There’s a war between Japan and South Korea. No, the East Asian neighbours aren’t pointing missiles at each others’ territory, or even joining forces against the belligerent North – the “war” is happening right in our backyard. Waged between fervent Japanese car fans and their Korean counterparts, our comments section and mamak car talk are the battlegrounds, among other forums.
This is of course a new phenomenon. No such battle existed five years back, when Korean brands were still finding their way in auto world. The Japanese, and their salesmen, never felt threatened – Korean cars were dismissed as lower quality wheels for budget hunters who couldn’t shell out more for a Toyota or Honda. And they were mostly right – besides value for money, there were little else going for previous gen Hyundais and Kias.
How things have changed. The Koreans haven’t abandoned “value for money” as a proposition, but perceived quality, technical ability and styling have all caught up, and in some instances, surpassed the stalwarts. No, today’s Hyundais aren’t perfect cars, but they’re really giving the Civics and Corollas of the world a real fight.
Let’s now take a look at the fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra, the reigning North American Car of the Year. Coincidentally, the last time a compact won that title was in 2006, when the revolutionary eighth-gen Honda Civic wowed the crowd…
One of the main pillars of Hyundai’s transformation from also-ran to almost-desirable is styling. You can built a great car, but if it’s boring from the outside, it’s never going to get the attention it deserves, especially so for a challenger brand. Hyundai’s decision to give its new range bold styling was risky, but it’s paying off handsomely.
Personally, my eyes don’t fully agree with every Fluidic Sculpture product that they’ve churned out so far. Never really got the Sonata and Tucson’s fussy faces, and I think the size/proportions of the Accent don’t speak the design language very well. But the Elantra is a different matter.
For me at least, everything looks “right”. I’m no designer, but the Elantra has enough size for the flowing lines to come into play, and the shape is very athletic – the roofline is truly coupe-like (a term that’s overused and abused these days) while the daylight opening (side window area) is sportscar-like shallow.
The Sonata can appear thick on its sides despite the Passat CC inspiration, but there’s no such issue here. Best angle for me is the rear three quarters view, where those wavy tail lamp clusters guide your eyes down the “spine” that skewers both door handles.
There’s no empty patch that will make you go “I think they should have put something here”. The rear also doesn’t look narrow and tall, something that afflicts many C-segment sedans today. Brilliant.
If the exterior is shapely, the dashboard matches it in flair. It’s a riot of curves and shapes in here, but the focus point is the centre stack, or more precisely, its narrow waist. This set of opposing curves is repeated on the steering wheel as well.
It’s a little too busy for me when paired with our Korean test car’s two-tone interior, but the local spec’s all-black theme softens the impact. Not to all tastes, but no one can accuse Hyundai of being safe and boring! Proceed to the Volkswagen camp if you want a solid but sombre business-like atmosphere.
Speaking of VW, the German “air of solidity” isn’t present here, but I suspect that it’s down to the effect of the funky vs serious dashboard design. Like how one would presume that the guy in the suit is more successful/wealthier than the guy in tee and jeans.
Probing deeper, quality wise, there’s nothing the Elantra’s cabin lacks compared to Japanese rivals. The feel of the materials, the way the knobs turn and the fit of the buttons are all good. Cabin quality has been good for quite some time now, but the Koreans are picking up more finesse as they go along.
We tried the 150 PS/178 Nm 1.8-litre automatic and it was so much better to drive than the previous-gen Elantra. Compared to its predecessor, the MD Elantra’s controls feel a lot more natural – the steering has more weight to it and feels more connected to the ground, while the brakes aren’t too grabby.
The engine is very well insulated at idle and low revs, and it provided sufficient pick-up and linear response to not feel lacking.
The six-speed automatic does its job competently in the background. Hyundai’s self-developed slush box isn’t the fastest shifting or most “sporty feeling” around, but it’s far from the worst six-speed auto we’ve tried. I don’t remember it being indecisive or hunting in the Elantra.
But no, the Elantra isn’t one to delight the super keen driver. It does well for the most part, but once you really drive it hard, it’s apparent that the Hyundai is tuned for comfort.
It feels lightweight and agile enough in corners, but there’s quite a bit of body roll, the steering could do with more feel, and it isn’t the last word on grip. Also, the Nu engine isn’t as sweet revving as the 1.8 SOHC in the Honda Civic.
So it’s no driving champion, but the Elantra rode well, at least on smooth Korean roads (we’ve yet to drive it in Malaysia) and is a much sharper tool than before. Now that it’s launched here, I’m looking forward to reacquaint myself with the Elantra again, in 1.6 manual form perhaps.
The fact that it isn’t the best car to drive hard doesn’t matter a bit to buyers in this segment. What really matters is that Hyundai has brought to market a great package that includes standout looks, good quality and decent performance. For me, it does one thing very well, all else decently, and nothing wrong at all, the Elantra.
The Hyundai Elantra is now in showrooms. Click here for our media preview report for full specs and prices.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
wau… i like it… very sporty…
Its a good car if you get the award winning (North American award) GDI engine. Unfotunately, in Malaysia, you get the MPI engine. One of the main reasons they won the award was because of the GDI engine. Why are we Malaysians compromised? Why do we always get old engines in our cars?
Cannot understand why a Malaysian made Inokom car can cost nearly Rm100,000. I drive an Inokom Santa Fe and can assure you, the quality is nothing to shout about. I still hear non stop crackling sounds from the dashboard and seats.
Another thing to worry about is depreciation.I rather buy a Japanese as it holds the value well. To those who aren’t worried about depreciation or resale value of your car, when 5 years come and your loan has still Rm70,000 left to pay, and your car only fetches RM40,000, is God going rain the remainder RM30,000 to you?
that even happens to our most recent launched ‘people’s car’ – VW’s Polo Sedan (or better call it ‘Polo Saga’, dated look paired with dated engine, pity Malaysian.
Exactly!!! Then again, Mazda will bring in CX-5 with GDi engine to Msia while Ford with Focus will also bring GDi engine to Msia. If the Japanese and American can commit their GDi engine to our lower fuel quality, doesn’t that make you wonder how truly robust the Koreans are?
Blame our fuel here..the GDI engine just can’t work well with our fuel grade here if i recall correctly reading articles 1 year back when I bought my forte. Even the Forte in Korea is using GDI engine but the one here is the non-GDI version due to the fuel here.
On resale value, don’t be too sure yet. Once Korean cars start picking up ground (watch Naza/KIA Forte’s recent monthly sales – reaching 400-500 units per month which is close to Honda City’s previous average sales per month before the flood crisis in Thailand), the resale value will be better.
Sure it won’t beat honda or toyota for sure, but let me put it this way – you buy a blank Toyota Vios (or Honda City, but City is still better equipped IMHO), and all you get is that resale value. Buy a Korean Car like the Elantra/Forte – you get more bang for buck, less resale value but it equates to more or less the resale value of a Japanese car if you were to get the same bells and whistles. Sure it doesn’t work out exactly, but more or less – get it? So you don’t lose out.
In fact if you don’t plan to sell within 5 years, you won’t lose anything. Oh and you get 5 years warranty too (not sure about the Elantra but with the Forte 6 speed you do get 5 years warranty) – Toyota and Honda only give you 2-3 years warranty despite their confidence level in their cars and consumers preaching quality.
