Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra/Avante
is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea,
launched in 1995 to replace the Hyundai Elantra,
though in export markets the Avante is sold
as the Elantra. Originally,
the Avante was offered as a sedan and station
wagon. A mid-term facelift came in 1998. An
all-new model was launched in 2001. The wagon
was dropped in favor of a five-door hatchback.
Both were facelifted in 2003.
It
is available with 1.6 and 2.0 L gasoline
engines and a 2.0 L turbodiesel (not available
in the United States). The Avante is compact
on the outside, yet is listed by the EPA
as a midsize car because of a spacious interior.
The four-cylinder engine is known to be
powerful and economical, and in the US,
Hyundai offers a powertrain warranty that
protects the buyer for ten years. Gas mileage
is around 27 mpg city and 34 mpg highway
for models with a manual transmission.
The Lantra name was
often used for this model outside South Korea
until 2001, when they were renamed as the
Elantra. Between 1996 and 1998, the Avante
was called the Bimantara Cakra (1.5 L) and
the Bimantara Nenggala (1.8 L) in Indonesia.
The
Avante's renaming to the Elantra was necessary
as Audi owns the Avant name in Europe. The
Lantra name also surfaced because of a naming
issue, according to the Australian press:
Mitsubishi Motors of Australia complained
that Elantra was too close to its Elante
trim level. The Elantra name also fell foul
of Lotus in the UK and Europe, being too
close to its Elan.
