FIRST DRIVE: 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport 1.6 Turbo

The latest Honda Civic was both a game changer and a car that resuscitated the ailing C-segment sedan market when it was launched in mid 2016. One year on, the Civic FC is the default choice, with the 1.5 litre turbocharged option popular among the younger/racier crowd. If that’s you, there’s now an interesting alternative in the market.

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra was launched here in June, and the sixth-generation AD comes in two engine flavours – a 2.0 litre naturally aspirated engine a 1.6 litre turbocharged unit. The former is the tried and tested 2.0 litre Nu MPI motor, so the 1.6 litre Gamma T-GDI with 204 PS and 265 Nm of torque is the more interesting proposition, and our video topic of the day.

The downsized turbo engine puts the Elantra in the same conversation as the Civic Turbo, but the Korean motor holds a substantial advantage, 31 PS and 45 Nm more to be exact. That’s Civic Si levels of output by the way. And while the Honda comes with a CVT automatic, the Hyundai’s turbo four is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, which is more conducive for sporty driving.

At RM131,488 on-the-road without insurance, the Hyundai Elantra Sport is just a few hundred ringgit cheaper than the top Civic 1.5 TC-P. Most will understandably go for the Honda, but the brave few with an open mind are in for a pleasant surprise.

Join us in our first drive video review of the Hyundai Elantra Sport 1.6 Turbo to find how it fares. For a more detailed look at equipment and specifications, and to compare with C-segment rivals, head to CarBase.my.

GALLERY: Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Sport

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • nonama on Aug 18, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    Only for the brave….i like that statement…..so for honda civic 1.6 turbo ..the driver will falls under not so brave category…..hmmm

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 8
    • Civic “1.6 turbo” didn’t exist in the 1st place lol

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 2
      • Well Done on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:17 pm

        Good review Danny. Straight to the point.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
      • karam singh on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:24 pm

        Red seat hideous, dark red better suited.
        Too Ah Beng

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1
      • Pundiyan Thaga on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:38 pm

        I rather go for Civic than this unexpected Korean price shock value.Furthermore Civic is bigger.Sorry I’m not that brave to lost money on Korean yet.Coz until now my neighbor still crying for his previous unbearable RV.. We are going for the Civic next month.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 21
    • dtctr on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:03 pm

      Wow audi of asia.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
      • Lousy RV and dry dual clutch, oh and the hexagon grille of cuz.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 13
    • My 2016 civic 1.5 TC-P’s multimedia interface failed when it was 4 months old.. battery went flat when I didn’t drive it for 3 days. Local 3S didn’t give a damn until I wrote a letter of complaint to Honda Malaysia with a cc to Honda Motors Japan. I think I’m the brave one for getting a civic instead lol.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 4
    • Danny, as a moderately attractive gentleman, which would you rather be seen driving in? This or a Honda Civic turbo?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • Danny Tan (Member) on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:34 pm

        I actually like the Elantra’s looks, but it won’t be easy getting used to that interior.

        Oh, and is that the politically correct way to say ugly? I have rather thick skin by the way :)

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 2
  • tokmoh. on Aug 18, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    Good review, Sam Loo. Remind me to buy from u second hand for RM30k next year can?

    This car no RV right, so RM30k is very generous offer, ok or not?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 21
    • Hahahahaha you are so funny. Even 4 years old Elantra still costing RM55k and yet here you are asking one year Elantra Turbo for just RM30K. You are utterly brainless and uneducated. Take back your Kancil and drove away from here you mug head.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 12
      • Excuse the newbie who just came here.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
      • tokmoh. on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:47 pm

        B-b-but Sam Loo say Hyundai no RV, so it must be true.

        We should buy Toyota Hilux, buy today RM100k, sell next year can get RM100k, fuh high RV liao, untunglah.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
    • theanswer on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:36 pm

      At half the price, more airbag & turbo power, the Prevé.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 3
    • tokmoh trying hard to be funny these days

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
      • Nope. Bashers says they speaks truth. Otherwise they will downlike ur comment kaw kaw. Tokmoh just repeating what they say, thats all.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
      • tokmoh. on Aug 19, 2017 at 11:36 am

        Maslan is my sifu, i still have a long way to catch up his 3.85’s achievement unlocked.

        See here, years ago Sam Loo said give him Kimchi car free also he don’t want:

        https://m.imgur.com/a/q5NHx

        So cukurlah i offer him rm30k for what he got for free.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
  • This is a really good car to drive. But concerned from most Malaysia is still the resell value. Which is a sad story.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 1
    • not really. more to reliability & spare part price.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
    • crash on Aug 18, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      Not only about the resell value alone. The instrument cluster look so dated. It looks so similar to the Lancer GT / Proton Inspira. The driver will have to look at it the moment he gets into the car and observe it on the road too. That dated instrument cluster is an eye sore.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • lulla singh on Aug 18, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    few words he pronounce can’t understand.n this car only issue is fc which guaranteed would b v hi due to unforeseen reasons and thats y pple go for Japanese cars.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 10
  • Zoom Zoom on Aug 18, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    Nice spec and exterior design.. but.. sorry i really cant accept the old design dashboard with bright red leather interior where i spend most of the time inside the car..yucks! So So ah Beng

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 1
  • First one minute already bored. Need way more improvement.. Go and google professional car reviews videos.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
    • fahmi on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      Truly boring elantra, Toyota Altis V way more interesting and safer.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 8
      • ex5 prime on Aug 18, 2017 at 8:25 pm

        are you even serious?

        i mean this car has all the specs a c-seg car at this price shud have. Its a 200hp with DCT!
        Check that Altis’s HP and then talk !

