Hyundai Elantra X20 2.0 CVVT Test Drive Review

Hyundai Elantra

The new Hyundai Elantra was launched some time ago and it has the distinction of being one of the few 2.0 litre C-segment sedans priced under RM100,000 which is sure to attract a few customers in this increasingly price sensitive market. We have just finished testing this Korean car. Here is what we found out.

Read Harvinder Singh Sidhu’s review after the jump.

Hyundai Elantra

Design

The new Elantra looks much more refined and mature now compared to the boxy old model. The first thing you will notice is the beautiful lines the car has along its sides that remind you of the Audi A5, as under the right time of the day, these lines will really stand out. It gives the car more character.

The front headlights seem to look at you more aggressively this time, and I would also say that the rear lamps compliment them very nicely. You will also notice that there is strangely no Elantra insignia anywhere on the car, instead there is only the “X20” emblem, which generally means the car has a 2.0 litre unit under the hood.

Hyundai Elantra
Click for larger image

Interior

The interior of this new Elantra is rather decent actually, since it did make me feel like I was sitting a luxury B segment sedan. It also has very good leg and head clearance for the driver, as well as for front left and rear passengers.

I was quite happy with the seating position as I didn’t get any back ache as result of a long drive. The car however does have huge looking centre dash, but I was pleased with it since it is fitted with lots of compartments, which is very practical. Another neat feature is a cabin luggage hook (located at front left passage area) which can carry items up to 3kg which very good news for us Malaysians since we can use it to hang our “teh tarik” (Malaysian Tea) packets, safely and in a more proper manner.

Hyundai Elantra

The Elantra is also fitted with a decent in-car entertainment system which can play CDs, MP3s, WMAs and is also equipped with an aux-in jack for your iPod or any other mobile music player.

The only thing I didn’t like was the way the climate controls were illuminated at night. I was taken back a little when I first noticed the “extremely blue” lights. Thank goodness it was connected to the rheostat. It was just too bright and I really thought I was going to lose my eyesight.

In fact the climate control buttons are made out of transparent white rubber, which to be honest, does not deserve to be associated with anything “Luxury”. They may just go yellow over time just like your old Nokia 5110 mobile phone from the late 1990s.

Hyundai Elantra

Driving

Here’s the part when I tell how I was disappointed by this new Hyundai Elantra. In my first few kilometers of the test drive, I straight away noticed how bad the car really handles, and I noticed this in a housing area at first, which is not good news at all.

Against my first impression, I took it to a more appropriate location so I can step the gas a little harder. After doing that, I had no choice but to follow my first impression. It was just going all over the place when I put the car under more pressure; and on top of that, I also learned that the brakes were shoddy as well.

The suspension is tuned heavily towards comfort and as a result the ride may get a little floaty at high speeds.

Hyundai Elantra

The 2.0 litre 16 Valve DOHC CVVT engine (143 PS at 6,000rpm and 186Nm of torque at 4,600rpm) seemed a little heavy on acceleration but at higher speeds it was more responsive. The gear change of the 4 speed automatic transmission with VFS and Grade Logic is rather smooth, but more gear ratios is preferred. If Volkswagen can put 6-speed units in all of their automatic cars and are now even phasing out autos for the 7-speed dry clutch DSG, I don’t see why 4-speed autos are still around.

In city driving, I’ve also noticed that this Elantra, which is fitted with an electric power steering system, has a good turning radius of up to 5.17 meters curve to curve. Safety wise, the car comes with standard dual SRS airbags, ABS (Electronic Anti-Lock Brake system) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution).

Hyundai Elantra

Another cool feature the car has is a reverse warning sensor with voice, and distance display (fitted above the rear windscreen, from the inside). So basically, when put it into reverse and look at your rear view mirror, you can clearly see the distance in feet, and as you get closer to the object behind you, the car “talks” to you, alerting you on the distance.

Verdict

The Elantra looks great, with a decent interior and a respectable amount of equipment. It, however drives like a cow, and could do with stronger brakes. The engine and drive train performs reasonably well. We also found that the noise was a little on the loud side at highway speeds – more padding and soundproofing needed perhaps?

Another thing we forgot to mention is the Elantra’s very good fuel economy as it gives you about 12 kilometers per litre of petrol. In fact, Kah Bintang is also claims that this new Elantra can take you from Johore to Butterworth in a full tank of petrol (53 litres). Hyundai also added that the electric power steering feature saves you up to 1 mpg.

Hyundai Elantra

So, here’s the big question; would I buy it? Well for me personally, I won’t as it is not a driver’s car, but as a daily A to B driver it deserves serious consideration given the large interior space it offers and its low price point of RM93,888. It’s plenty of metal for your money.

