Hyundai Elantra facelift review, test drive

What is it?

This is the Hyundai Elantra facelift, and as part of the update, the car gets a few styling changes, a refurbished interior and a little more equipment. But, to spot the exterior changes on the 2015 Elantra, you would need to look really hard. The most prominent new bits are the headlamps, which now have a blacked-out housing, incorporated projector elements, and a really cool looking LED-illuminated strip. There are new L-shaped fog lamps that sit inside deeper enclosures in a front bumper that is more contoured. The only change you’ll see on the sides are the new 16-inch alloy wheels, but move to the back and you’ll find a new rear bumper with a blacked-out lower section, new chrome exhaust bracket and new tail-lamps, which look like LEDs, but aren’t. These changes help the Elantra look even more upmarket than what it already was, but don’t really transform its appearance.

But it’s on the inside where there are more significant changes. Hyundai has swapped the beige and grey two-tone colour scheme for an black-and-grey one. The dashboard has been changed slightly too, with a new audio system and the welcome addition of a 4.3-inch colour touchscreen in place of the dated monochrome screen. This now also acts as the display for the rear-view camera, rather than the small rear-view mirror-mounted one before. The tiny central air-con vents have also been replaced by larger ones that now sit higher up on the dashboard, on either side of the infotainment screen. The air-con display, much like many new Hyundais, gets a more upmarket-looking blue-on- black monochrome display instead of the black-on-blue colour. Even the small air-con control buttons have been replaced by larger ones, which are much easier to operate. Hyundai has also given the Elantra metal-finish pedals.

Thanks to this car’s large exterior dimensions, there’s a lot of space on the inside. There’s plenty of legroom for rear-seat passengers and the rear bench itself is comfortable, with good thigh support and a flattish floor. However, the seatback is a bit too reclined and the swooping roofline eats into headroom. Also, the rising shoulder line impedes visibility from the back seat. The rear armrest, however, is missing the audio controls that used to be available on the previous car. The front seats are supportive and wide, making even long journeys comfortable. As ever with Hyundai, the Elantra is still very well equipped, and apart from the new colour touchscreen, you’ll find things like auto headlamps, keyless entry and go, cruise control, electric front seats with ventilation, six airbags, ESC and of course, Bluetooth.