at 6300 rpm
Torque: 157 Nm at 4850 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10,1 seconds
Maximum speed: 200 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6,9 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Boot: 485 litres VDA/420 litres SAE
Warranty: 5 years/150 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals

Automatic transmission version shown

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.