Story by Harvinder Singh Sidhu, photos by Leong Tik Tsin and Paul Tan

PHOTO GALLERY: Hyundai Elantra X20
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • adil2008 (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 2:25 am

    Hyundai Elantra is a good & fuel economy car, for the sport edition, is great. My point of view is, Hyundai may catch up Honda in the future, especially for C-Segment car.

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  • ingolstadt (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 2:31 am

    I wouldn’t really say the interior is ‘decent’. Thou it could be a 2.0 ltr engine sitting beneath, the overall experience i had with the car while testing feel’s slightly lower market compared to Nissan’s Latio. To mention ‘C’ segment, putting it against the likes of Honda Civic (Yes, we know the 2.0 ltr Civic is RM30k more – But what’s the point of buying a Korean car if you can’t save some hard earn dough?) really does it no good the very moment I first step into this car.

    The extravagantly styled exterior was heavily let down by the sub-par design of the interior, materials were fine thou.

    4 speed gearbox are fine, given the new Altis were also raking up sales with these ‘primitive’ gearboxes.

    The last thing, the reverse distance display mounted on the rear seemed like a good touch, but wouldn’t it display inverted in the driver’s reverse mirror?

    RM94k? Get yourself another RM10,000 and go for the 1.8 Civic. Considering the much higher resale value, and the feel good factor which is dead crucial for Malaysian car buyers considering 55% of the total price you pay are taxes for the government.

    Paul Tan says: Agree with some of your points (not the 4-speed auto part – we all know the Altis sells not because of its gearbox so its hardly a justification for why a 4-speed auto is “fine”) but the Civic 1.8 is actually RM113.8k, which is nearly RM20k more which could end up being a premium of RM400 a month in monthly installments over a 5 year loan. I think anyone looking at the Elantra would be price-sensitive or at least looking for a good VALUE proposition.

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  • Fireball (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 2:38 am

    The car looks really good… of course for it’s class. Pity the review on it’s handling isn’t good. Hope the facelift will have improvements in those aspects. Once again, very good looking car, IMHO

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  • e-nabilll (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 3:03 am

    so i guess korean cars havent imroved that much ha?

    with that kind of money…i wont buy a new civic 1.8…but a one year old civic…which is selling around 9xk….u get a much beter car and badge…

    btw….does this car relate somehow to the new kia optima?? any shared chasis or components?

    Paul Tan says: New Optima uses the 2.0 liter GEMA project engine (Hyundai’s own internal family name is “Theta”, the engine is related in some ways to the 2.0 liter 4B11 in the Lancer GT and Chrysler cars as GEMA was a JV project between DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai-Kia) while the engine in this Elantra is an older model from the Sirius family thats also found in cars like the Kia Sportage. The GEMA engine feels more powerful and is smoother as well. I have no idea why Hyundai-Kia still uses this older engine in some of their cars. Cost?

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  • ingolstadt (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 3:12 am

    Hi Paul,

    Thanks for the clarification on the pricing. To add, my take on the Altis was actually a slap on the face for Toyota, considering Hyundai sales person could always say :”Altis also 4-speed mar.”

    Nonetheless, I was just thinking that we should inform car buyers, who’re forking out almost RM100k for car purchases – which should be the better buy considering all factors including resale value. The RM400 a month pinch would make itself worthwhile when the owner’s are changing their cars.

    Considering that an 03′ 2.0 Accord could still fetch around RM80k+, an 03′ Sonata could only do so with RM30k+

    Of course, European marques suffer the same problems; but the very notion of making the final decision on a prestige European marque, and Jap/Korean makes are very different fundamentally.

    Paul Tan says: ah, resale value. Kah Bintang actually has a 2-year buy back guarantee program now in efforts to stabilize/control the 2nd hand value of its cars. I’m not entirely sure how this works… will ask Kah Bintang.

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  • awak (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 5:51 am

    one of the ingredient of korean car towards fuel efficiency is having a tall gearing, therefore the car feel a bit heavy unaggresive, but it works in the interest of fuel saving. only if drive conservetively and most on the highway.

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  • redliner (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 7:47 am

    my comments are as follows:

    resale value
    it is up to individual’s affordability. if you have money and don’t mind to pay additional installment of RM400 p.m to secure resale value of your car. then you may not consider buying this car. basically it’s the same. it’s either you fork out extra money in advance for the resale value or fork out later for changing to new car.

    handling
    as mentioned by Harvinder Singh, the car is tuned towards comfort. i think this is fine as being a family sedan car, i think it is acceptable that handling is compromised to a certain extend for passangers comfort.

    comparison vs Civic & Altis
    i think this is not a fair comparison as both cars priced abt RM20 to 30k more expensive (2.0 version). you will get what you paid for. however, one point to note is that Elantra has the most cabin space compared to Civic and Altis.

