One of the nicest methods to part ways with a long termer is to take it on a roadtrip. We did just that with the Elantra.
It was the start of a fantastic roadtrip just before the loud bang. The sun was on the horizon, I’d just grabbed some breakfast and a little outside Pune, a dog jumped out from behind a bush and I hit it. Hard. There was a loud noise, a lot of water spray and a howling dog that picked itself up and ran away. Damages to the car included a cracked bumper, a broken windshield washer reservoir (it sits just behind the bumper), a broken foglamp and inner wheel arch cladding. Not the ideal start to the Christmas break, but then again, the dog survived — a tribute to the Elantra’s animal/pedestrian friendliness?
The rest of the 3600km round trip to Kerala was uneventful and I’m quite impressed with the big strides Hyundai has made with the Elantra as a highway car. It’s the kind of car that allows you to consume long distances without too much effort. The quiet, smooth diesel engine and tall sixth gear allow you to glide at highway speeds for hours on end. Most importantly though, the ride is flat and the car grips well. This assists you in maintaining respectable average speeds — important when you have to cover the 1000km from Mumbai to Bangalore before nightfall.
The road also aided my trip. The NH4 is mostly four-lane with lots of six-lane bits, little traffic once you’re out of Maharashtra and in a state of good repair, so you can really gobble up the distance if you’re in an able car.
The Elantra's low beam doesn’t have enough spread or throw. You need to keep switching to high beam.
The Elantra is an able car, just that the front seats lack a bit of shoulder support. So more than 300km at a stretch warrants you to step out and flex a bit.