I don’t know about you, but I’m very very happy to have bought the Forte 6 speed even though I’m not too happy with the fuel consumption but that is something that I have already considered when I bought the car – I have absolutely no regrets. Its a great car, its fun, its not boring, tons of gadgets for me to play and enjoy. Can’t say the same if I had a Toyota Vios (boring!).
Yep.. 100% agreed! after 1 year & 3 months driving my 2.0 6 speed Forte.. I am absolutely have no regrets! I already done almost 45K mileage.. I dun really bother about doing a lot of the mileage in just 1 year bcoz my forte got 5 years warranty with UNLIMITED MILEAGE!! LoL
GDi means gasoline direct injection/petrol direct injection. And i think it is not our lower fuel quality. Our Ron97 can use this engine without problem. And if they bring latest diesel engine, then it would be the problem.
This is what set the Japanese and Conti apart from the Koreans. Mazda CX5 with direct injection will be here next month and so are all the Conti direct injections here.
not sure if it is really fuel quality, IIRC, VW TSI engine is running with Direct Injection too. running with RON95 happily..
IMHO, as long as we are not running ultra high compression, we should be good?
It isn’t exactly the fuel quality alone. Mazda and Ford used a lower compression ratio, ie. 13:1 instead of 14:1 or higher so it could be used for all situations. That make global sense, unlike our Koreans, offering us MPI and sucking up so much of our $$$. Compared to US, Brunei, Aust, Korea, we are overpaying this car.
One of the main reason why in Malaysia you can’t sell this car in a fair price is because it will eat up many many other branded car. Worst is for P1 and P2! I had driven this car in Korea nearly 2 years ago and I must said they sell it really cheap there. The outstanding design speaks for itself and this design does not go out of date for perhaps another 6 to 8 years down the line. Simply respray your car if it gets old and you will see what I means. It is like those Proton Wira revolution back those good years in Malaysia!
orang tak pakai la Santa Fe bro…
all Korean cars are suck la when it sold outside Korea..
alien exterior design.
fugly interior dashboard.
geli tau tgk sonata n elantra ni…tak kuaser nyah!
vw the best evergreen car design
You are such a boring person. I wonder how much have you changed since ten years ago. Car design is like fashion, it changes from time to time. I guess you’re not really keeping yourself abreast with contemporary aesthetic design, so you just don’t care about anything else.
And test is subjective. Just because there’s a new design doesn’t mean you have to upgrade. Just how many cars with updated design that you like? The current vis over old vios? Current, yet to be released here civic over the civic we have now? I don’t get people’s arguments here. You get a funky design, people want evergreen design. They design evergreen one, people say it’s boring. Key word: subjective. You can’t satisfy everybody every time.
Don’t waste your time reading reviews on korean cars if you can afford those of german’s fleets. You are one of those typical malaysian…stereotyping in terms of thinking. Wake up fellas! Read read read and read until you die. The Koreans have their R&D. Even the Preve is a good car. Dont judge on your perception . Judge on facts . One piece of good advice for you: Reprogramme your mind, if not you are the same you and can never change. Your mind is lazy. A lazy mind is the devil’s workshop.
Malaysia is always the dumping ground for old technologies from car manufacturers. Those they cannot sell elsewhere they will rebrand it as “new” and sell it here to poor gullible malaysian. Best part is, these old tech cars is selling 2-3 more expensive than the new tech cars elsewhere in the world no thanks to our beloved National Automotive Policy.
How long must Malaysian be taken for a fool by our own government and all these car manufacturers!?? I, as a Malaysian had enough. Vote them out!
I think they gave the award not sorely on the Elantra GDI engine. The whole car count LOL…
I just can’t understand why you assume that north americans get GDI. They get the 1.8 MPI as well. Only koreans are getting the 1.6 GDI plant. Google more.
Oh thx Korean for bringing this beautiful car here :) this is the best looking B or C segment car here coz other just hurt my eye !
Korean cars indeed have nice design these days. But I saw many Malaysians missed out one very important area, in fact most important area for me…is the ride quality. I have tested Tucson and now the Elantra. Both have similar feel with Tucson slightly hard as expected from a SUV. I really don’t get the connection between the car and driver. Road holding is really poor and really felt the car is not as forgiving as the Jap and Conti. I almost bought a Tucson last year but really disappointed with the ride. Now waiting to try on Mazda CX5 which is quite impressive looking at the specs and reviews.
looking so damn good.
but still a bit reluctant to buy it since the depreciation is still not convincing enough
Who the hell cares about resale value anymore? If you get this car, it’s highly likely to last for many years to come. Quit the old school thinking. All cars depreciate.
Yup, my 2005 hyundai trajet have been bullet proof for the past 7 years, good value for money and hyundai’s are quite reliable….no wonder they have no qualm to give 5 years warranty for its cars. One major point i like about my 7 years old trajet is that its soundproofing is quite good, comprable to my wife’s less than 1 year old golf tsi (the soo called quietest golf to date)…believe me, its that good.
I do prefer the european mkt hyundai compared to the north american mkt sonata’s & this elantra’s, the new i30 & i40(esp the estate) looks nice…hyundais do make brilliant diesel too, the santa fe’s r-series diesel are damn powerful!
You got to be kidding. Trajet is one of the worst MPV I have driven. totally under powered and you can hear the engine struggling for power in the cabin. Of all cars you talked about Trajet soundproof comparable to Golf? Don’t be too ridiculous.
That’s his car ofcourse he’ll say good….haha…and now mostly here are japanese and malaysia car basher…..to them korean car are same level with german….
Malaysia buy car by the look and trend only bro…..how many really appreciate driving experience?
yeah, comparable…when key of both cars are at off position…
yup, its that good …believe me coz i owned both
The trajet u drove my never go service. What ever car ur r driving, if u don’t go for proper service and preventive maintenance, I think better ride the kereta lembu.. Senang,..
..btw, the hyundai’s diesel are soo good…i have booked a Santa Fe 2.2 Diesel to replace my 7 y/o Trajet…can’t wait to enjoy the 440nm of torque!
You are salesman from which Hyundai branch?
There are peoples who change car every 3 or 5 or10 years.Quit the old school thinking,not everyone drive their car until it’s unrepairable.
You are right. Sometimes I wonder why people always talk about resale value. Are they always change the car they used just like they change their clothes? Perhaps they are very rich to do that!
I myself change my cars after im done paying the loans. So whats your answer for me?
Answer for u is buy gold or property for high resale value. Not car.
Excellent answer!
I almost want to vomit whenever I hear the word “resale value”
Car has become necessity for most Malaysian now. Don’t talk rubbish about property and gold investment. If a car cost Rm10,000, I don’t mind if it depreciate 100% but we are talking about 100K car.
middle class ppl care…they change car after 3 to 5 years….
Sorry guys, can’t have everything. You want cheap, you want nice, you want good resale value, you want good service, you want great value, you want everything…build your own car.
