Easy Driver

Korean brands have often been popular choices among Singaporean buyers here, due to their affordable nature, and how well equipped they can be, compared to their Japanese counterparts dollar for dollar. But more recently, this bang-for-buck attractiveness has taken a little bit of a back seat, with the introduction of Hyundai cars which are more complex, and some which can truly perform.

But while the Korean manufacturer has been busy with targeting the European market with the likes of their 1.4 litre i30 hatchback, and carving some serious driver’s car cred in stone with the i30N hot hatch; Hyundai has not actually forgotten about their humble compact sedan, the Elantra… I mean Avante (aiyah, same lah)… one of the cars in their stable which has been somewhat a stalwart in bringing home the bacon, or in Hyundai’s case, the Kimchi.

Of the three models available here, the Elite trim dishes out all the creature spoils the car can deliver, while still offering that bang-for-buck value Hyundai has come to be known for.

Both the mid-spec ‘S’ model we tested recently and this ‘Elite’ are hardly distinguishable from the outside, with its “origami”-styled front end, and re-styled LED tail lamps, apart from its headlamps which are LED units, versus the halogen ones on the former.

On the inside, the driver’s seat benefits from electrical adjusters with memory settings, and while the front passenger seat makes do with manual adjusters, Hyundai has included a height adjuster for added comfort. Both front passengers also benefit from some pleasant air-conditioning of their rear ends, adjustable to three levels of “chill”, which comes in useful on warmer days.

In the driver’s seat, dials are well-laid out. The ‘Elite’ model also gets a larger 4.3” LCD supervision cluster. The infotainment unit utilises a 7” display, with a rather simple interface, which is easy to navigate, and supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto. For those with QI compatible mobile devices, there is a wireless charging pad located at the base of the dash.

Internal fit and finish is quite decent too, though the car is still not able to escape a little cheapness. That said, we have to say that the interior is generally more pleasant to be in than that of a Toyota Corolla.

Boot capacity is a respectable 458 litres, and features some neat catches located in the boot for ease of lowering its 60:40 style rear seats. We’d however advise you to shut off their “Smart Boot” function, since going near the car activates it, and we have had situations where the boot lid opened up when we did not want it to.

The proven 1.6 litre “Gamma” natural-breathing 4-cylinder delivers a decent 126bhp and 155Nm. Drive is provided to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration to 100km/h takes 11.6 seconds. While the 4-banger seems not to like to be pushed hard, revving the car to 5,000rpm delivers a bit of a sweet spot in the engine, with a pleasant surge in performance; not that you will often see yourself doing that.

My experience with most Korean cars, are that the brakes almost always needs a bit more working on, and while the brakes on this car are a tad better than the previous model, they still could do with a little more assistance. The car feels decently planted around the bends, but do not expect any driver’s car magic, it is after all a bread-and-butter family car with no performance aspirations and “hot model” somewhere within its lineup.

The Avante delivers a decently-refined ride, with enough insulation to keep most harshness out of the cabin.

Overall, the Avante offers no nonsense motoring, but with more frills than the average compact. For those who believe in just a few pleasant frills to make their moments getting around that bit better, but are still keen on a value buy, what the Avante Elite offers is very comprehensive deal.

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