By Ahmed Amer
Daily News Egypt was invited by the information and marketing office of Ghabbour Auto (GB Auto), the agent for Hyundai, Mazda and Geely cars, to the test drive of Elantra’s new car.
The test drive was aimed at showcasing the performance level and capability of the Hyundai car, which falls under the middle class category.
Meeting Point
The meeting point and the test drive was launched in front of the company’s newest centre, Fabrica, located in the 5th Settlement residential area. It is the first centre in Egypt of its kind, specialised in sale and purchase of different models of used cars in cash or instalments, with the possibility of replacing the new or used car with an old one, without being restricted to a specific type or model.
GB Auto seeks, through Fabrica, to reach the maximum satisfaction for customers. There is also a special section for the new car company Zioz.
The launch
The company members were keen to show the best of Hyundai’s cars with the test drive, and what distinguishes them from other vehicles, including the significant fuel saving features.
The company members fuelled the participating cars and adjusted the counters to showcase the cars’ fuel saving capabilities.
General shape
Hyundai’s Elantra is characterised by a front that has streamlined sports touches.
The Hyundai Elantra is popular among middle-class cars worldwide, attracting customers due to its streamlined shape and large seats, as well as its low fuel consumption.
The grille comes in three parts of fibre and nickel to help in distributing the air to reach the engine. The car has a streamlined shape, with a line on the sides starting from the tail lights to the front of the car. This gives the car stability on the road during acceleration.
The tire is relatively medium-sized, estimated to be 15-inches, while it is relatively wide to assure stability.
The rear of the car is slightly wider than the front, in line with the sports style of the car. The capacity of the trunk is relatively large, as it can carry about four large travel bags.
The total length of the car is about 4,530 mm, with about 1,775 mm width, and a 1,445 mm height. The wheelbase is estimated at 2,700 mm, with a 150 mm height from the ground.
Engine and performance
Under the hood of the car lies the power of the Elantra, a four-cylinder engine of 1,591 CC and a horsepower up to 130 hp at 6300/1 rpm and a torque capacity of 160/4850 (Nm/Rpm).
This car accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 10 seconds. Its top gear reaches 220 km/h with noticeable stability next to heavy trucks. It was also provided with an automatic transmission with the “Stipe Tronic” feature and six speeds.
The interior cabin
The streamlined shape of the interior cabin matches the sports shape of the car. It is made up of fibreglass and leather aesthetic touches. An audio CD player lies in the middle of the cabin with a private socket for the USB and memory card. The cabin also features Bluetooth for remote talking. There is a multi-functional air conditioning system, medium-sized steering wheel with multi-function keys, and large counters with blue lighting.
The interior saloon is roomy in general, with capacity for three people.
Performance on the road
The Elantra showed efficiency on the road, especially in the curves on the Ain Sokhna road with a very good stability, but the sound of the engine was higher than normal, even though the overall performance was sound.
Safety specifications
The Elantra’s safety specifications are lower than other sports cars as it has fewer airbags.
This is the main defect of the car, and the company tried to remedy it by providing an insurance extending to 100,000 km or five years, whichever comes first.
The overall impression
The overall impression was positive, despite it being a car belonging to the medium-sized cars criteria. However, it suits the nature of the Egyptian streets, as that its fuel consumption is very low due to the small size of its engine, consuming about 5.9 litres per 100 km.
The fuel tank’s capacity is estimated at 48.5 litres, enabling it to travel for 600 km in distance. The most noticeable feature was its AC, as the overall performance did not change even after it was shut down several times during the test drive. The temperature of the car was not affected by the high temperature currently witnessed in the country.
