Hyundai had previously unveiled a sportier and more powerful Elantra sedan back in June, but now the Korean marque saw fit to launch the car in the North American market with the ‘Sport’ moniker.
This does add a good amount of much-needed spice into the Hyundai line-up, especially since it’s expected to make an Australian debut in September but ditching the ‘Sport’ name in favour of just being called the Elantra SR.
The ingredients for this warm sedan are the same that Hyundai has pulled out before, but no doubt refined even more as they are slotted into this newest Elantra. Sporting a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the upcoming SR will generate 150kW and in excess of 240Nm.
While those numbers slot it up with the Veloster Turbo, its larger and heavier body will probably mean it will won’t be worrying the hot hatches of the world. Dynamically, too, the Elantra SR is of course meant to be sharper than the standard sedan, but expecting too much of revelatory drive would be foolish.
However, Hyundai did spend a good amount of time prepping the SR for local release – making sure car’s handling and driving characteristics are a better match for Australia’s roads and drivers rather perhaps than trusting the setup given to North American units. It should receive a multi-link rear suspension too.
The car does have all the requisite exterior bits and bobs to justify its name, sharper drive, and more powerful engine, with a lowered ride height, front skirts, side skits, and even chromed dual exhausts.
Inside, there’s red stitching on the leather seats, ‘Sport’ branding for same, flat-bottomed steering wheel, and a good looking manual shifter to boot – surely units fitted with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be supplied with steering-mounted paddles.
We’ll find out more as the launch date approaches.
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