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  • abtm (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 9:28 am

    If you must have a new car at that price then this might be it, but if i have RM94k to throw on a car, it would have to be the previous 4-5 year old 2.0 or 2.4 Honda Accord, Dohc vtec engine, handles well, stable at high speeds, 5 speed autobox, looks better, reliable, there’s so many to choose from and you’ll certainly get more respect driving it than a trying to look like a Altis Hyundai

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  • lanminardi (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 10:13 am

    Hyundai VS Toyota VS Honda
    All vehicles have their own pros and cons !!!
    Justification on whether which is better !!! Seriously no winner !!
    It is the customer own preference on which vehicle they want .For some Hyundai are their favor, for some Honda are their favor and as well as toyota. So to compare which is better ……through deep analyze ,test and review…then there of cause might be a winner !!! Hyundai cars are built like European cars !!! their reliability are lower then expectation ..maybe now it has improved a little !! TOYOTA and HONDA !!! TOYOTAs ARE BUILT FOR RELIABILITY WHILE HONDAs ARE BUILT FOR REFINEMENT So to say which is a winner ….. ?? realy unknown in our mind !!! However for me Honda is my preference ..Drove be4 Toyota and Hyundai cars…still much prefer the fun driving of Honda !!

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  • hyundai (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 10:16 am

    Most Malaysians still have prejudice with Korean car. They always remind themselves about their new car’s resale value before buying their car. So that’s why Malaysia is still considered as an unmature market compared to many other countries. Elantra is a good car yet giving you 2-litre engine and quite decent amount of spec but it is quite pity that the car is not a big selling piece. Maybe Kah Bintang should try to lower their car price further down to 88k as the previous generation can be said to be quite a big seller compared to the current one, the same applied to Sonata and Accent. I just feel that this is still not the proper time for Korean to have a price that is so close to Japanese yet. By the way, hope that Sime-Darby will bring us the highly-desired i30.

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  • vogue (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 10:35 am

    Kah motors forever putting low spec parts in their cars la. Like last time civic EF with carburettors, EK with SOHC and drum brakes etc. and then force you to buy the car with stupid head laces… what rubbish!

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  • normaluser (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Hmm as for me, I rather add up RM8K and buy the Optima instead with better GEMA engine, larger interior & superb audio system.

    This is not a bad car. The Koreans are always moving at a fast pace to compete with the Japs. But the low quality, reliability & brand image perception is hard to be changed and therefore the resale value is still questionable. Just wait over few years and give them a chance.

    For those who want a new 2.0L car sub-RM100K with long term ownership & good FC, I think this car gives good value for the money. Forget the “add RM20K to buy Civic” stuff, every penny is valuable nowadays in view of rising prices. For the budget conscious, RM20K may buy them food groceries for the family for a whole year.

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  • ALPINA BMW (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    this is a good car, but its old, europe people drive i30, we only have this

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  • swong (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    I truely appreciate Paul Tan critical comments on the car without being bias over the manufacturers or supplier. this is the main reasons i often get the truthful information from Paul Tan site.

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    It has got a higher rating than a Corolla, done by Yahoo America.
    Now it’s either a Sylphy if you don’t mind paying more, or an Elantra if you’re on smaller budget; Civic is too boring to see too many of them OTR, facelift coming soon too and Altis is plain rubbish, if you must have a Toyota park inside your house, buy a 2nd hand older version, basically is the same car with different exterior only.

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  • kei9 (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    The lines are very flowy and is also kinda unique in its way.
    The side profile looks like Seat Ibiza lines but are more understated.

    And coupled with the OEM bodykits, it looks a lot better.

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  • munloong (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    Hi, Thank you for the nice review with advantages and disadvantages.
    But I would like to know, if a person is determine to get this 2.0 (attractive price that is below RM100,000.00) where and how can he sort out this disadvantages that was highlighted in the review?

    Please give suggestion how to improve this X20 baby…….if so can do another review after the improvement is made……. great for us readers too.

