2012 All-New Hyundai Elantra Launched In Malaysia, Priced From RM87K To RM112K

Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has officially—and finally—launched the 2012 all-new Hyundai MD Elantra after a month of delay. But no matter, because the fifth-generation Elantra has arrived in four locally-assembled, Inokom-badged variants: the 1.6 manual Standard priced at RM 86,888, the 1.6 auto Standard at RM 91,888, the 1.6 auto High Spec at RM 96,888 and the 1.8 auto Premium at RM 111,888. (Prices are OTR with insurance.) An attractive five-year/300,000km warranty is standard across the range.

Wearing the “Wind Craft” design concept, derived from Hyundai's famed Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy, the Hyundai Elantra is clearly one of the most visually striking cars in the C-segment, boasting bold styling cues borrowed from the Sonata, like the muscular wheel arches, flowing character lines, sleek roofline and swept-back headlamps. And true to being “a piece of sculpture literally crafted from the wind”, the drag coefficient is low at 0.28.

Hyundai's design courage carries into the cabin, where a refreshingly stylish centre stack lies, contrasted by high-gloss black and metallic colours. The highlight is of course the Hyundai Elantra's 2700 mm wheelbase, which is 50 mm longer than its predecessor's, matching the segment's longest in the Honda Civic. Overall interior room goes up by 18 litres and the boot capacity is a competitive 420 litres.

Driving the Hyundai Elantra along is a 1.6-litre Gamma D-CVVT engine that produces 130 HP at 6300 rpm and 157 Nm at 4850 rpm, and another 1.8-litre Nu D-CVVT engine that puts out 150 HP at 6500 rpm and 178 Nm at 4700 rpm. Either a six-speed manual or a Hyundai in-house-developed six-speed automatic channels the generated output to the front wheels.

The rest of the dynamic package comprises a MacPherson strut front and a torsion beam rear suspension setups, all-round disc brakes (ventilated at the front), and an electric power steering that improves efficiency. Indeed, the official figures suggest that the Hyundai Elantra is one of the most efficient in the segment: the 1.6 manual returns 16.4 km/litre, the 1.6 automatic with 14.9 km/litre, and the 1.8 automatic with 14.1 km/litre.

Let's start with safety features, which count a disappointing two front airbags and the usual braking controls. ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) and VSM (Vehicle Stability Management) are reserved for the 1.6 High Spec and the 1.8 Premium. A two-way adjustable steering column is just for the top two variants. The 1.8 Premium gets more exclusive items such as 17" alloy wheels, Nappa leather upholstery, 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, fully automatic dual-zone air-conditioning, auto cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, GPS, reverse camera, and a sunroof that tilts and slides.

All Hyundai variants get alloy wheels (16" on all 1.6 variants), leather seats, keyless entry and engine start-stop button (the 1.6 manual has no such button), steering wheel audio controls, and Auto Light Control on the headlamps, whose safety escort function lets it remain switched on for 30 seconds after the driver alights. Available across the range is a choice of seven colours: Ceramic White, Sleek Silver, Hyper Silver, Clean Blue, Tomato Red, Santorini Blue and Phantom Black. Read more on the full details of the 2012 all-new Hyundai Elantra.

2012 All-New Hyundai Elantra Launch Event Gallery