Or should that be “A bunch of Hyundai”?
Pffft… plurals. Who cares?
Anyway, a low-key series of revamps was there order of the day for the Hyundai MY14 range launch in a wet, miserable Auckland the other day.
The ix35, i40 wagon, Accent and Elantra all got upgrades for the forthcoming sales year, adding more spec, a new suspension tune, some new models and better value across the range. We bring you an overview of the changes below.
Hyundai Accent
A new Elite model now tops the Accent range. Packing the 103kW 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, the Elite also scores a six-speed automatic transmission, retuned locally (well, Australian) developed suspension, 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic projector beam headlights and LED “positioning lamps”, a rear spoiler and cruise control.
The 1.6-litre GDI engine develops 13kW and11Nm more than the standard Accent, while returning an average fuel consumption 6.6L/100km.
The Australian-tuned suspension set up was achieved using advanced computer simulations together with 37 comprehensive ‘real-world’ road evaluations, and two closed high-speed evaluation sessions carried out at the Marulan Circuit, south-west of Sydney.
Hyundai’s engineers evaluated a total of 20 different front damper and 17 rear damper settings during the refinement process. Importantly the rear dampers were changed from twin-tube to high-performance monotube Korean-made Mando units.
The rest of the Accent range gets some minor upgrades, including the suspension upgrades, automatic headlights and a new style of key for the entry model.
Hyundai Elantra
The Elantra scores a range of upgrades for 2014, including new front and rear bumpers (which have been extended 5mm and 15mm respectively), as well as new headlights, fog lights and grille.
New alloy wheels are available for the standard model (16-inch) and the Elite (17-inch), while Hyundai’s Flex-steer system has also been added to all models of Elantra, which allows the driver to select from ‘Comfort’, ‘Normal’ or ‘Sport’ modes, each with differing levels of assistance.
The Elantra also scores the suspension set up and Mando monotube shock absorbers, while inside the cabin it gets a new audio system and a revised air conditioning system with repositioned centre vents.
The Elantra range also features five new colours in addition to four carried-over colours.
Hyundai i40 Elite Limited wagon
The i40 remains largely unchanged apart from some new additional spec added to the top of the range Elite Limited. Lane departure warning and park assist are added to the top-line i40 wagon, while it now also scores Hyundai’s excellent Suna satellite navigation unit.
Hyundai ix35
Hyundai’s mid-size SUV was the recipient of what was possibly the biggest upgrade for the 2014 model year, with new headlights, new wheels and a range of new colours being added across the range.
Inside the ix35 scores the new audio system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, the Flex-steer system, a new centre console, reclining rear seats and bigger, illuminated cup holders.
The ix35 also gets the suspension upgrades across the range and a new model has also appeared in the line up; a 2.0 GDi 2WD Elite model.
You must be logged in to post a comment.