Japanese Cars Pros > Good resale Value, supposedly less problems, Good Service, “Bulletproof” car (supposedly)
Japanese Cars Cons > Boring Design (Subjective), Boring/Standard features, too many on the road
Korean Cars Pros > Great Value with tons of gadgets, Great Design (Subjective)
Korean Cars Cons > Poorer resale value (Should be picking up with current gen of Korean Cars, not previous Gen), Bad Service (Subjective – I’ve heard of this but yet to come across bad service from the Service Centres)
So far I can tell you, I dont really see anything really glaring about Korean Cars. Mine is doing pretty well so far (touch wood) after 1 year. Love the car – every single bit of it.
I don’t think you can call Mazda boring. They are the trend setter long before Koreans coming with sporty design.
This car by right should be about 65K marked up value. Is a lot of profit added. And not to mention, this car lasting design sells well and will stay for a very long time. The only problems is that are we stupid enough to have another extra RM20K for for no good reason other than to make this dealer’s richer by their pockets? If your answer said that “I don’t mind”. Then I must say, go an paid another million for a Lotus or Ferrari. Malaysian sometime has this kind of weird boleh thinking don’t you think?
Then you should not read Paultan…
Did you give them money to buy? Willing buyers and willing sellers. I don’t believe in such thing as stupid to pay such a price. No one forces the buyer to buy. The buyer bought it because he/she thinks the product suits him/her and within budget. Some are prepared to take huge depreciation on Korean cars and only they will face the losses, not you.
If rich why they still care abt resale value.
The world trend is towards short term use of product.. TVs, computers, phone, electronic stuff all become like that.. New design come out, people want to change. Cars also will have this trend…I believe its going right now…
Add that factor with the fact that a car in Malaysia cost quite high.. So if the resale value is low, it cost more to get a new car.
So, yes, for those people, resale value is important (i mean common people, not the ultra rich one)
I sometimes do agreed to your views. But new products like electronics always heading to the downside price but not with the price of vehicle in Malaysia. Prices is jetting up like no ending at all for all new cars. It will be stupid to paid for a car that cost a bomb even though the petrol prices is low in Malaysia. I wonder how much does one paid for petrol cost in saving comparing to paying tonnes of money to a jetted up car price with unsubsidized price. If you know what I means. And no one in Malaysia wanted to be called a stu..d.
people who always click this blog all have the same passion on cars.
and i don’t see any people who got quite excited on every new models of any car do not take the chance to change their old car to the new one, if they can afford to do that.
Resale value will not be a main concern if it’s only slight different from the Japanese. The problem is many who sold their car will still have balance to pay to bank which is really ridiculous. Imagine after selling your car and you still have to pay to bank. Unless you continue driving your Korean car for more than 7 years, you are going to pay to bank for the old car, pay more downpayment and get another loan if you need to change your car. In my opinion, in Malaysia thanks to our government, getting a Korean car with huge depreciation just doesnt make sense at all.
This will give the Civic & Altis a run for the money
“… The Koreans haven’t abandoned “value for money” as a proposition, …”
Debatable, its very easy to find complaints of Sonata, Optima K5 and Elantra MD overpriced. Possibly not Korean’s fault, but the overconfident local distributors.
Value for money also includes offering higher spec for the same money. Also consider the fact that cars like the Sonata and Tucson are CBU Korea, not locally assembled
Danny.Would like to see a comparison between this,new civic,preve,forte and the altis….although the latter 2 are aging…but would like to know if the new comer exceed anything from the aging models….if can’t exceed,no point having great look but bad driving experience.
Colleagues told me the locally assembled version ala CKD is not good in contrast to ones they drove in overseas. Some grain of truth. I have been using CBU all this while but decided to go for a CKD honda civic, didn’t last very long, :(.
Anyway, 112 k for the 1.8 model is simply overpriced. I think Sime Darby is overconfident. How are they gonna compete with Mazda and Ford which recently introduced GDi engines on a global scale incl Msian market soon? The elantra/sonata/tucson combos are still MPI based, konon-nya our fuel quality lousy.
U r right… Sa frm Sime Darby told me tat they might want to increase the price of Elantra soon in an official memo. Tis is ridiculous. They r over confident. Malaysians are in deep shit if GLC keep increasing the car price but reducing the features to earn more money!!!
Danny , since the local variant is assembled as a inokom product, using local components, any idea if the locAlly assembled units feel / behaviour like the cbu units?
I haven’t seen the CKD units, although I wouldn’t mind local carpets and tyres!
I dont understand la when people said CKD model are low quality but not CBU..when the fact the part that make the CBU n CKD supplied by same company..only minor part are locally made…do you think its logical to produce 200-300 a month dashboard than bringing it from the source?….its mind game i think
“A knock-down kit (also styled knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown, and sometimes abbreviated KD) is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region for final assembly.
A common form of knock-down is a complete knock-down (CKD), which is a complete kit needed to assemble a product. It is also a method of supplying parts to a market, particularly in shipping to foreign nations, and serves as a way of counting or pricing. CKD is a common practice within the automotive industry, the bus and heavy truck industry, and the rail vehicle industry”
what the hell u are explaining man…what i see is only knock down kit, kit knock down or kid being knock…
My colleagues told me they tested the CKD version and found it a bit substandard with the ones they drove in US and Aust.
U can said assemble quality but not component quality since it supply by same company…only minor part only just like danny said tyres and carpets or windshield, wiper
Well, that is the sad point. Why can’t the assembled quality matches the QA/AC of the CBU from Korea? After all, component quality (minus local content) should be the same, right?
Even with that, I still find it unpalatable to be offered an MPI engine, blaming our low fuel quality. That technical point is unacceptable. To me, that is rip off.
That is why I said Sime Darby is being overconfident and ivn said they have intention to increase the $$$. I think an acceptable market price should be > 90k but < 97 k for the 1.8 model with GDi engine, 6 airbags, and all the goodies that are similar to their overseas models.
i saw this car yesterday….new one on the road..think just arive
we have our very own homegrown competitor on this segment too , proton preve, once the new covic hits oir shores, lets see how well they all stack up
Went to their showroom in Glenmarie. Even near closing time, people were test driving it in droves! Now I can’t decide between Elantra, Mazda 3 or Jetta.
PS: Jetta is not as boring or does not have as cheap plastics for its interior as the reviewers say. Sometimes these car critics ah….haish
i bought jetta.. if its in your budget, i recommend it. drives better. has more power.. and is a little larger here and there. also has good fuel economy. if its important for you, the brand also has more premium.
and err.. what gives with the barefoot person in the car? ;) texture test?
btw, the hyundai is a good looking car.. but the interior design is a little too rich for me.. i suppose im still a fan of boring teutonic design.
You will regret 5 years later when your Jetta looks tired and the resale value is only 30 k……..Better do more good things so you will get good karma
This does not only happen to Jettas… it happens to all non-Japanese cars. So if you got the money and do not care for the depreciation, just go for it.
Some here says that Maybe the new korean cars can have better future resale value…. Maybe… just maybe. Who knows.
The fact is NOW Japanese cars have better resale value. So since I am a Middle Class Malaysian who has to bear the inadequacy of M’sian Public Transport…. I’ll go for the Japanese…. unless this Korean cars are priced much lower to compensate for the lesser resale value.
PS: The Kia Forte is priced excellently but why not this Elantra?
if the person are going for non japs brand..they wouldn’t care about the resale value..
money money money.. the jetta will be my 2nd conti.. my first conti is not for sale and im keeping it. i dont own cars for their resale value. i own them coz i like them and i enjoy driving.
honestly, once you’ve owned a conti car.. its hard to buy something else like a japanese or korean make, not because they’re no good, but they just cannot match the experience of a conti car.
