Hyundai Elantra LaVita GLS Car Review

Hyundai's Elantra range recently received a boost when a new model called the Elantra LaVita joined its small-medium sedan and liftback. LaVita is a mini people mover or a small wagon with a particularly high roof. The shape of the cabin provides excellent interior space and there is flexible seating for five and a rear cargo area.

LaVita's looks are a little unusual, as the tall roofline is accentuated by the fact that it is just over four metres in length. Both the front and the rear of the vehicle feature small overhangs that give LaVita a cropped appearance. Hyundai claims LaVita is European inspired, having commissioned well known Italian design house, Pininfarina, to assist in styling the vehicle.

Elantra LaVita is available in just one specification level, GLS, and there is a choice of a five-speed-manual gearbox or a four-speed-automatic transmission. Recommended retail pricing for LaVita is a 'Driveaway' price that is inclusive of dealer and all on-road costs (worth between $1600 and $2300). The manual LaVita retails for $22,990 and when equipped with the optional automatic transmission is priced at $24,980.

LaVita uses the same 1.8 litre twin overhead camshaft engine found in the Elantra GL sedan/liftback models. However, for LaVita, the second generation of the Hyundai designed 'Beta' series engine has been re-tuned. Peak power and maximum torque are down 7 kW and 4 Nm respectively compared to its sedan/liftback stablemates.

Although LaVita comes in just one model, GLS, it has a fairly good level of comfort and standard features. Some of the standard features include airconditioning, remote central locking with alarm, engine immobiliser, power steering, electric mirrors, six-speaker single CD/tuner, power windows and a 60/40 split fold rear seat.

LaVita is equipped with a number of safety items designed to reduce the likelihood of injury to passengers in the advent of an accident. These items include a driver airbag, front seat belt pretensioners, anti-submarining front seat pans and an impact triggered automatic fuel cut-off. An optional enhanced safety package that incorporates anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and a front passenger airbag is available for an additional $2190.

The standard of finish of all Hyundai vehicles has been continually improving over the years. For LaVita, the overall finish of our test vehicle was found to be fairly good and comparable with most other offerings in the small car class. While there was no evidence of rattles or squeaks that often indicate poor build quality, the interior does look a bit cheap due to the large expanses of hard plastic trim.

The tall roof and relatively flat floor design of LaVita allows excellent head and leg room for this size of vehicle. The seats are quite elevated above the floor pan, resulting in quite an upright seating position. There is a good field of vision from both the front and the rear seats. The snub nosed bonnet of LaVita is completely hidden from view when occupying the driver's seat, giving the impression that there is nothing forward of the windscreen. The seats are particularly firm (although I did not find them uncomfortable) and a very basic shape that provides little in the way of lateral support.

Following what seems to be a bit of a trend in many new vehicles, the main instrument cluster is located in the centre of the dashboard. I would still prefer to have the instruments located directly in front of the driver, which is where the warning lights are positioned. All the controls in LaVita are quite easy to operate and within easy reach for the driver.

The 1.8 litre engine powering LaVita is quite a torquey unit and the gear ratios used are a good match for its characteristics. The short front and rear overhangs have necessitated a variation of the Elantra sedan/liftback suspension set-up. LaVita makes use of fully independent suspension and front and rear anti-roll bars to provide quite a comfortable and sure-footed ride.

However, one has to question the use of 14 inch wheels when the sedan/liftback models use larger 15 inch rims. Our test vehicle was fitted with ABS brakes as part of the optional safety package and despite using drum brakes on the rear, braking performance was found to be good. Overall, LaVita is an easy and quite a pleasant vehicle to drive, and like all Hyundais, features a very generous five year/130,000 km warranty.