The car you see in these pages are after one thing: to dethrone the Honda Civic in the compact sedan market.  After being branded as a dead or dying segment in the local car industry, the compact car--the Philippine family's car of choice is set to be in its most competitive state in a couple of years.  The success of the Civic both in sales and critically is surely the yardstick by which everyone else will measure their entrant.  For the consumer like you and I though, it means one thing: a very diverse and dizzying array of choices.  We couldn't think of a better scenario.

Hyundai Elantra

Launched at the 2007 Manila International Auto Show, the Hyundai Elantra is the first of the new breed of compact cars to arrive.  The styling may be sort of derivative of the other Japanese compacts already available, but Hyundai promises that the Elantra can mix it up with them in terms of handling and safety.

Like other Philippine available Hyundais before it, the Elantra's differentiating factor is its engine.  Underneath the sculpted hood lies a formidable Euro-4 level common rail diesel engine.  The 1.6-liter engine is good for a modest 115 horsepower, but makes up with an explosive 259 Nm of torque from as low as 1,900 rpm.  A 5-speed manual is the only transmission available.

In terms of features, the Elantra is more or less equipped to levels expected from this class: a fully automatic climate control system, 6-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 and 6-speaker system are standard and so are leather seats and an electronic trunk release.  In addition, safety features are more or less complete (unlike previous Hyundais).  This means that a driver's side airbag, anti-lock brakes with EBD are standard.

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