I agree with you. But for us non-rich folks… resale value is important. We can’t afford to keep old cars with potentially high maintenance bill.
We got other basic necessities commitment to cater for…
amriji,
my posting is not directed at you. everyone has the right to buy what you want to buy based on what you can afford. and btw, im not rich, if i am… I would be buyin a bmw F30 328.. not the jetta.
This is a common Malaysian misconception that conti drives better, becos u have not driven good handling japanese car….only the normal Toyotas and Hondas…
Bro if you can stretch, take d jetta… I had mine for 2 weeks d, and a scirocco.Once u own a volkswagen, you dont turn back, the quality and performance it delivers is just not worth considering the rest….
Danny, hopefully you can do a review of the local version. I would like to know if the material, fit and finish is the same.
hyundai are getting better and better each year! thumbs up!
should not worry much on depreciation. nowadays, all secondhand models, be it a known brand will depreciate more since too many are flooded in the market, and many ordinaries can ill afford to get a 70-100k for secondhand? if a person can afford a 70 to 100k car, might as well go for a new one. sadly, secondhand superbikes are overpriced!
What about the Honda Odyssey “Recon”? People are still searching for that MPV high and low although the MPV is already old.
Recently a friend of mine was willing to shell out RM 160K for this “Recon”. Why don’t he/she just get a brand new MPV at the same price (e.g Exora, Grand Starex… etc.)?
odyssey has 200hp.
the rest of the rubbish u mentioned is a rubbish
Exactly my point, @kejam.
Thanks for highlighting it. Hopefully @burn’s question is answered.
am saying ordinary ppl can’t ill afford for those kind of prices. ppl have money have no qualms over it, be it 70, 100 or 200k.
I and my friend (who bought the Odyssey) are also ordinary middle income people. It’s just that they felt certain second hand models are worth their money compared to other first hand “rubbish” model.
So for people who bought “non-rubbish” model first hand… they must be very happy about their resale value when they want to trade in.
So for this Hyundai Elantra… Is it a “rubbish” or “non-rubbish” model? Only time will tell….
but i runs good only with ron97..
After i lived inside Proton Preve, I went to Hyundai showroom and look for Hyundai Elantra. When I sit inside that car(Hyundai), I feel that i at the different century compare to Proton Preve. That car interior is just amazing, it even better than Mazda 3, Toyota Altis, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Slyphy.
The interior for Proton Preve is just like 20 century design while the Hyundai Elantra design is just like a proper 21st century design. It still will look good in the future and it just like some of the expensive continental car.
Btw i am not complain that Proton Preve interior is extremely horrible !!! It jz feel outdated
I agreed with you. Preve’s dashboard looks outdated.
please tell that bmw and audi
because preve dashboard design is similar to that contis
not overdone like japs and korean cars
This afternoon just went to see Proton Preve as well as Hyundai Elantra. I must say Elantra have much better looking but Preve have it strong point as well. The space, some how I feel that Preve have better head room and leg room for real passenger? Am I right?
I know Elantra have 2700 mm wheelbase, but Preve is not small when sit inside.
Preve = 62999,
Elantra = 110000
Which is more value? Decide your self la.
fuel consumption. Dunno yet but preve drivers got extra RM20k of RON95 for x numbers of years
Bro, if we compare money we need to be fair ………. i roughly calculated that if without all those tax or the price in Langkawi for Hyundai Elantra will be around RM78,000 !!! So both of it cost around the same. If Hyundai able to make the car interior look nice and feel nice with good quality material why cant Proton do tat ??
If you wan to be fair then ask ah jib gor to give u AP lar.
Wat u waiting for.., join umno and kiss rose marl ass ….
Bro we compare car now …………. no point bring in our country dirty politic !!!
This is not politic, this is Malaysia reality.
NO AP then get taxed when buying import (ckd or cbu). As I mentioned earlier. Preve driver can get 25k of RON95 …that call value for money when comparing to this elantra from day 1.
Tak habis-habis dengan ‘IF’.. the fact is it is not going to happen. So why compare imaginary numbers?
tax tax tax tax… forever tax.
if you want to compare local car prices with in japan and korean, please compare level of patriotism between japanese and korean. over there, everybody will buy their owns first before looking for imported things. hence, over the years, local industries, knowledges and skills expend tremendously, supported by the people. over few decades, now they are able to import their products and technologies to the world.
the true essence of the NAP is to encourage foreign investment and develop local auto industries and the big picture, economy, hence tax is imposed based on how much the foreign company invest. cbu will have the highest tax since it have the least investment. cdk will have lower tax compare to cbu since it cost some investment into assembly line, etc. the tax will be lower if more components and parts produced locally, and will be even lower if the car is researched, designed and development done locally. out of all manufacturers, it is clear that proton have the highest local investment, since mostly everything is done here, and by the local human resources, hence proton cars have the least tax.
however, even the objective of the policy is noble, but the malaysian attitudes make things failed. malaysian keep buying foreign cars, even it is expensive and they have to bear the loan for 9 years, making the foreign manufacturer still making hefty profits with little investment. there are little reasons for foreigners to invest more and employ more locals since malaysian will always have high regards for imported products and look down on their’s own. instead of putting pressure on foreign manufacturer to invest more and transfer technologies, malaysian asking their gov to provides them with cheap products, scarifying opportunities for employments, economic activities, technology empowerment, etc.
the korean had to bear with low quality of kia and hyundai just like malaysians had to with previous generations of kias and hyundai, but kia, hyundai, daweoo still command largest market there. and now look what kia and hyundai can offer to the world.
Don’t compare the lowest spec with highest spec la.. it’s not fair to Hyundai..
However I’m not Hyundai fans neither.. This car looks good when I saw it in KLIM 2010. But nowmjust so so to me..
62k is low spec
111 is high spec
Should compare 62k vs 92k
And is 30k diff
But is worth
Shd compare the pricing on an apple to apple basis – 62k is not the top spec for 1.6 Preve, but the 110k is the top spec for 1.8 Elantra.
Dont be so sure “preve drivers got extra RM20k of RON95 for x numbers of years”…. My sonata 2.4 is running at 7liters for every 100km, thats real driving, not as per spec sheet…let see how much the 1.6 preve consume for every 100km. proton is known for not having fuel efficient engine.
u sure or not u pay only like RM13.30 for 100km??
i dont believe so for a sonata 2.4..if 100% highway i can believe but not so sure…but 50 town 50 highway, its something fishy..hope u are giving right information..
It’s hardly believable for a 2.4 Litre Korean engine to give 14.3 km/l consumption, unless purely on the highway. Even the Camry also cannot achieve this on 50/50 basis.
impossible for a 2.4 car bro…either you are salesman else you are just plain bullshitting here.
John C, no offense to you, I am sure you love your Sonata, the car looks good and masculine in many aspects. But 7 L/100 km is definitely far off for a 2.4L car. That is possible with a Vios, City, Mazda 2 but certainly hard to believe with your car.
