Received word that Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) is going to launch the car at Citta Mall on 30 March 2012. Looks like a grand event this weekend:

I’m guessing inside the marquee you’ll a brief history of Hyundai as well as elements of what makes up the new Elantra
The new Elantra is 4,530 mm long and 1,775 mm wide and will sport 2 NA engine variants; the 1.6litre Gamma engine dishing out 130 PS and 157 Nm of torque and 1.8litres new “Nu” (pun intended) engine (rated 150 PS and 178 Nm. That’s just 10Nm shy of Honda Civic’s 2.0litre engine with 188Nm torque). The car looks wider due to the flowing “Wind Craft” design that’s part of the brand’s “Fluidic Sculpture”. Another similarity with the Honda Civic is that both cars have a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Looks like when the new 9th generation Civic is launched in Malaysia, it’s going to have a good run for its money, particularly for those who don’t care much about the car’s branding.

Since they started building the marquee, I’ve seen 3 colors of Elantra on display:

The silver appears to be the highest spec as there are a few  notable differences as seen below:

Both the white and red rides on 16″ wheels shod in Goodyear NCT 5s

The silver on the other hand has Continental tyres on 17″ wheels

Also different is the steering which has less buttons on it compared to the other

The silver also has a sunroof:

Another notable difference is auto and manual climate controls. Take note of the centre console:

Both cars have keyless entry/start stop which puts them on par with the Kia Forte (which makes sense as they cannot have too great a disparity between the sister brands).

All in all, it sure looks like a handsome car …. Hyundai have enjoyed a certain success with the Sonata …. will this be the car that carves a greater market share for Hyundai? Time will tell …

Found 2 Elantras being washed at the basement and managed to snap some more pictures. From here we can conclude a few more things about the specifications:

The high spec 1.8litre Nu engine with 150PS/178Nm will have GPS + AVN. Also evident is the sunroof and rain sensors

The 1.6litre Gamme engine with 130PS/157Nm will feature a standard HU

The 1.8 will be having 215/45/R17 wheels while ….

The 1.6 running on 205/55/R16

The 1.8 will have Nappa leather and 10 way electric seat

The 1.6 will just have regular leather

The 1.8 has reverse camera (probably integrated to the rear view mirror)

The 1.6 makes do with just reverse sensors

The front grill of the 1.8 has chrome bits on the lower air intakes at the bumber

Stay tuned for the test drive review on Friday!

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