2016 Hyundai Elantra review, road test

The Elantra, from a certain perspective, seems a bit unnecessary in Hyundai’s line-up. It’s not a high-volume seller like any of the hatchbacks, it’s not the flagship of the range as that post belongs to the Santa Fe, and for a similar price, the Creta SUV has a lot more appeal to most buyers. Moreover, the executive sedan segment has for a long time been dragging its feet, with slow sales and only a handful of carmakers still sticking it out. Yet, Hyundai has launched a brand new Elantra, which sounds a bit unusual when you realise the facelift of the last-generation car was launched only 16 months before. Truth is, Hyundai fast-tracked this launch to make sure India got the latest model as soon as possible, and this new Elantra does hold a lot of promise. Hyundai is, in fact, confident of this all-new car’s ability to jump-start this waning segment, but could it really be that good? A thorough test of all four versions should give us the answer.