Ark City, Utah - Hyundai’s Elantra has been given a bold new look along with an updated cabin and new-generation infotainment.
The midlife facelift brings a striking new front end complete with a large ‘cascading’ grille that’s intersected by razor sharp headlights.
The sedan also gets a complete overhaul at the other end, with new taillights and a smoother looking bootlid, with the number plate housing shifting down to the bumper.
The cabin keeps its core design, but there are a few smarter looking trimmings, as well as redesigned air vents and controls and a new instrument cluster.
It also gets Hyundai’s new-generation AVN 5.0 infotainment system featuring a larger 20cm touch-screen, and all the latest mod cons including Apple CarPlay and wireless charging. An Infinity Premium Audio system is available for those seeking a high-end sound system.
All that applies to the US spec Elantra though - global models could differ and, of course, at this stage there is no word on South African availability or specs.
For the record, upper spec US models are available with a whole suite of driver assistance gadgets, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (with pedestrian detection), Lane Keep Assist, Drive Attention Alert and Safe Exit Assist.
Engine options include the familiar 1.6-litre turbopetrol and normally aspirated 2-litre, as well as a 95kW 1.4-litre turbopetrol in the ‘Eco’ version. The latter would certainly make an interesting addition to the local range.