Kudos to SD for the excellent car launching event. I particularly want to thank the Glenmarie Sales Specialist lady who assisted me and my wife to test drive both 1.6 and 1.8.

I had many chats with her to further understand about this whole event and ordeal regarding this car. She too is aware of all the negative reception towards the car. In fact many of the questions i asked her cannot be confirmed due to so many uncertainties even when the car is launched! Such as delivery dates - 2 to 3 months even for the 1st batch!! She even shared with me that she is aware that the main concern is the pricing. And according to her experience with Hyundai, if the reception is poor usually the "management" may do something about it. But I did not pursue on that enquiry.

Regarding the presentation of the car during the walkaround, what baffles me is the selective highlights of the features and award achievements of the car. The ones which was left out was of course the 6 airbags.

On the test drive, I was able to test both the 1.6 and 1.8, 2 rounds of course to allow my wife to test drive it as well. During my run, I got my wife to sit at the back to have a feel of the rear seats. Immediately she complained that the space is small, feels claustrophobic. I believe its the headroom. For those of you who had the chance to sit at the rear seats, im sure you will notice the extremely low space underneath the front seats. Usually this space allows the feet to slide under. But my shoes was already touching the base of the seat. And its pressing to my shoe.

We tested the 1.6 first. The first impression was the steering was a bit heavy to my liking. Rear view was quite limited. Feels like the back of a Gen2. As we enter into the main roads, i floored the car. To my surprise the pickup was sluggish. I still prefer the Altis responsiveness of the pedal. In fact in an Altis, if you floor the pedal too much, the car's pickup is so strong that you get push back to the seat. I dont get this feeling in the Elantra.

My wife immediately commented that the engine sound rough as i floored the car. She was sitting at the back.

As I manoeuvre around the other cars, it doesnt feel that responsive. It feels quite boring actually. EPAS?

On the 1.8, to be honest, it didnt felt that much difference. Pickup feels almost the same as the 1.6, sluggish. My wife agrees as well.

As I walked away from the car, the feeling was disappointment. And the only thing in my head was was it worth 112k for this car?

Immediately after the Hyundai event, we drove straight to 1U to try to catch the Forte test drive. You can imagine the whole world of difference in event organising. We waited quite a bit to have our test drive. There was just to many ppl to attend to.

We managed to test drive the Forte 1.6 and the Koup 2.0. Unfortunately there was no Forte 2.0 to test with, but the Koup shares the same engine spec.

We tested the Forte 1.6 first. I have to admit that the Elntra has got a better interior. Both have the similar positioning of the AC outlets. I prefer the electric-chromatic rear mirror in the Forte simply because it makes sense. The space in the interior feels roomy, headroom was great. The car sounded very quiet and comfortable. Rear seats comfortable, great headroom space. As I floor the pedal, pickup was great and the steering was responsive! The whole ride was very fun to be honest. As the roads around 1U is pretty bad, but the car was very comfortable and soft. At high revs, the engine sounded very smooth. Not as harsh as the Elantra. Maybe it takes some breaking in for the Elantra engine?

As we tested the Koup 2.0, the SA suggested that he brings along another colleague to fill the back seats, so that 4 ppl to be in the car. As I press the car, immediately my wife commented the car was powerful! I almost forgot that we have 4 ppl in the car as i was more excited driving and manoeuvring the car around the corners. It was a very fun ride especially with the peddle shifter.

As we walk away from the Fortes, the feeling was great. And with the price tag of slightly below 100k for the 2.0, it does play a big role in liking this car.

The SA even manage to throw in some goodies for the car - free full body kit for all colors, 3 to 4 days delivery upon maybe 1 week of loan approval, 1.5 ~ 2K of further discount. Its definitely a more attractive deal!

Personally, I really really like the Elantra design. Its such a sexy and beautiful car to look at.
In fact, I like the look of the Sonata and also the Tucson. All having the fluidic element in it.

But to be honest, after a while it gets boring. Now I dont make 2nd look at the Sonatas and Tucson.
The latest looks now are the KIA's K5, Sportage, Koup. In fact, the Forte' look is more lasting to my opinion.

Even my wife says so. She suggested that the Civic will have a longer lasting look than the Elantra. No doubt that the Elantra looks awesome now.
But its the evergreen look that is of better purchase.

my 2 cents

It was my first time ever driving both cars.
Surprisingly to myself, the Forte feels better, drives better, more fun, smooth, and quiet than the Elantra.

And also i forgot to mention the list of gadgets in the Forte:
Flappy-pedals, touch screen GPS, auto fold side mirrors, bluetooth hands free- the mic is placed over the driver's head ceiling, free body kit...

My mistake for not being clear.
It was the Altis 1.8.
Both the Elantra 1.6 & 1.8 did not give me the same feeling as the Altis 1.8.

After both driven the Forte and Elantra, and the whole weekend to balance both thoughts, I have given up on the Elantra after a holistic consideration.
It is not that I cant afford to pay 112K, but the whole package of the car just doesnt justify the amount. To simply pay more just for the design is foolish.

Unless SD decided to lower down the price of the 1.8, plus throwing in goodies like full body kit, 6 air bags for safety which is more crucial.

I am sure all the awards given to the car is due to all the full spec features. Not the spec that we are getting here.
It is not everyday that Malaysians can buy car today and sell it tomorrow.

For SD to listen to the people? Best platform may be on Facebook.

Again my 2 cents.

Ahhhhh.......... airbags.......

