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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, D ec em be r 1 5, 2 01 0 2 2 Elantra 2011 is the new face of Hyundai Story and photos by Jim Robinson Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine LA JOLLA, Ca.: Hyundai intends to be the leader in the Canadian compact segment by this time next year. At the press launch of the 2011 Elantra in California, Hyundai Canada president and CEO, Steve Kelleher, said, this car is now the face of our brand in Canada. We expect it will become our volume leader, replacing the Accent. Kelleher said he believes the Elantra can, and will, knock off Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and the perennial compact car king, Honda Civic. Tall words indeed, but he is betting not only on the companys record sales performance this year, but also that the Canadian public now equates Hyundai with value for the money as opposed to being simply cheap and cheerful. The 2011 Elantra is the fourth vehicle in Hyundais 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative in which the Koran automaker plans to launch seven new models in 24 months. Elantra is the next step in this plan following the Tucson CUV, Sonata family sedan and Equus luxury sedan. It makes the most of Hyundais signature Fluidic Sculpture design principles first seen on the Sonata. But there is more to it than just the looks. It is also very aerodynamic, featuring a drag coefficient of an exceptionally low 0.28, com- paring favourably to the Chevrolet Volts 0.29. Elantra was designed at Hyundai's North American Design Center in Irvine, Calif. Under the hood there are wholesale changes starting with the switch to the latest genera- tion four-cylinder engine known in-house as the Nu. At 1.8-litres, it replaces the 2.0-litre Beta engine in the outgoing Elantra. Also new is a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission that replaces the for- mer five-speed manual and four-speed auto- matic. Along with an overall weight reduction and low rolling resistance silica tires, Elantra achieves estimated fuel economy ratings of 6.8 L/100 km in the city and 4.9 L/100 km on the highway with the standard six-speed manual. The six-speed automatic adds only 0.1 L/100 km to the vehicles city fuel consumption rat- ing while the highway rating is the same. Hyundai claims best in class fuel economy, power and power-to-rate ratio in the class. According to Hyundai Canada, the new Elantra should be good for 1,000 km on a single tank of regular fuel. The Nu engine develops 148 hp and 131 lb/ft of torque. While weighing 34 kg less, it achieves a 16 per cent improvement in high- way fuel economy over the outgoing model. The lines of the Elantra are interesting the closer you get to it. Looking along the flanks of the car, especially at the rear, the side pan- els rise and then tumble over the back wheel arch towards the rear. Inside, the 2011 Elantra looks very modern with a host of features such as (depending on model) front and even rear heated seats, Bluetooth and a seven-inch colour monitor for the optional navi/info system. I dont care what Hyundai says, this is not a compact car on the outside. Inside it is clas- sified as mid-size but it approaches that of a large car. The engine, for 1.8-litres, is pretty powerful but what makes it is Hyundais in-house six- speed automatic. You can shift it sequentially, but I never bother. The auto box in the Elantra (thanks to all the computer mapping these days) invariably picks the right gear. At one point on the drive portion, my usual co-driver and I were up over 5,000 feet in the Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego. Had this been a 1.8-litre and a four-speed auto, Im pretty sure the Elantra would have been out of breath after the climb. On the two times we passed, the transmission shift- ed down two speeds without a clunk in the drivetrain. Continued on page 23 Hyundai Elantra 2011 At A Glance: BODY STYLE:Compact sedan.DRIVE METHOD:front-engine, front- wheel-driveENGINE:1.8-litre DOHC four-cylinder (148 hp, 131 lb/ft)FUEL ECONOMY:Six-speed manual, 6.8/4.9L/100 km city/highway; six- speed automatic, 6.9/4.9L/100 km city/highwayTOW RATING:NAPRICING:L manual, $15,849; L auto, $17,049; GL manual, $17,999; GL auto, $19,999; GLS manual, $19,799; GLS auto, $20,999; Limited manual, $22,699; Limited Navigation, $24,999.WEB:www.hyundaicanada.caHyundai is aiming to take over the top spot in the compact car segment with the 2011 Elantra sedanthat features mid-size passenger volume and 4.9l/100 km in the highway allowing it to travel more than 1,000 on one tank. 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. Expiry: December 31, 2010 Code: 5669 / Cineplex Entertainment LP or used under license. with oil change FREE CINEPLEX MOVIE TICKET