2016 Hyundai Elantra GT
The Elantra has been a huge part of Hyundai’s evolution from a throwaway company in the early 1990s to a legit contender in the mid-2010s. As we enter the 2016 model year, the Elantra has earned its stripes and is now cross-shopped against the likes of the Focus, Golf, and Mazda3. For the 2016 model year, Hyundai decided to give the Elantra GT – the hatchback version – a mild refresh.
Hyundai revamped the nose of the Elantra GT, and added some technical gadgets and gizmos in an attempt to keep buyers flocking to Hyundai dealers instead of Nissan, Volkswagen, or Ford.
For 2016, Hyundai gave the Elantra a pretty hefty nose job, eliminating the dual-element grille with the crossbar and installing a unit that uses horizontal slats from top to bottom. Additionally, the grille gets a angular outline, replacing last year’s rounded edges. This gives the Elantra GT a more mature and refined look, something the brand has been spreading across its entire lineup.
That new grille works very well with the rest of the Elantra’s body, which carries over unchanged otherwise. The only other change of note is the new set of 17-inch wheels in what Hyundai calls a “euroflange” design.
On a whole, the Elantra GT remains as sporty and stylish as it was last year, thanks to its sharp body lines, chrome beltline, and optional LED taillights. It’s just a little more refined than it was before.
On the inside, the changes to the 2016 Elantra GT are limited to optional equipment. These include ventilated front seats, an available next-gen navigation system with HD radio and Siri, and a next-generation Blue Link system with remote start, climate control, and destination search.
Other than those options, the Elantra GT continues to offer the same, spacious cabin it always has. This includes 96 cubic feet of passenger space for its five occupants and 51 cubes of maximum cargo room. Despite being right in the middle of its class in terms of cargo and passenger room, the Elantra GT leads the class in front and rear shoulder room.
The Elantra GT also has plenty of room for all the odds and ends, including a sunglasses holder, front and rear cup holders, door-panel bottle holders, a cooled glove box, a good-sized center console storage area, a front storage tray, and front seatback pockets.
On upscale trim levels, the Elantra GT also gets plenty of high-end equipment, including a 7-inch touchscreen and dual-zone climate control. What’s more, heated seats are included in all Elantra GT models, as is a 172-watt audio system with AM/FM/SiriusXM capabilities and Bluetooth streaming audio.
Powering the 2,904-pound Elantra GT is the same 2.0-liter Nu GDI engine that delivers 173 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 154 pound-feet of twist at 4,700 rpm. This engine has been slightly reworked to deliver better torque between 4,000 and 5,500 rpm, to help out when merging into highway traffic.
The engine mates to a standard six-speed manual transmission or the optional Shiftronic auto transmission with manual mode, to deliver power to the front wheels. The programming of the automatic shifts seems superior to the manual mode.
EPA testing puts the 2016 Elantra GT at a not-too-hot 24 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. Since getting in some hot water with the EPA for inaccurate test results, Kia and Hyundai both have been understating their mpg ratings a bit, so you might see better mpg in the real world.
The Elantra GT doesn’t just look sportier than its sedan sibling, its suspension is tuned to feel a little livelier too. The GT’s suspension includes a 22 mm front stabilizer bar to help tone down the body roll, higher spring rates, a stiffer twist beam, and retuned Sachs dampers. The suspension’s playfulness is transmitted to the road by an eager set of 215/45R17 tires.
Carrying over from last year, and one of my favorite parts of the Forte 5 and Elantra GT, is the Driver Selectable Steering Mode. This allows the driver to choose from three preset steering modes — normal, comfort, and sport – depending on preferences and driving conditions. While normal mode is, well, normal, comfort loosens things up a bit and reduces feedback through the wheel. Sport, on the other hand, tightens the steering significantly and delivers more feedback for a better connection to the road.
The 2016 Elantra GT will start from US$ 18,800, plus US$ 825 freight charge, and head upward from there. Moving into the automatic transmission jump the base price up to US$ 19,800.
Source : topspeed