If you want to bull, pls be a little more realistic….100% smooth highway yes, many cars can even can go below 6L if driven gently…
My friend’s wife drives a Myvi and he told me his new Tucson (which replaced the Myvi) consume the same amount of petrol as the Myvi every month!! And they use this car for business trip!!
I am not kidding. The 6-speed engine do make a difference!!
let put the price aside
for me i prefer Proton Preve’ interior design more compare to Hyundai Elantra. material wise in Hyundai Elantra hard to you to find soft touch material. but it’s easy to find it in Proton Preve’ In Preve interior more like conti car but in Hyundai Elantra i dont know. but i didnt like it. Sonata and Kia Optima 5 done well in interior. haaaa. also booth roomy interior.
but for exterior nothing to argue. i agree with you. both Preve’ and Elantra look good. personally Elantra look more handsome to me. wow design. just dislike their interior
I has done test drive both car, also comparing the spec.
personally Proton Preve’ is a good car for petrol head (c segment car) and Elantra good for someone prefer relax driving. In Preve’, perfomance, ride and handling, brake, NVH all feel goof. and i dislike steering feel in Elantra. NVH also not so good. maybe it’s Inokom Elantra not cbu unit. by the way i only test drive 1.6 Liter Gamma Engine becoz this is test drive car.
spec wise for me Proton Preve’ has an advantage. 4 airbag, LED position lamp, rigid-HPF body structure, multilink suspension system, 7 speed trasmission pair with paddle shifter, wifi 4G, In elantra you got nappa leather seat, electric driver seat and sunroof which you can’t get in Proton Preve,
both assembly in Malaysia. one in Tg Malim and another one in Kulim. so refer in MAA website both tax are almost same especially for 1.6 engine in Inokom Elantra.
i don’t know why Inokom Elantra so overpriced compare to their sibling Kia Forte which is equipped with very rich spec at only RM 97, 000. Inokom Elantra high spec sky at RM 111, 888 but only 2 airbag. Greedy la Hyundai Sime Darby
So, Polo Sedan interior is 19th century? Like when British colonised Malaya?
Another Korean Master-piece for those car’s lover and enthusime.
It doesn’t matter either its a national or non-national car as long it serve you right from quality,design,price,performance & after sales. This is a real deal and a very2 serious player and globally proven and established,namely Sonata,Tucson,i30,i40 or even their brother Forte,Sportage,Optima. Not just to be “Jaguh Kampung” and hopping the govn to protect & pampered for so many years
look stunning from outside …should do well as compared. with previous. model.
Will seriously consider for my next car.
will definitely. consider for my next car. Stunning look. Engine is not that free revving? no worry as most Malaysian. buying cars based on the look only.
trust me u will feel it even in day to day driving.i test drove it,somehow the engine dun feel as punchy as claimed on paper and the gear transmission,i dunno how to say seems abit off la.
Seriously u cud get a better drive from a 1.8 civic,despite lower figures
Yeah, I agree. I own a Civic FD too. Test driven the car (1.8 Model) at Citta Mall recently. Was hoping that this Elantra is good coz planning for a second car for wifey but got disappointed with the not smooth feeling of the transmission and engine… feels that the power required was lagging and reacted too slow with my accelerator response.
The handling is a bit like “kapal” in corners compared to Civic but this can be improved with after purchase upgrade at your respective “poison” shop.
The gadgets inside is nice but why only two airbags?
I think Hyundai need to improve on the “ngamness” of the engines with it transmission coz to improve this issue at your local “poison” shop would either be too expensive or impossible.
Not to say i m supporting japanese cars la.but i still feel the korean cars are lacking something when it comes to drive quality.feels like the engine,tranmission and chassis is not in sync.
sorry to say even my mazda 2 is way more fun to drive,wateva the figures are on paper dun really matter.i got good fuel economy,smooth transmission although 4 speed,and a responsive engine.that makes up for lack of gadgets sometimes
But that’s just me la.hehe
zoom zoom
100% agreed. Not bias towards any party but after I’ve driven a Korean car, I just felt very very uneasy on the overall driving experience. Just felt that the engine, transmission and chassis are not working in harmony.
Jauh beza kualiti jalan di Korea dengan Malaysia. What a shame. BTW, Elantra is a very very good looking car inside-out. Hopefully it’ll be mine, soon. Good job, Hyundai. You rocks!
And there’s something that makes me respect a country like South Korea, Japan and Singapore. It’s they way they manage their country – clean, well planned, beautiful scenery, good roads, etc.
Becoz the rakyat sokong their country..semangat patriotism..we in malaysia like to condemn each other..whatever we produce is low class..we torture our own country..we will torture her until there is nothing left to be proud of.
I do have patriotism. I do support my country. The different between this country and their country is, they manage their country with a first class mentality.
… and by the way, I’m not talking about car here. I’m talking about their country which is clean, well planned, has a beautiful scenery and good roads, all because of they manage their country very well. Once again, I’m not talking about car here. Peace ya…
so u are in a wrong blog bro because we are talking about cars in here…
No I am not. The wrong thing is some people failed to reply accordingly to other people’s comment. Before replying other people’s comment, you should understand the context and the issue described in that comment, and discuss it within that context and issue. This is the art of discussion. I’ve been years reading Paultan. And if you read my previous comments in this post, you will know that I am not in a wrong blog. Have a nice day.
Yes, I totally agree with cleanliness n the rest. I have been once in Geneva. What can I say, clean and well managed. The transportation and road management also superb. Believe me that even their bus is ‘on the dot’ schedule. Efficient. From what I know that they pay about 40% tax. And I wonder….
I believe if they have lori hantus overthere sure will get potholes as well…
hyundai should bring in the i30 and i40. I prefer the i30 design. And the i40 interior is just pure class
The first pix white w fully tinted windows n stickers….really look like a coupe!
I can imagine full bodykit, lowered, 18″ rims, full tinted windows and the master of all tricks add some sticker work and u get a hot looking coupe! The trick is sticker design to make it look like 2-doors n hide away the rear doors….
Stickers always makes a car look cheap and drastically reduce the resale value. Stickers on a car = totally tasteless.
I just got the 1.8 and it drives like heaven….feels like a mid exec car. Thank you Hyundai!
hopefully not smoked by turbocharged preve!
You obviously have no idea what you talking about. This is a level up from that crappy so called turbo car. After driving this car, I can confirm Proton is still backward and churning crap because I traded in one.
So,you trade in Preve for this?When did you buy it,5 years ago?
Stop talking crap, the Preve was already 5 years old in design compared to this beauty. Keep supporting crap, I guarantee we will advance backwards…
As usual. For you a car is only about who smokes who.
Maturity is obviously your strong point.
I have seen this model with brunei plate number since 2011.most of brunei vehicles who entered to kota kinabalu is not T &H.their taste is difference from msian.korean cars nowadays is really impressed.my wife’s one year 2.2 r engine santa fe also tailgating cygnius easily.kimchi rock!
actually there is a reason.. its super cheap in brunei.. compared to t&h … you should look at the price of honda city over there just crazy could have bough a civic or altis with the price..
agreed, and even in Spore…loads of them on the road nowadays
No wonder my colleague die die also want to book Inokom Elantra 1.8. he said everything about the car is good except the LOWISH rear headroom.
i hope proton will follow kia/hyundai footsteps SOON.. preve is a disappointment..