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 3
        • Kunta Multiple Dupes on Aug 20, 2017 at 3:25 pm

          Altis is from overlord jepunis company, you stick the any ah beng sticker then can add 50hp lor

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr (Member) on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    I have a BMW and a Kia for my drives and both are terrible in RV but the BMW is a gem to drive while the Kia is a fantastic town runner with class leading safety spec at a lower price compared to the Japs. If ur concerned about RV u can’t go wrong with Toyota or Honda but u will have to stick with them for life. Not even Mazda or Nissan can beat them in the RV category.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 4
    • bmpower on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      Excellent bro. Compared to the Japs, does it cost less to maintain a Kia?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
      • crash on Aug 18, 2017 at 9:22 pm

        These days probably true that it cost less to maintain a Kia since car insurance these days is about risk based assessment. Nobody want to steal a Kia in Malaysia. So theft risk is drastically reduced.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
    • Holofanboi on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:15 pm

      Hey sean, if you are rocking a Carnival/Sorento, do share your experience with it. Am seriously in need of those segment soon as my family is growing pretty large.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • JessieCCY on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    Well good review. Need to work harder. Pronunciation and presentation still needs polishing. It sounds very forced, or meh. It wont keep ppl glued to the screen to watch. Keep up the good work.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Bernard on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Bloody expensive , it can never be for the budget conscious. Also, the red seats are ugly and not suitable as it is still a wimpy car. The re-sale value for this , well what can i say? The presenter is good but needs to shave the black specks on his face i.e moustache:)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 3
  • Why you no wash your camera lens

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • holofanboi on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    WHOA. THE PRODUCTION QUALITY. AS IN, THE VIDEO PROCESSING ITSELF. YOU GUYS GOTTA TURN DOWN DAT HDR AND EXPOSURE LEVELS ITS TOO DAMN HIGH.

    An okay video, Danny a little too serious? Or is this his default character? I get a vibe as if he is gonna slap me in the face if I were to disagree with him on the spot lul.

    I can’t quite put a finger on it but I really like the camerawork on this one. The panning of the shots were really smooth…almost as if you guys mounted the camera on somesort of motorized gimbal. That or paultan hired a butler-standard waiter as a cameraman.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
    • Hafriz Shah (Member) on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Apologies for the quality. Long story short, the lens was dirty. Lesson learned, stay tuned for better videos on paultan.org soon.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
    • Danny Tan (Member) on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      Yes, I’m not the giggly type excited by anything that moves, sorry about that.

      But we shall agree to disagree, no problem :)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
    • well done Danny, despite a few glitches. pronunciation may need improvement, controlling the speed of your speech as well. and i think the cameraman is not doing a good job here.

      hopefully your faithful readers positive comments can help you and your team to improve more. it is good to maintain the accent becos you are Malaysian making car review for Malaysians.
      oh shit man you remind me of Sam Loo, and your hideous hamsap misai… sorry i don’t mean to criticize your face but you ought to make it more camera-friendly.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Guest1 on Aug 18, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Just to let u guys know, black seats are also available. Confirmed by Hyundai SA in Glenmarie. Not sure if any additional cost.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • jeffwhlim (Member) on Aug 18, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      Top up RM800. Black leather with Red stitching and RED “SPORT” Logo.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Stalemate777 on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:25 am

    I’m a proud owner of Hyundai Elantra sport for almost a month now. Test driven Honda Civic 5x and Elantra Sport 3x. I was really going to buy the Civic until the ES was launched.

    ES pros:
    – more hp, more torque, more responsive gearbox without the cvt droning. Basically the sportier car all around. ES is more planted and quieter at high speed.
    – for the rear passenger seat, the hump at the middle for the driveshaft is almost flat, thus comfortably allow three adults at the back
    – the seats are higher compared to civic (good for elderly people and uncle like myself). There is lumbar support for the driver as well.
    – the rear seats are foldable to accommodate longer items i.e. Bicycle. Civic rear seats aren’t foldable.
    – there are blind spot detector, tyre pressure display and smart boot system (boot automatically opens when owner stands behind the car for 3 seconds)
    – the tail lights are wicked.
    – service interval at 10000km, unlike civic where typically have to service typically after 7000km as the 2 ‘special’ service lights starts turning on. I’ve confirmed this with Honda salesman.
    – vanity lights present (not in civic)

    ES cons:
    – more fuel thirsty compared to civic.
    – interior not as futuristic as civic, with traditional rpm and speed display.
    – the center compartment is smaller than civic (you get a huge center compartment in civic)
    – rear passenger knee room not as long as civic.
    – boot capacity is smaller than civic 458L vs 500L+
    – resale value

    It depends which aspects you are prioritizing. Civic is also an awesome car, but I was looking for sportiness and care less about the resale value and fuel consumption. Hope this comparison helps. Btw, ES won the Canadian Sports/Performance Car of the year 2017, can check that out on Google.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 0
  • Not sure why Malaysian always talk about RV. You are buying a car and not a trust fund. Car workshop owners and 2nd hand car dealers will tell you what makes a car having higher RV is its demand, maintenance cost and spare parts cost. Honda is well known for its costly maintenance and expensive spare parts. And bear in mind costly maintenance doesn’t always mean better quality. That’s why you seldom see car workshop owners driving Honda.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
 

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