    TQ
    munloong

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    Hyundai Elantra voted ‘Best Family Sedan’ by Asian Auto – VCA

    VCA is the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval authority and has more than 30 years experience supports industry by providing internationally recognised testing and certification for vehicles, their systems and components. For more information, please refer to www.vca.gov.uk

    Elantra is also Hyundai’s No. 1 Best Selling car in USA with sales exceeding 1.2 million and is also Hyundai’s best selling car in China. The Hyundai Elantra X20 comes with a 2.0L DOHC Continuous Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) powerplant that delivers maximum power output of 143 PS. By utilizing Motor Driven Power Steering and an advanced transmission with Variable Force Solenoid found only in top of the range cars, the Elantra’s fuel efficiency is improved by almost 2.8% making it a leader in fuel economy in its segment.

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  • bobdbilder (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    Thank you to Harvinder for a very honest review. This would be my first time reading his article and I felt I had missed a lot of not reading more of his pieces. Fully electric steering is only good for reduction in power consumption. Does not sound very communicative to a driver, and this would only enforce Harvinder’s insights. Other high end models/marques would have this come hand in hand with some kind of stability control as you would need to enhance the feel of driving. And to think we have all got over the ‘wow’ effect of CVVT.

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  • topgunthang (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    price is bad because it still is a teenager and students car. i30 is good but suffers the same image problem. and really is not good looking after seeing it for a while. you can either trust your own eyes or you can trust what the magazines tell you (that its designed in europe and therefore is good looking). same as the focus which are so and so design only which gets outdated very quickly.

    the diesel i30 will be interesting if they can get it into the msian market. or maybe the diesel i20.

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    bobdbilder said,

    September 7, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

    EPS sucks, can’t agree more.
    The better way of doing this is coupling conventional Hydraulic & Electronic Motor.

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  • fastcx (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    either that or eps with stability control, so while driver cant sense a thing, the car’s electric stability control makes sure u dont make mistake cause driver can’t sense a shit…if its hydraulic, stability control is just like insurance :)

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  • thestick (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 6:33 pm

    It’s a very good car to get for its price. Granted its no merc, or audi but for a korean car its even better then those Japanese CKD cars. Suggest the reviewer should take a closer look at interior quality of the current available japanese CKD cars in this country. Some of them are even worst then our proton cars.

    Engine performance gives more to be desired for, but then again this aint a performance car. With 140+ ps tucked under its hood, it will certainly give you a pull and smooth ride without much problem.

    Dont jump the gun just yet cause its carries a korean badge. Outside Malaysia, these cars are doing even better then japanese make in some countries. In Malaysia – well mindset – is tough one to beat – with herd mentality.

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  • csv (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    ooh, i quite liked how it looks, and also with the incus bodykit.

    but if it drives that bad, then its better to get something else.

    save up a few more, get either a civic or a sylphy.

    altis is pretty much same as last generation.

    civic for those sporty youngsters.

    sylphy for those who want a tech savvy, coventional and economical vehicle.

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  • tokmoh (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 7:53 pm

    The flash used was too bright it makes the picture look doctored especially the 2nd image.

    An honest review, I like it.

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  • n8cky (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    user feed back, the silver panel easily get scratched, and it’s a dust collector~

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  • freeze (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    thestick said,

    September 7, 2008 @ 6:33 pm

    ……Suggest the reviewer should take a closer look at interior quality of the current available japanese CKD cars in this country. Some of them are even worst then our proton cars. ……

    What cars? Vios against Perdana?

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  • God.of.War (Member) on Sep 07, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    My Opinion,

    This car is sux, better Nissan Sylphy, better FC for 1 litre is 16KM for 2.0 Litre engine, better responce, more powerful engine, and bla bla bla…

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  • 707 (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 5:42 am

    well it seems to me the perception of malaysians on korean cars can be likened to that of singaporeans’ perception on malaysian cars.

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  • fandango (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 9:17 am

    “If Volkswagen can put 6-speed units in all of their automatic cars and are now even phasing out autos for the 7-speed dry clutch DSG, I don’t see why 4-speed autos are still around.”

    The reason is simple: cost. fitting a 6 or 7 speed DSG definitely wont be cheap and will definitely add to the cost of the car.

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  • gohch (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 11:32 am

    I think Malaysian prices of those Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda are much higher compared to other markets eg US or UK, where the Elantra is selling at or slightly lower prices than the Civic 1.8 or Altis 1.8 (Corolla). Perception of higher quality, or what? Maybe resale value? But I am quite surprised over the test report from Harvinder Singh when compared to those conducted in US/Canada by Sam Moses, especially over the handling of the car. I also wonder whether Harvinder has tested the Altis 1.8, and what his comments will be with regards to the auto transmission? Selling at almost 30% higher price (1.8G) but still with only 4 forward gears? Will he put his money where his mouth is and say it as it is? No, don’t get me wrong. I’m not an Elantra owner or anything like that. Just that I like to read and update myself on the auto scene.

