What you and I know as the i30 in Europe, will go on sale in America as the Hyundai Elantra GT.
Unveiled at 2012 Chicago Autoshow, this hatchback complements the Elantra’s range of sedan and coupe. Unless you indiscriminately hate Hyundai’s fluidic Sculpture design philosophy, you have to say this hatchback is such a looker.
In America the car will only be available with the 1.8 liter Nu four-cylinder engine with 148 horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque. Hyundai would claim 40mpg for it, but staying on the safe side they say it will do 28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway and 32 combined.
The 2013 Elantra GT can be equipped with a six-speed manual (M6CF3-1) or automatic (A6GF1) transaxle with SHIFTRONIC manual control. Hyundai Elantra GT’s six-speed manual transmission.
The interior space beats most of the competition, and so does the features list. You get the latest Hyundai Blue touchscreen infotainment system, as well as dual zone climate control, and a number of premium equipments including:
- Standard cooled glove box
- Standard heated front seats
- 10-way power driver’s seat including power lumbar support
- Clean Air Ionizer
- Leather seating surfaces
- Automatic headlights
- Side mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators
- Standard steering-wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls
- Standard Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition
As for safety, the car comes as standard with ESC (Electronic Stability Control), ABS (anti-lock braking system) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist and VSM (Vehicle Stability Management). In terms of passive safety, the Elantra GT will be fitted with seven airbags as standard – front, side and curtain including an Elantra-first driver’s knee airbag. So Top Safety Pick award should be in the bag.
The new GT does not have the weaknesses of the old model in terms of styling which put it below its main rivals, Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf. We just have to wait and see if it drives as well as the aforementioned models. Mazda3 is the benchmark of handling in this class, so the Hyundai has to beat that if it wants the crown of this segment.
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