QUEBEC CITY -- How do you hurt a Corolla?
You could start by missing a few dozen oil changes but the question posed by countless automakers is how do you hurt 'Corolla'? Everybody has a Corolla-fighter. Hyundai thinks it has its equal.
That equal might be the new 2007 Elantra. It's been around in some slippery shapes since the early '90s, even spawning wagon versions and the odd 'GT' appliqué. The previous generation had styling set on stodge, with the liftback version looking more like a Pony with every squint. The quality and mechanicals were not the issue; it was simply forgettable, which means it wasn't on the radar of the shoppers that knew but didn't care that a Corolla has as much drama as a Teletubbies episode.
The plot thickens, and so does Elantra. The dimensions of the new confines don't even qualify for compact status, with a mid-size label affixed by American federal regulators. At first glance, the Elantra appears to be an Azera shrunk in the wash, with the rear quarter windows an obvious styling cue. Then you walk around to the rear, the most obvious homage to Toyota short of a Xerox copy. Considering what some free office thinkers do with their rear ends and copiers, you have to smirk just a little. The beltline is a swoopy 'S' that appears prominently in Korean architecture. It may have a lot of Seoul, however the journalist contingent was quite mixed in their appreciation. Put me down as a firm 'maybe'. Rear doors provide ample opening angles, with headroom sure to please your six-foot-plus friends.
The platform appears to share little with the outgoing generation. Up front is a MacPherson strut setup with a beefy 23-mm stabilizer bar, while the rear gets multi-link think with coil springs and a 17-mm bar of stability. Torsional rigidity has stiffened up by 49 per cent. An electric motor-driven power steering system actuates the rack and pinion, with speed-sensing smarts. The low-dough editions are saddled with front disc/rear drum binders, with four-wheel ABS discs appearing at the GL Comfort Plus level. Speaking of trim levels, there's five; Elantra GL, GL Comfort, GL Comfort Plus, GL Sport, and the high tea GLS with leather guts. Price of admission starts at $15,595, topping out at $23,095.
All versions receive motive power from a familiar mill. There's not much that's new on the 2.0-litre four; it's still the same double-cam job that powers many Hyundais, with Continuously Variable Valve Timing. It's good for 138 ponies at 6,000 r.p.m., and 136 lb-ft of torque at a fairly low 4,600 r.p.m. It can be mated to the standard five-speed stick, or a four-speed automatic with an overdrive lock-up torque convertor for highway fuel sips. Estimates peg both trannies at approximately 8.3 litres per 100 km in the city, with either shift solution attaining 6.0 litres per 100 km on the turnpike.
The interior confines are Hyundai standard issue, which means somebody actually thought about them. Gauges are EZ-read, climate controls are a cinch in manual or GLS auto mode. There's cubbies galore, including a dash-top cavern with a soft-eject feature that mimics high-end tape decks from the 1980s. (It was cool, trust me.)
Heated front seats appear at the GL Comfort level, with the Comfort Plus adding steering wheel-mounted audio controls. The Plus is the pony you want; it's where front side and full curtain airbags get added to the safety mix, as well as active front head restraints and ABS. That's a lot of car for $19,295 with the stick.
However, Hyundai is continuing its confusing equipment list for the Sport edition. Like the new Accent Sport hatch, the Elantra Sport has sexy alloy wheels, power moon roof, and assorted bling. It also ditches the front side bags and curtains, for an MSRP of $20,595 for the stick. This pay more/get less policy needs to hit the ditch, before someone in a Sport does.
With Canadian Driver's Paul Williams riding shotgun, I pointed a GL Sport towards the picturesque countryside surrounding Quebec City. The five-speed has reportedly received improvements, though it still has a rubber band action as one navigates through the shift pattern. Clutch pedal takeup is annoyingly early, as in red-faced stalls for both myself and Williams. The 2.0-litre has a pleasing note, well isolated from the cabin through the strategic placement of sound deadening materials. I was concerned about the wind noise, till Williams pointed out the fact that the trees were having a hard time managing the gusts. At a standstill, you'd swear the Elantra was a hybrid, with idle characteristics bordering on turning the key to make sure it's still running.
Electric steering usually means eclectic steering, usually with an unscheduled appearance of the band known as The Vagues. At parking lot speeds, the wheel is as easy to spin as a '73 Buick. It feels downright hydraulic in the twisties, never confused. The switch to the GLS brought leather, a telescoping wheel, and the 4-speed automatic. There's no slush in this box; the automatic has something bordering on grade logic control, which is a technical term meaning smarter shifts than the average valve body. Williams agreed that the automatic would be his tranny of choice. A power seat would have been appreciated for the GLS. Actually, the Accent driver bucket has more available articulation, with the Elantra using a primitive height adjustment lever. (I wonder if the bolt pattern lines up?) Hyundai made the mistake of showing an off-shore commercial with an available Navi system during the press briefing. It explains the storage compartment that exists below many a Hyundai's CD player. Hurry up and get here, you savvy little Navi.
Bodywork mimicry aside, the new Elantra is fully qualified to park in the adjacent quality stalls surrounding Toyota's bread and butter sedan. While the styling takes a little getting used to, it's not borrowing anything from such historic out-there directions as American Motors tried in the '70s. Different, without the annoying. With new Corolla spy pics proving the continuation of sedate, the Elantra has just enough swoop, content, and performance to turn the eyes of the vanilla buyer. This is a Korean Corolla. Maybe even a Korolla.
The Specs
ENGINE: 2.0 litre DOHC 4 cylinder, 138 horsepower, 136 ft-lbs torque
POWER: 138 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm.
TORQUE: 136 lb-ft. @ 4,600 rpm.
TRANSMISSION: five-speed manual, standard on all models except GLS, four-speed automatic, optional all models. (Standard on GLS),
STEERING: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion.
BRAKES: front disc, rear drum (GL, GL Comfort), four-wheel disc, ABS (GL Comfort Plus, GL Sport, GLS),
SUSPENSION: MacPherson struts, coil springs, stabilizer bar, front; multi-link, coil springs with stabilizer bar, rear.
LENGTH: 2,650 mm (177.4 in.)
WIDTH: 1,775 mm (69.9 in.)
HEIGHT: 1,480 mm (58.3 in.)
WHEELBASE: 2,650 mm (104.3 in.)
CURB WEIGHT: 1,235 - 1,248 kg (manual), 1,246 - 1,313 kg. (automatic).
FUEL ECONOMY (Transport Canada), city/hwy, litres per 100 km: 8.4 / 6.0 (manual), 8.3 / 6.0 (automatic).
WARRANTY: Five years/100,000 kms comprehensive, five years/100,000 kms Powertrain, three years/unlimited kms Roadside Assistance.
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