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Edmund’s Inside Line
    Driving Impressions

    Considering its so-so 138 horses, the 2008 Hyundai Elantra is decently quick out of the gates (zero to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds), especially when equipped with a manual gearbox. The engine suffers from a somewhat coarse demeanor above 3,500 rpm, however. More refined is the ride quality, which is smooth yet stable, even at high speeds, and is one of the Elantra’s best attributes. Wind and road noise are also negligible. Although its personality isn’t overtly sporting, the Elantra is actually a capable handler. Body roll is moderate, but this Hyundai manages to hold tight through turns, offering plenty of grip and decent steering response.

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  • 0204 (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    distance display on reverse is quite cool… but only if u know how to read reverse numbers, or twisting ur neck to the limit. It’s suppose to be mirror friendly for crying out load..

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  • intermilan (Member) on Sep 08, 2008 at 1:41 pm

    crying out loud lah..

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  • BanyakMasukWorkshop (Member) on Sep 09, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    “well it seems to me the perception of malaysians on korean cars can be likened to that of singaporeans’ perception on malaysian cars.”

    I believe the singaporeans have about the same perception of korean cars as we do.

    as for the elantra, I dont know much about it, but i’m pretty sure the engine is powerful. I was driving back from ipoh recently, and I came up behind one of these cars, and the acceleration was really decent for a 2 litre as he decided to speed up rather than pull over for me to pass.

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  • art806 (Member) on Sep 10, 2008 at 12:48 am

    The write up looked as if it was done hurriedly. I just want to pinpoint to the comment about brakes where the writer claimed that the brakes are SHODDY. What does he mean by that? I thot the braking was good the last time I tested the car, slowing down quite fast from 170kmh to below 80kmh.
    I didn’t test drive civic but the new altis was more sedate compared to X20. My opinion, those who wanna play safe, follow the mass; those who seek adventures, forget brand image….

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  • ALPINA BMW (Member) on Sep 11, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    the rear reminds me of the nissan bluebird “lanjiao” sylphy

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  • Kevin LeePekWei (Member) on Sep 20, 2008 at 11:24 am

    Quote: 0204 said,

    September 8, 2008 @ 12:57 pm

    distance display on reverse is quite cool… but only if u know how to read reverse numbers, or twisting ur neck to the limit. It’s suppose to be mirror friendly for crying out load..

    _______________________________________________________________

    Quote from article:
    So basically, when put it into reverse and look at your rear view mirror, you can clearly see the distance in feet, and as you get closer to the object behind you, the car “talks” to you, alerting you on the distance.

    ______________________________________________________________

    But the CORRECT way to do reversing is NOT by looking at your rear view mirror, you have to turn your head to look behind to ensure certain things such as no one is approaching from both sides.

    I am sure the Korean carmaker thought of that and further equips the reverse sensor to ‘talk’ to you.

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  • Hammers (Member) on Sep 26, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Honestly this Hyundai Elentras back design is such a copy of the Toyota Altis..

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  • Have owned the Elantra X20 with Incus Bodykit for few months, no regret at all for buying this car, most of my friends said it looks very sporty with the Incus Bodykit. At some angles, it looks like an 4-door sports car, haha…The suspension is comfort to my drive and my family really enjoy sitting at the rear seats, steady and not bumpy, the soft leather is comfort as well.

    With less than 1K investment to install Ultra Racing Front Strut Bar and good Voltage Stabllisiers, my X20 turns out to be very good driving for my satisfaction. The new CVVT engine also gives good fuel consumption for a 2.0 car.

    Before owning Elantra 2.0, I compared it with Civic 1.8, power wise Elantra 2.0 is better than Civic 1.8. The supension of Elantra is comforter than Civic 1.8, so Civic 1.8 is better cornering than Elantra due to harder suspension. Civic 1.8 does not have Electrical Power Steering (EPS) and steering is quite heavy at low speed for turning and parking, Elantra X20 is definitely easier to drive at low speed than Civic 1.8. Sound proof wise Civic has stronger wind noise and road noise than Elantra. However Civic 2.0 is different story which has better power than Elantra and also has EPS, but NVH is just like Civic 1.8. Interior space is about the same for both cars though Civic looks a little broader from outside. Civic has nicer and more futuristic dashboard. I had finally chosen Elantra 2.0 over Civic 1.8 as I love comfort car and also due to budget. Also 2.0 also sounds better hearing than 1.8 :)

    Just RM 90 over thousand with discount given by Kah Bintang, for me it is really worth to own a 2.0 car though knowing Hyundai brand is not as famous as Toyota or Honda in Malaysia.