You have a Preve already?
Mmm….when foreign car maker, all reviews seems too good….as always
Well becos it IS my dear fren! LOL :)
How can one praise an obviously crap product like Proton when the car is simply a non competitor once it steps OUTSIDE of Bolehland?
You will need to be a blind Proton supporter to do that…
I was in JB last weekend and I saw a Preve pulled up beside my FD1 at the lights… haha… those slabsided side profile sure makes the 16″ wheels looks small.
And why no Proton supporters out there complain that the wheel well gaps (space between fender and tire) in the Preve are enormous?! Is proton trying to build a Gen5 Camry or G9 Altis with 14″ wheels? You can easily fit your whole palm length into the rear wheel well gaps and there’s still space left.
Really people, just by looking at the stance alone, the Preve CANNOT be considered a global car already. See how the Koreans did to the to the Elantra, Sonata etc?? Why are they able to archive a sleek, hunkered down appearance while Proton can’t? LOL :)
In any case, when the light turned green, the Preve was well in my rearview mirror… I don’t know if that was a CFE model, but it is way out back at the starting point…
The japs still have not woken up yet. Take a look at the latest Camry 2.0 . Price increase but nothing else change.
Resale value? Time for people to wake up, why pay more for 2nd hand lousy tech cars ? If no one buys their price will drop.
it wont wake up if their sale maintain higher.. y “me” need to change?? my sale still high.. no need to expend more…now my profit are very good now.. no need to make a change la.. i (Toyo) still have a lot of supporter… if i sleep also nvm.. no need to wake up la… haha.. for all “T” supporter..
The 2012 Civic looks like a dud so there’s a window of opportunity for the Koreans to steal a march on their North Asian rivals.
Yeah true… even my Honda Salemen friends also not looking forward for the arrival of 9th Gen Civic. They might not get excellent sales as selling the 8th Gen Civic….. time tighten their stomach when 9th Gen Civic arrives. They wish that the 8th Gen will stay until a better looking 10th gen comes….
The only decent Japanese C segment worth looking at is Mazda 3…
the mazda 3 is good, but the best japanese C segment car would be the subaru impreza. no japanese and korean C segments can beat its boxer engine and AWD. it’s a shame that they don’t sell it here.
Coz that Subaru car would not appeal to majority of Malaysians… only a few rich people who have spare change to fill up the awesome “Boxer” Engine.
As for the Mazda 3 (CKD)… I agree. I would have bought it instead of 9th gen Civic since the pricing should be about the same. But how about the servicing and spare parts? Cost effective? Someone owning it could fill me in?
You should compare something similar. How much is a SUbaru Impreza with boxer engine and AWD???? Mazda 3 has become very popular now I believe. I don’t spare parts and cost are issue now since its a CKD car.
come on Paul, danny etc.. the rest of the team, u’ve tested the old kia forte, the new hyundai elantra, y not the optima?
dun think they can have the car yet though. they just had forte koup to test couple of weeks before….
Why never pakai kasut one ? Got athlete foot kah ?
The c pillar like a coupe, can we called elantra coupe?
Am gonna get this very soon. Yahoooooo!!!!! And screw resale values!!!! If u want good resale value, buy a freaking house for crying out loud!!
House does not get you around where you want to go (thanx to M’sian Public Transport system)….
Exactly !!! Then one should stop thinking about resale value when it comes to buying a car. You test drive it, you like it, you can afford it, you buy it. Buying a car is NEVER an investment because the moment you drive it out from the yard, the price drops 10% already.
True. But by having good resale value means lesser depreciation. For an average M’sian anything extra to lessen the burden will greatly help.
So not rich person like myself will look at resale value. After all cars are mechanical things and will face more and more technical problems as they age and it will get more and more expensive to maintain with parts getting rarer and rarer.
For a not rich Malaysian like me, the life cycle cost of a car is optimum between 5-7 years. More than that… I pay heavily.
Buying car is some sort of capital investment. U need car to go around earning money, doing jobs etc… If for whatever reason, i need some cash flow, the higher resale value will help better to gain that liquidity i need…
Sadly it is true…. how I wish we have a better Metro system.
My former uni friends in UK and US (New York) do not even have to consider the cost of having a car. They just need to consider other living expenses such as housing. For them… a bicycle (if not within walking distance) is enough to get them to the Metro Station.
I really envy the koreans for the smooth road,,,they just like us pay road tax but how come they get smooth potless roads but in this country the roads are worst than third world country? sigh,,,koreans,if u reading this be clear that I envy ur roads,,,I bet u don’t spend thousands per year on ur car due to damages caused by pot holes n patchy roads,,,Koreans,just so u know,,,I spend more than 1.5 k after MY car went into one pot hole on march 1st,,,repair rims,change the torn tyre,change the bended absorbers,absorber bush,mounting bush also as it cracked n somethings related to carriage n arms N also allignment nut bend n allignment n balancing.koreans,I envy u so much
anyways the car look great,stylish,value for money n nice,,,,,,this goes to show how passion n the will to succeed can do,,,,
You obviously have not been to Korea long enough. I travel to Korea several times a year and their roads are better than us no doubt but not much. If you go to a little outskirts then it will reminds you of Malaysian road. The best in Asia country is in Japan follow by Singapore. In Japan u will not find a single pothole not even a small one.
but Malaysia town roads n highways is like kampung road already,,,no doubt japan have the best roads,,,atleast the Koreans have smooth roads in their town area
That’s a bit exaggerated. I m not defending our G which I think they have lots more to do on our road but how can you say our highway llike kampung road? Do you know our NSE is among the best in the world? High toll rate aside, not even Korea have that kind of expressway. In Korea you still need to go thru few kampung and many traffic lights if you travel from north to south or vice versa.
That’s because there’s no such thing as outskirts of Singapore.
I mentioned about Korea outskirts not Singapore. Read again….properly.
Don’t be too envy, they don’t spend thousands on damages by potholes but they spend thousands on changing of winter tires, winter tire chain, winter engine oil, etc…trust me you will be happy to live in a non winter country.
Nowadays many geogous people own modern cars, it’s very fantastic
I own a modern car. But I don’t think I am gorgeous.
are you suing Google translate???
seen and test driven the car the day it was launched here, and to be honest, not as impressive as i would have hoped for. and i really start to feel a little frustrated over some of the hyundai cars sold here, especially suspension tuning issues and some materials used. for me, elantra is the best hyundai car in malaysia so far, and its look is really to die for, and i would recommend others to see and try out the car, but i m not going crazy over this car. minus all the super cool tech thingy, when i was inside the car and actually drive the car, i could feel it exactly worth the price, not more not less, and some plastic is truly a letdown. it is a good car, but more effort is needed to make it a great or special car, in my opinion.
I believe the Elantra 1.8 Model price should be around RM 100K or lower. This car is categorized as an economical car and should be priced so.
agree
In north america it is value for money.. but in Malaysia it is NOT.. cos of many factors..like gov tax… and other.. When is the time for really open for Free Trading in Malaysia?? we still under heavy tax…. it will burden our ‘anak Malaysia’
I tested the 1.8 version car yesterday at Glenmarie. Exterior is nice but I think interior is just so so only. Even the iphone plug is a after though and placed inside the glove compartment and the cable is just left dangling. In this aspect, Forte is so much better.
