GALLERY: New Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Executive, RM140k

As promised, we now bring you a full gallery of the newly launched 2021 Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Executive. The new entry-level variant is being sold at an introductory price of RM139,888, and like its decked out Premium sibling, it is fully imported from South Korea. Included in the price is the same five-year or 300,000 km warranty package.

Generally, the kit list between the Executive and Premium is pretty much the same, especially on the outside. There are four colours available, and the car pictured here is finished in Electric Shadow. The other three colours are Polar White, Amazon Grey and Intense Blue.

No changes have been made to the exterior, so it soldiers on with the bi-LED projector headlights with LED daytime running lights, LED combination tail lights with LED fog lamp, 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels shod with 225/45 profile Kumho Ecsta tyres, keyless entry with push-start button, and powered side mirrors with integrated LED turn signals.

Inside is where things start to feel different. Being RM19k cheaper, the Executive settles for black fabric seats with contrast stitching (manual adjustment for both front seats), and a more conventional analogue instrumentation with a 4.2-inch multi-info display.

Nice-to-haves such as the heating and ventilation function for the front seats, heated steering wheel function, wireless smartphone charging tray and the electrochromic rear-view mirror have been removed altogether.

Another compromise HSDM had to make was to offer just the basic functionalities of Hyundai SmartSense. The Executive only gets passive cruise control, blind-spot collision warning, and rear cross-traffic alert. Other advanced safety assist systems such as AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and lane keeping assist have been stripped from the list.

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No further omissions have been made, so the Executive shares the same 1.6 litre naturally-aspirated Smartstream engine that develops 123 PS at 6,300 rpm and 154 Nm at 4,500 rpm. Drive is sent to the front wheels through an intelligent variable transmission (basically a CVT that Hyundai developed in-house) with eight virtual speeds. There are four selectable drive modes – Smart, Normal, Eco and Sport – that alter powertrain and drivetrain behaviours, too.

If you’re interested to check out the Elantra in detail, feel free to do so at CarBase.my. There, you can browse through its entire list of specifications and equipment, and you can also compare it with other vehicles of your choosing.