    Also went through 3 car services by Kah Bintang, thought the service charges is very reasonable. Kah Bintang also allows me to use Full Synthetic oil which can be replaced after 10,000KM, and within 5,000KM I would go back just to change the oil filter at just RM 14.50 with no labor charges. Also checked out the hardware spared part lists from Kah Bintang, the prices look reasonable and competitive to even local cars. Previously heard people saying expensive spared parts to mantain Korean cars, not sure they r referring to Kia or SsangYong, my uncle owns the old Elantra 1.8 for many years and he is happy with it, but he has now envy me for getting a much nicer look Elantra 2.0 than his Unclish look Elantra 1.8 :)

    I previously drove a Japanese car and was negative on Hyundai cars, after owning the Elantra, it has now changed my mind to think Hyundai can now produce good and quality cars like Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

    Just a sharing.

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  • Test drive civic 1.8 and 2.0, T Altis, Nissan sylphy and Hyundai Elantra X20.

    Still not sure which to get.

    After consideration I put Sylphy and Altis away. Why?

    Sylphy for me is not for men, exterior look bad, suspension feel like to hard or not comfort compare to others. One thing I like is interior.

    Altis is like a new casing for me, looks boring. But I like the accelerate.

    X20 for me all ok. What make me hesitate is people always judging by it pass and wonder the second hand value in case I want to chance car after 5 years(maybe).

    hmm….

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  • [quote comment="238208"]Test drive civic 1.8 and 2.0, T Altis, Nissan sylphy and Hyundai Elantra X20.

    Still not sure which to get.

    After consideration I put Sylphy and Altis away. Why?

    Sylphy for me is not for men, exterior look bad, suspension feel like to hard or not comfort compare to others. One thing I like is interior.

    Altis is like a new casing for me, looks boring. But I like the accelerate.

    X20 for me all ok. What make me hesitate is people always judging by it pass and wonder the second hand value in case I want to chance car after 5 years(maybe).

    hmm….[/quote]

    I initially was influenced by the comments by Paultan on X20 which was not that positive on some aspects, so I decided to drop X20 in my selections, however I have finally chosen X20 after some test drives and hearing good feedback from the X20 owners and also did serious comparisons with Civic, Altis, Sylphy and Lancer and went to each car forum to compare the weaknesses and complaints. And now I happy with my choice and never regretted owning the X20.

    I tested Civic 1.8 and 2.0 as well, the Civic 1.8 does not have Electric Power Steering (EPS), nowadays EPS is quite common to have for new cars, even Honda City and Vios have it. For Civic 2.0, it has high power train than Elantra X20. But X20 has comforter suspension and quieter cabin than Civic. I think the sound proof of Civic is quite poor, the wind noise of Civic is strong at high speed. But Civic has better handling than Elantra. Buying Elantra X20 at about RM 90K and investing few thousand extra on performance parts will turn the X20 very good driving machine, it would still cost a lot less than Civic 2.0 at over RM120K.

    Nissan Sylphy has the Renault like suspension which is on stiffer side, not as comfortable as X20 and Altis. Sylphy though has longer leg space, the body width (1695mm) is just as big as Toyota Vios and Nissan Latio, 3 adults

    sitting at the back will have not enough room for shoulders. The rear veiw of Sylphy is like Latio, tall and narrow. The maximum speed (at the speedometer) is only 180KM/H, driving on highway at 160 will float.

    I always drive my Elantra X20 on highway at 160 and very stable.

    I have friend who owns Sylphy, the feedback is it is not good performer on highway. Anyway, Nissan Sylphy has quieter engine and cabin and good sound proof.

    It depends on what you want :) For me, i have chosen Elantra X20 over Civic and Sylphy, as I just need to pay about RM90K to get a 2.0 car, it is just good at all aspects need by me from town to highway driving comfortabily. Fuel consumption for my X20 is as very comparable to Altis 1.8.

    For second hand value, it is still unknown for the X20, it cannot be compared with the old Elantra 1.8, I think it has better resale value than the old model. You hardly can find second hand X20 now as I believe the buyers really seriously properly before buying X20. But you can find quite many second hand Civic 07/08 in the second car market :)

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  • Wax turtle on Jun 21, 2009 at 9:43 am

    Normally Korean car still need some distance to gain the confident and reputation from consumers over Malaysian market. That is the problem when I looking for Korean car, many of my friend, including relative say Korean car was the lousy car such as car’s Part expensive, low quality, easilly break down, difficult to travel in Genting Highland and don't forget the second hand value. In fact same thing in UK while according the BBC top gear comment, Korean car and our proton are not much different.