The engine sounded rough and the SA concurred saying most Korean cars are about the same unlike Japanese cars. The suspension is stiff and maybe need a a bit more tuning.
Conclusion, this too is just a average car. Nothing more nothing less.
Hence the price should also be average.
The current daewoo lacetti (chevrolet cruze) starts at RM 30K in Korea. Why does the Proton preve start at 60k++++ ? What is going on ? Can’t be tax right – Korea also has VAT on car price. Korean labour rates are 4 – 5 times more than Malaysia, how come the Preve cost Rm 30k more ? What parts suppliers are they using ? The quality certainly can’t be double. Also, it is illegal to sell a car without ESP in many markets. Why does only the most expensive model have ESP in Malaysia ? We are so crap.
Because local car impose d tax around 65% of real car price. You would see thy will sell preve around 40k only in UAE later. Ask the gov whyò
Dr M likes to subsidise foreigners, not locals.
check out the Elentra Hatchback! i think it looks better in design!!
when they launch the Elantra Coupe????
This Korean Car is overpriced. If Naza Kia Forte 2.0L can be priced < 100K why not another Korean Car of only 1.8L????
As comparison to Japanese Cars( the yardstick nowadays) the Korean rubber sealing not as thick and the plastic and workmanship lower.
This Korean car however has better exterior and interior design, Good Fuel Consumption and Dual VVT engine.
Personally I find Japanese cars still better as comparison although Japs Cars nowadays very expensive and lack better packages.
agree, and sometimes the workmanship and materials used (especially the plastic) can be really frustrating to me, as i know the koreans, especially hyundai, have the ability to do much better job. i dunno if it’s because of the inokom thing, i think i like the feeling and quality of the materials used in kia’s cars more than hyundai’s. hyundai’s are a let down most of the time, unfortunately.
Competition to the japs? Yes
Do i rush out and buy one? i think not. Not in this lifetime.
I really wanted to buy this Hyundai Elantra, but cancelled my intention when DRB re-branded it as INOKOM!!!!! Why oh why.
This is not an issue at all. Tell the SA that u want to replace the condom logo to Hyundai logo anytime he will do it…
I thought it’s a bee ?
:lol:
actually this car value really more than that after seeing what its offers. maybe you can just get the logo at some small money . If you look at japanese car , you will know their package is very very less come with high price. the toyota camry and prius c now which they stated come with “push start button “in catalogues which this has been in korean trend few year back. this is really a joke.
Err..actually Japanese cars had it long time ago. It is just Toyota not bringing in here but Mazda 6 in Malaysia had it when they launched in 2008 before any Korean car here. My 07 Estima also has a push start.
One thing many malaysians still not aware is, Korean cars clearly have far more features than the Japanese for Malaysian market but that doesn’t mean Koreans are ahead. Koreans have to put in all the features available here and still priced lower IN ORDER TO COMPETE with the Japanese. One simple questions for all Malaysian, a Japanese car with exact same specs and features as the Korean selling at same price, which one most people will buy? I m not here to tell which is better but thats the fact in my opinion.
Here’s my thought on resale value/depreciation. If you want to change your car after 5 years, and after that 5 years your income hasn’t increased such that you can’t afford the new monthly payments without the help of that resale value, probably you should live within your means. Sometimes I wonder just how boros people are. No wonder they will care about resale value, nak rumah besar, kereta besar tapi berpeluh nak bayar tiap2 bulan.
I think the real reason is quite complex. Not quite as complex as determining when to hold a general election of course, but still…. quite complex.
The government, with their infinite wisdom, a long time ago decided that Malaysians were (at that time, and still is) car crazy. It is quite puzzling since it cut across the barriers of race, religion and geopolitics.Well, that’s my bull-dung anyway…. if feel like believing in it. They, the government realized that so much money, as little as what was left after most of it was taken away by the colonial masters, was flowing too much out of the country. So, the next decision, which is an important one, was to find a way to restrict this out flow. And they found out that if we, the country, have a very strict policy on car import, then most of the outflow can be controlled. Well, who don’t like to be in control, right?
See, I told you, it quite complex.
So, the next step is to have an action plan. That action plan is known as… dun dun dunnn…. “projek kereta nasional”. It was a good plan. For the government anyway. It was good because, not just it can control the outflow of our precious little amount of money that we have, it also encouraged the building of automotive and related industries. Looks good right?
To cut the story short…. we have expensive cars… especially the foreign makes. No matter what you do, slap a silly badge, call it a mind-boggling brand name or categorize it as another national pride…. we have expensive cars.
The rakyat in some ways feel that they are forced to to buy a percievedly (I don’t know how to spell) inferior local products. But the policymakers always under-estimate the fighting spirit of some of the rakyat. While some of us have relented and just accept things as they are… they are some of us who feel that it is our duty to show the bosses… who are the real boss here.
“Well, I show you this! I will buy a foreign car no matter how expensive it is! You think I can’t afford it? I’ll work day and night even if it drive me to death!”
We’ll that’s an exaggeration of course. Waaaaayyy exaggerated. But I think it gets the point across.
By the way… the bankers are laughing their way to their home…. which is their bank, of course.
My apology for cluttering this nice blog with this nonsense. I have my own blog but nobody visits it.
“mrgreen:
PakAbu… you are damn sinister in you comment about “bankers laughing in their home”. Well said..
So is 6MT version available this time? Big ad last time saying they do have MT i30 but proven BS at the end.
It’s a blue oasis wrapped in a beautifully sculpted body.
With RM112K, it should come with at least 6 air bags.
Hehe wanna self import an Elantra from Singapore?:)
Our Elantra all came standard with 6 airbags :)
test drove the car today (1.8 version). The design is excellent. the car looks quite solid.
On the road, the car feels very stable. Acceleration is very responsive. You almost couldnt hear the engine sound. Very quiet. There is only one prob> i feel that the car is overpriced for a semi knocked down car. The i.6 high spec should have priced around 86k rather than 96k. i dont understand why sime darby motors put a high price on this car
Obviously you still do not know how car prices in Bolehland are determined.
both Japanese and Korean make good cars. either one you like and afford, just go for it.
PAUL,,any test drive report on PREVE
best person to write the report should be the one who crashed the test car….
Hi ! Would like to seek your expertise and comment on some cars I would like to buy. What do you think of Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 3, Prius C & VW Polo Sedan ? Kindly let me have your view on their pros & cons in general including the current resale value. Among the above 4 cards, which is the best ? Thanks.
Prius C
– Good fuel economy but battery cost replacement might be expensive
– Not for long years of ownership
– Eco material Interior , not very premium in finish
Madza 3
– Good interior style ,not too futuristic and plain either
– Exterior styling can look dated in 5years
– Complete spec only for 2.0l model
Polo Sedan
– Decent interior better than Vios / City interior
– Dated engine , euro2 spec, no FSI and VVT
– Plain Exterior Styling
Elantra
– Exterior styling that match other higher price model
– Complete spec only for 100k+ variant
– Unique Interior styling
Current Resale value for Polo Sedan and Elantra will be lower than the other two.
As for smoothness of transmission and acceleration (From my experience), Korean cars (inclusive this new Elantra) are a bit more sluggish than the Japs. For this I am not sure why?
