The All New Elantra in a Fludic Design

ORVM indicators wrap around all the way to the side

The fluidic theme continues inside too. The dashboard is soft touch, while the dual-tone trim adds to the premium feel. Quality of material is really good and the interiors are fitting for a D segment sedan. Attention has been paid to detail. For example, look at the glove box. By tucking away the release lever to one corner, the fluidity of the dash is not broken. It's such attention to detail which adds a special touch to a car; Hyundai hasn't made any mistakes in this department.

The central waterfall console has a digital clock with an external temperature readout at the top. Below that, the stereo has been tastefully integrated - following the curves on the console. Likewise for the A/C controls that are just below. The chunky steering wheel looks cluttered. There are buttons galore, and it takes a while to figure out a position where you can blow the horn without accidentally changing the volume or cruise control. The steering can be adjusted for reach and rake, both. The soft driver's seat gets 10-way electric adjustment. The seat's front and rear parts can be raised independently, ensuring ideal thigh support, and the lumbar settings do cover most postures. On the other hand, the front passenger has to contend with run of the mill manual adjustments for legroom and recline. That said, seat comfort is excellent. The wide cabin also ensures you don't elbow the front passenger when shifting gears. 

The driver's view is dominated by twin electroluminescent dials. Between them are two large information displays, which you would expect to function like an MID, but they give you access to vehicle settings and basic read-outs only. The upper blue-backlit display is for settings, while the lower display houses the gear info and fuel / temperature gauges. There is no Distance-to-Empty count or real time / average fuel economy display. This is quite a glaring omission in a car of this class. Nowadays, even hatchbacks come with fuel related information on their MIDs. Another shocker: the lower variants get a single trip meter. Yes, Hyundai has decided to make the trip meter a differentiating feature between lower and upper variants!

MID and sunroof aside, Hyundai hasn't skimped on equipment levels. The Elantra gets dual-zone climate control and ventilated front seats. For those unfamiliar with this feature, ventilated seats slowly pump cold A/C air through small holes in the seat upholstery, thereby keeping the contact areas (between the passenger and seat) cool. I must say the feature is quite useful in drying your sweat-soaked back, a unique and ideal offering for this subcontinent. Due to relatively low ambient temperatures, I cannot comment much on the effectiveness of the A/C. We'll leave that to our ownership reports. 

Despite the fact that most Elantras will end up being chauffeur-driven, the rear seats don't get the ventilation feature. That's more to do with global usage patterns where this car is primarily self-driven. 

The rear does have a comfortably contoured bench with great support...nearly emulating bucket seats. This is one of the most comfortable rear seats to be on. Note that the Elantra's rear seat is best for two. The raised center, the stowed arm-rest and the rear A/C tower make it uncomfortable for a 5th passenger. The rear A/C has adjustable vents, albeit fan speed and temperature can't be controlled. Nifty little additions are the audio controls integrated into the rear armrest (giving you fairly versatile control of what's playing) as well as a 12v charging point. A well rounded offering, especially when compared to the cramped rear benches of the Laura & Cruze. 

Electroluminescent dials stay illuminated during the day. Some programmable features; want to decide the speed at which the doors auto-lock? The follow-me-home headlamp delay? It's all in here

The wiper gets 5-speeds of intermittent action

Rear passengers get a comfortable armrest with inbuilt audio controls. The armrest has no cup-holders though

Housed inside are the stereo AUX and USB inputs. Notice the chrome finish on the gear lever

The big boot is a blemish on the Elantra's otherwise great looks. The rear looks bulky

The simple looking AT lever. Design is similar to some German luxury cars we know

Rear A/C vents don't gel with the rest of the interiors. Hyundai developed this specifically for India, and it shows. Rear blower eats into the 5th passenger's space. Notice the two seatback pockets

Dual-zone climate control. Also notice the 3-speed buttons for each of the ventilated front seats

Powerful Fog-lamps. They illuminate not only the front area, but also the side. This is particularly useful when driving on dimly lit roads

10-way electric adjustment on the driver's seat only. Passenger seat gets 4-way manual adjust

Power window switches are illuminated, though only at the front. Electric-folding mirrors are standard. Only the driver gets one-touch up / down windows

A sun-roof is conspicuous by its absence on the top variant. It would have rounded off the features list for a car of this segment

Twin-barrel halogen headlamps provide adequate illumination...

Driver's rearward visibility is poor

ORVMs are adequately sized. They get a "heating" function too

The rear view mirror neatly integrates the reverse camera (though the outline doesn't move as you turn the steering). Parking sensor makes quite a racket if you get too close to an object. Reverse camera is usable even at night, thanks in no small part to the powerful reversing lamps

Storage spaces aplenty, with the center adjustable armrest revealing generous space inside

The spare is a full-size alloy wheel. Tool kit is neatly packed onto the foam holder

Nice door trim at the rear. Door pockets have a bottle holder, but only for smaller bottles (not the 1 liter size). No puddle or warning lamps

Both, the driver and co-passenger, get illuminated vanity mirrors. No "auto-on" function though

Glove box is cooled, and quite big in size. That's a Galaxy Note BTW. I could fit a Nikon D7000 DSLR in here with ease. Downside? No illumination

Rear window rolls down nearly to the bottom

To the right is the engine start / stop button, ESP on / off, headlight level adjustment and console brightness adjustment. I am glad that the start / stop button isn't positioned towards the center, where a child or careless co-passenger could press it

Disc brakes for all 4 wheels. Our test car wore (Korean) Nexen Silica Tyres

The rear parcel tray has a steep angle, so you can forget about placing anything there

The smart key can be kept in your pocket and forgotten about. You don't need to remove it to unlock or start the Elantra. Also visible here is the ventilated seat upholstery. Cool air passes out through these perforation