    I personally also look down on Korean Car. My dad owned Hyundai Sonata about year 2002 ago. In fact this car did not had a big problem but minor problem can make us become mad, such as the car engine stop by itself during traffic jam. Reversed sensor sometime not working cause us really knob on people car one time. We have checked with Kah Bintang service center and they claim this car has “temperature “sensitive. This mean this car cannot stand for high temperature otherwise problem maybe come in. And they can’t even solve this problem. About last year, we sold out the Sonata and change to Honda Accord.

    Well, before I sit in my dad new car. Same year, I went to USA for the company product training purpose. Usually we need to rent a car in USA as the public transport not convenience at all. First car was a Malibu which is the GM car, the car so nice, powerful and easily pick up. If you want me to compare with my dad's Sonata, I can say Malibu much better than that however, as you know American car usually very poor in fuel consumption.

    Talking about Hyundai Elantra X20, I did drive this car about 2 months later after I changed Malibu to this car. At first, I even request the Alvis car rent center to change another GM car for me instead of Hyundai because I told them about my concern on Hyundai car. They said I maybe dreaming too much and they pursue me could try this car before I request to change the car.

    Since this car is using CVVT a new model of engine for 2.0L car, I think it could be generate the same power rate with Malibu. Generally this car performance is not bad, driving more stable and safety, and powerful. More important thing is the fuel consumption is better than Malibu. I drove Malibu from Texas Austin to Houston for one day trip, after one day trip the fuel tank remain only 1 quarter left. This car still remain quite nearly half of the tank after I did the same trip from Austin to Houston and second day I still can use remaining half tank for the city trip. Unlike Malibu I need to fill up petrol if I want to go to city center next day. One thing I agree is the noise level is high when you driving in highway, and especially when you accelerate the car the sound just like racing car boots up the engine. Other than that I still accept the noise level of this car because it so quite during normal drive. Although this car runs can be more powerful, but I am not using for racing purpose anyway. I do test on cornering turn running about 50km/h, this car turning stable and won’t feel lost control. But of course if you turn corner in high speed, even BMW can lost control easily, so how about my proton Wira? Sorry to say, I did test my Wira car in cornering turn with same speed but the car like lost control. Hence I stopped testing like this because who know my Proton Wira maybe turn turtle.

    About the problem on Hyundai car I mentioned before that your car engine maybe stopped by itself especially during traffic jam. USA also has traffic Jam like KL indeed, the car even can’t move within 1 hour. I seen Hyundai Elantra X20 does not stop the engine by itself during traffic jam, don’t forget it was about summer time and temperature was so high. I have my friend who drives Elantra X20 also, never hear his complain on engine die during traffic jam. At least one time, we faced a big traffic jam when I was with him in KL and finally, my friend also never does restart the engine. I say really amazing, not like my dad’s previous car.

    Overall, this car has been changed my mind on the Hyundai ‘s image. Secondly, I don’t think it is difficult to get the part from the market since Kah Bintang service center is around, you can even get cheaper but good quality part from Kah Bintang. If you get expensive part this mean you must be cheated by your service center or you get some where else who also an agent for Hyundai car. This is based on my dad experience when we have Sonata car. Well, buying a car is not for investment purpose, not need to worry about the 2nd hand price. Even you sell out your Japanese car, you can just pay for downpayment only for your new car but still you need to pay more money for your new car.

    I am not sure how reliability on the CVVT engine, whether it can stand for 10 years later. I can only share with may dad’s sonata car engine which is not the CVVT model, except the minor problem I mentioned earlier, in between 6 years this car never give us a big problem. Until we sold out this car, this car performance remains good like last time. I don’t think new CVVT engine could cause a lot of problem. My friend has about 2 or 3 years warranty, which actually save him a lot of on maintenance fee. Even the warranty is over, he also spent less on the maintenance fee. Compare to my dad’s sonata, we spent about RM200-RM500 for normal service.

    Since after I drove this car in USA, I am looking for this car as I plan to sold out my proton wira car. The price of this car is about 93K in Malaysia price but compare to 2.0L it is quite cheap and I am working in MNC electronic company, salaries not so high, should able to afford for down payment and monthly payment. Well, people may suggest me to buy carmy, but should understand my finance abilities before ask me to buy carmy. For me, I can drive this car around 5 or 6 years, and if I have more money, I will looking for Carmy next time.

