Excellent Elantra

THE shiny plastic chrome is out and the refinement is in. Then there is the eye-popping equipment. The Hyundai Elantra has finally grown up and it is impressive. Little wonder that it accelerated out of nowhere and up the sales charts to become Singapore's fourth most popular model in Q1 this year among authorised distributors.

The Korean model has always been viewed as the basic budget alternative in the compact sedan segment. Its styling may have been prettified over the years but there was no avoiding its entry-level positioning, especially when compared with the Japanese brands.

But with the latest Elantra, Hyundai has achieved a new level of maturity.