If Forte can do it, why cant Hyundai?
Furthermore with so many gadgets and features.

Does it mean than Forte is making a loss and Hyundai is just getting by?
Why is Elantra priced much higher than Forte? If so what justifications?
Both are of the same segment what.

Simply saying Elantra is not of the same class as Forte is really nonsense and lame excuse.

Dont bash me yah.....

Well obviously Naza are the smarter ones, and SD are the stupid ones?

I was told by Hyundai specialist will take 2 months maybe....

Still waiting for final pricing quote from Forte SA.

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Added on April 3, 2012, 4:38 pmSales Specialist from Glenmarie 3S


This post has been edited by kudi: Apr 3 2012, 04:38 PM

That is what i was told. By the Hyundai employees. But again, no one actually knows.

Hi. Anyone managed to enquire about interest rates yet?

Sports mode? I only time I understand Sports mode is in a supercar.
From what I can understand and from my test drive of the Elantra, this is actually just "manual" mode la.
Obviously in manual mode, you can rev the car higher.
In manual mode, i think with a paddle shifter is easier. Imagine getting used to the stick shift manually while pressing your left foot for clutch where it doesnt exist.

Not in my test drive session with both cars on the same day though.
Ive tested the Elantra 1.6 first, then 1.8.
Later tested the Forte 1.6, and Forte Koup 2.0 (which is the same engine 2.0 for the SX) but with 4 ppl in the car!!

Believe me when i say Elantra is sluggish.
Both the Fortes pickup really good and sounded smooth and less noisy than the Elantras.

A friend of mine says the Elantra could take some time to break in the engine.
But its the sound proofing i think.

ANyway, go test drive and see.

No one in their right mind should just go buy a car without testing drive both side of the spectrum and just based on forum readings.

Even in the writting, can sense the author's denial in acknowledging that Forte is in C-segment market.

Wow.... so pretty.
But that guy is driving a car with 6 airbags, power food windows, GDI engine.

Just for fun.



Look so boring after a few years, doesnt it?

I have arranged for another test drive with the 1.8. Will drive out to highway this time. Will see what the SA can offer me this time around to change my mind from buying this car.

As yesterday was a holiday. A great day to go test drive the Elantra again. Which I managed to do.
I've also tested drive the Forte 2.0 SX the day before at Bangsar showroom.

This round with the 1.8 Elantra, I have a friend along with me who is also a car enthusiast. So we managed to test drive 2 rounds with a longer route.

Verdict,

Space:
Cabin space is equally good and comfortable for the 2, with Forte having the better headroom for sure.
This time I have the SA for Elantra to attempt to slide in his legs underneath the front seats. He too acknowledged the space is low for the rear legroom to have the shoe comfortably tug under the seats. I believe this is because of the result of lowering the car roof, hence sacrificing the seat height.
Rear headroom too is low, but still manageable. Any tall person would have to slide front and sitting on your waist, knees pull back. I dont know if this will be comfortable for longer rides.

Front Console:
To be honest, at first sight the Elantra's console seems elegant. But the built does look cheap though.
Top panel are softer than the Forte, but I dont think it matters that much. As I stare longer at the console, I do noticed how empty the console is. In fact it looks boring after a while.
Forte on the other hand just looked black! However the buttons are nicely equipped with red backlight. It feels like a conti car console. For my taste I think this look will last. And I think Peter Schreyer has done a good job with it. It gives a sense of interest on the console if you are a geek like me.

Steering:
Both Elantra 1.8 and Forte 2.0 are motor driven steering, with the Elantra 1.8 feeling lighter. The Forte seems stiff, feels heavy. The hand grip on the steering for Forte seems thicker as well. So its a matter of preference and palm size for the driver then.

LCD HU:
The positioning for the HU on the Elantra is terrible. The SA acknowledge that they are in the process of sourcing for a "visor" for the HU, how hilarious. As I measure the depth for the visor, it almost measured 2 inches to properly cover the glares. Furthermore, the SA claims that the 7 inch dark tint on the front windscreen may help to resolve the problem. I doubt this will help at all as the HU is angled poorly to address the issue. The only solution I can see is to have a better LCD panel. Maybe AMOLED?
Forte's HU is angled lower therefore prevents the glaring issue.

Engine:
Forte's 2.0 definitely has the better power. Not to forget that having the flappy gearshift on the steering for the Forte makes it easier to drive manually. We tested on the Elantra on manual while attacking some corners, it can be dangerous to drive on 1 hand.
Both cars are equally quiet while cruising normally. However the Elantra does make a louder engine noise at higher rev. This the SA confirms as well.

Safety:
There is no competition here. 6 airbags vs 2 airbags. We got the SA into some arguements over this. As usual the SA mentioned that lets not compare with the Forte, in fact take out the Forte for the comparison. But this is impossible to think so because you cant have selective comparison over competition.

Another reason given is that the Forte is an aged model, having the older platform as the Avante. In fact the newer model for the Forte will be priced as close as the Elantra, which is more than RM100K.
Well I disagree because lets compare to the Koup pricing at RM116K. The new SX 2.0 will not priced too closely to the Koup. Furthermore, even if the new Forte 2.0 is priced more than RM100k, at least the specs are full.
Unlike the Elantra priced at RM112k, the important feature like safety airbags are taken away, basic features like auto folding side mirrors are taken away, no flappy pedals, heck even the remote horn alarm switch is taken out.

Bottomline is, it is like paying premium but not getting the full package. It is a whole different story if the specs are premium and worth every single penny.