I am sorry, not that I am against all Korean cars, it is just that all these Fluidic Sculpture designed Hyundais keep reminding me of Mitsuoka Orochi (and it is not a compliment).
the Kia’s design is OK to me.
Kia’s design kinda ‘fierce’ and more suitable especially for male with such feeling. Different people, different taste. If you are ‘mild’ but still like Kia, fine, just get one and vice versa with Hyundai.
So I am definitely a male with fierce feeling hehehe
The design language for Hyundai & Kia is targeted to different ppl, different ppl different taste, and both design are came from the same design studio.
dont really like the center air-cond vent location though…your hand might get frost bite every time you drive
malaysia is hot… is the aircond vent big enough to accommodate malaysia climate
Koreans support Hyundai, Kia no matter how crappy it was.
With local protection, Hyundai, Kia took advantage by giving low price to locals, improve designs, go for big market Euro, USA etc to enjoy scale economics.
Now Hyundai, Kia keep on improving designs world class and go big market Euro, USA etc until Toyota, Honda pee in their pants.
Here Bolehland, the kampong folks also support Protongkat no matter how crappy it was.
But why Protongkat design still awful, ugly, distasteful, vile? Given protection but still crappy?
How to achive scale economics if Protongkat afraid go to big market Euro, USA?
So Protongkat should not blame us for not supporting them. Enough chances given yet screwed it up.
Lets see if DRB group can than wasting own funds RM2-3 billions to Protongkat.
Oh yeah, there’s always EPF to rescue Protongkat again from DRB. Another RM2-3 billions wasted.
At last EPF dump it back to Khazanah lah. Yet again RM2-3 billions wasted.
I believe most of us did support national car. I’m currently drive one, BUT the fact is we can’t see BIG improvement on the quality, service & design, somehow, it’s going backward. Tat’s why end of the day more & more ppl wil support other brand rather than Proton.
To proton, PLEASE improve yourself with RM60-70k fr a national car, or should i said nearly RM90k for a national car too fr inspira, don’t u think it’s too OVERPRICE for a national car?? Tis is ridiculous. Add tis & tat gadget doesn’t mean you (Proton) are good, not to trick malaysians anymore.
For me, A REAL NATIONAL CAR is an AFFORDABLE CAR which is around RM30-RM50k max, tat doesn’t burden your rakyat which holding a loan for even 9 years!
Somehow I feel this car is more like… metallic. Or cyborg-ish? haha
Hyundai’s marketing positioning and pricing in malaysia is a complete wash.
DRB is getting really greedy with Hyundai’s pricing.
While it may be true that Hyundai typically is positioned above Kia with SIMILARLY EQUIPPED models, this spread of pricing of the 1.8 and the better spec’ed Forte 2.0 is rather ridiculous.
And as for depreciation, the Koreans are still reaping the damages it caused itself by poorly managing sale prices of their products and very poor after market support by badly managed local distributors. With good products and if they could up their level of service and reduce parts cost and leadtime, the market should eventually begin to reverse the poor value of their products.
I’m still curious why the Koreans have not yet decided to bring in their turbo and GDI engines. Its certainly a very good powertrain that will set it above the japanese competition.
Since when Hyundai brand is under DRB ? Hyundai is under Sime Darby lah !
At this level or segment,i would go for best value plus must have good safety..msians too status concious..willing to drive under spec car as long as status maintain..cut the crap, grow up please..
the dashboard and spedometer looks weird to me.. just my 2cent..
Oooh I love the Orochi… lovely car~ <3
I like proton car because i`m still own wira se first edition,but start from gen2,pesona,satria neo, ezora,new saga till now preve… use same engine(campro+cps..bla bla ..turbo). Do u know the preve body use pesona platform?
Last week i test drive hyundai elantra 1.8…nice interior design and tech. Elantra sold in korea in 2010,after 1 year they sold a round the world. I just know about this car last year and be my phone wallpaper. Feel good driving…no wonder hyundai spend 5 year and US277 million to build the design and technology. My point is all company have objective to improve they products to costumer…
and now is up to us with want to buy. I not rich person always ask resale value…for me , when good product just go ahead.
I like proton car because i`m still own wira se first edition,but start from gen2,pesona,satria neo, ezora,new saga till now preve… use same engine(campro+cps..bla bla ..turbo). Do u know the preve body use pesona platform?
Last week i test drive hyundai elantra 1.8…nice interior design and tech. Elantra sold in korea in 2010,after 1 year they sold a round the world. I just know about this car last year and be my phone wallpaper. Feel good driving…no wonder hyundai spend 5 years and US277 million to build the design and technology. My point is all company have objective to improve they products to costumer…hyundai elantra 5 years warranty or 300,000km,preve 5 years warranty or 150,000km.
and now is up to us with want to buy. I not rich person always ask resale value…for me , when good product just go ahead.
Hi,
Just went to Hyundai showroom.. to have a look of All New Elantra.. Exterior design is excellence. But i notice one thing, even it claim in c-segement, it rear suspension system is using torsion beam just like MyVi, VIOS, City, and Altis. The only cars of Japan made using multi-link in c-segment are Mazda 3, Civic, and lancer ( Inspira ). torsion beam is cheaper setup and poor ride and handling, not as good as multi-link used in BMW, mercerdes, camry, accord event small mini also using multi-link. using torsion beam for untung ban yak. Proton Preve using multi-link and lotus riding sure better ride and handling. Try Civic or Mazda 3 or Preve sure you fell the difference ..
errrr.. have you heard about megane?? lotus ride.. pffffttt
Wira also multilink, so I suppose Wira has better suspension than Elantra MD?
Wait next year, when sales getting slow, there will be vast discount for this overprice car.
Yes you are absolutely right .. next year this car price will surely get down due to increasing fuel prices
…no body perfect and same car as well. I also so disappointed about the overprice and the 6 airbags reduce only 2 airbags. But the condom logo can change to hyundai logo as inform by hyundai at subang. Lucky for korean people coz they have more technology like auto parking…u all can watch at youtube `hyundai avante parking` ..they just push button and the car will scan and park the car it self and no need hold the stering. I don like or prefer this technology because make people `dumb & lazy` and no experience to park a car. My point is how lucky they are and proud support own products. Different at here…because i still remember years ago,ex big person at proton said …”in M`sia is no need have air bags for proton cars…” sad but true.
haishhh, since when preve using persona platform???it used improve exora platform with hpf reinforcement. Everybody n media knows that.
Anyway, elantra is a really goodloking car. Even its not has the sporty drive such in preve, but, it serves its purpose as family sedan. Well done hyundai.
Wow~~ Last Monday Elantra price increased 2k for 1.6 and 3k for 1.8~~ Demand more than supply~~~ Luckily I ordered in June 2012~~ Proven this car have a great second value~~ Those who still in considering~~ if can wait~~ wait next year~~ If PKR win in election~ they promise will reduce car price~~~ I cannot wait next year because my NOOB Proton Persona giving hell lots of problems and the stupid Proton Persona 5 Years car second value only 50% of the price I bought~~ SUCKSS~~~~~ SAY NO TO STUPID POTONG(Proton)~~~~
When can paultan review the local CKD version? I am planning to get one