    I think Hyundai Elantra X20 really recommended to buy, first thing first, fuel consumption is the main reason, second thing you save a lot of in your maintenance fee. Compare to my proton wira, I bought about 2004, firstly it could be better than Hyundai Accent car. After a while problem come in too, I can say good thing that wira is better than Sonata because it won’t stop the engine by itself. But when you reverse your car, the engine suddenly die easily. And one time my wira suddenly engine die and cannot restart again, hence I am the one cause traffic jam. At this moment, I should change my statement” Wira not longer better than Sonata”. At least my dad ‘s Sonata still can restart the car and can run even further away. And see how much I spent on my wira? Nearly RM1K sometime because need to change absorbed, suspension, timing belt and so on after one year. I never drive to very bad road condition and I do service every 3 months. And every 3 months service, also cost about RM500-RM600. Compare to Korean car, which one better?

    Well I heard people say Hyundai car can be very good if you are lucky, if you unlucky it can put you in the fire. Then you have to spent more for maintenance. I am not sure whether is true, I have friend working on Hyundai car workshop, not one complain on engine problem, and all do normal service. That’s why he resigns and goes to other workshop to work for repairing an accident car.

    Once again, my suggestion is don’t listen a lot of rumors on people comment on Korean car or other type. In fact, a different person has different view on the car and it can be very subjective. If you never drive Korean car, you can go ahead to test it. If you wish to buy cheaper, but resulting in good quality, more stable, reliability and good fuel consumption. Hyundai Elantra X20 will be your best choice.

    I hope one day people will have more confident to buy Hyundai cars. Then we could have another better choice apart of Japanese cars.

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  • Wax turtle on Jun 22, 2009 at 6:05 am

    In addition, from now onward, I have seen a lot of Hyundai Elantra (Avante2.0) X20 on the road in KL. To looking more further, it will influence the second hand value on Hyundai Elantra compare to previous 1.8L.

    I plan to buy this car next time after my wira. Now I am saving my money, hehe.

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  • well said Wax turtle, i must say very worth for me to buy the X20 at the price near to 90K which i got… with this car, i drove on highway at speed of 180 the car is still stable… smooth and comfort driving….

    especially now with the Hyundai i30 2.0 selling at 112K, it shows the X20 is really a value buy for such a good quality car… some people said RM 90 over thousand has Peugeot 308 vti to choose as well, but my colluege who has owned the 308 vti for some months, he complained that it is under power especially when his car is loaded and fuel consumption not that good too, maybe the car weight is 1400kg…

    X20 with only weight like 1230kg and 186NM torque has better pick up and acceleration than P308vti … however for P308 turbo, its torque is higher than X20… anyway, not that fair to compare X20 (2000cc) and P308vti (1600cc) engine, but maybe price is near, so make buyers to compare…

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  • ashkay on Mar 30, 2010 at 11:43 pm

    I hv this to say, worth buying, spacious, good looking, it's up to the individu , if u like it just go for it.

    Hyundai will be in same par as toyota n Honda in few years.

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  • halimsaleh on Jul 03, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    Hi,
    i just own X20 a few weeks ago. i just ignored what people say about Korean Car.
    Nowdays, this Korean Car have very good reputation …believe me.
    I bought a CAR not a BRAND of CAR !!

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  • choobs on Jan 09, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Hi,
    I own a Avante X20. Am proud of my choice. Sime Auto service is doing good job of helping me keep my car in Excellent condition. (Though they could learn to be better relative to UMW Auto Service; I used to own a Toyota)

    Have been reading the comments above, unless they compare with higher end cars, I assume, Avante is above par.

    As with resale value, I think it doesn’t really matter, cos ALL cars devalue in time. It’s always a Freakonomics. It’s always perceived value at the point to sale. Even branded luxury marques devalue much more, ie BMW Merc.

    With Hyundai, I get value for $, & I’m willing to pay for value ie comfort, ride, space, safety, etc just as people are willing to pay premium for BMW, Merc.

    As a X20 owner, I am in the same bracket of value appreciator as those owners of BMW, Merc albeit on the lower price bracket.

    So, what is your value? or is it cost you are more concern about?

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  • LOURENCEHCEE on Jun 24, 2013 at 8:41 am

    HI…. I own this care when there is big promotion to let way for the new elantra(2012)..i bought it on 2011 jan but is old stock (2010) with the price only RM 84999… honestly i get back the value with this price after heavy use and hit the mileage 100000km till now (only 3 years plus) surprise me that the car dont bring me any problem and the fc still can hit 10~11km /li…it a 2000cc car..the fc is far better than any local make 1.6 car.i will not sell it….and will keep it for life time..

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