Hyundai has spent a lot of time and money developing the "new generation" Lantra, to end up with a car that's bigger, roomier, more powerful, better equipped, more sure-footed on the road and generally quieter in its operation.
But changes and improvements inevitably spell higher costs and the new Lantras come to the market almost 10 per cent dearer than their predecessors. What that means is that instead of being priced down near the bottom of the fiercely competitive small-medium segment, the Lantra is now in the middle of the pack, pricewise.
So, whereas early Hyundai models such as the first Excels sold mainly on price, these new Lantras will have to compete feature-for-feature with long time favourites such as the Corolla, Laser and Pulsar.
That's not a problem for the Lantra on features such as overall performance, economy, interior space or standard equipment, but there are some other aspects on which the Lantra doesn't fare quite so well.
These include general quality of finish, seat comfort, low speed engine response and manual gearshift quality. The "jellybean" shape is fairly bland and characterless, while the lack of body protection against parking scrapes won't be appreciated by those who frequent car parks or suburban shopping centres.
The new Lantra was launched at the beginning of September in two sedan versions - the GL and the GLS - with prices of $22,990 and $24,990 respectively. Automatic transmission adds another $1,862 on each. Before the end of the year, the sedan will be joined by a five-door wagon, also in GL and GLS equipment levels.
Features and Equipment
A 1.8 litre 16 valve twin cam engine (developed "in-house" by Hyundai) is standard on all four Lantra variants, as is the choice of five speed manual transmission or four speed automatic with lock-up torque converter.
To enhance the safety image, the local Hyundai distributors have specified anti-lock braking (ABS) as standard on all Lantras models, and equipped them with high performance V-rated 60-series Michelin tyres. A driver's airbag is optional at a cost of $990.
Other items common to both GL and GLS models include power steering, a four-speaker stereo cassette, 60/40 split fold rear seat, height-adjustable front seat belts, remote fuel lid and boot releases and a tachometer.
The GLS adds power windows, central locking, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, electric radio antenna, full cloth seats, tilt adjustable steering wheel and height and lumbar support adjustments for the driver's seat.
Body and Finish
No doubt the new Lantra's smooth, rounded, "jellybean" shape is aerodynamically efficient (Hyundai quotes a low drag coefficient of 0.33) but neither myself nor others who viewed the test car during the week it was in our possession considered it to be particularly attractive or distinctive.
A common observation was that the wheels looked too small in the wheel arches and that the ugly Excel-like wheel trims tended to downgrade the overall appearance. The lack of any protection on the doors or the bumpers against parking damage would worry me.
With the huge investment Hyundai put into this model, I had expected class-leading finish, but judging by the test car, that doesn't seem to be the case. It disappointed with minor paint blemishes, uneven body panel gaps and untidy boot trim. An overall impression of the interior was that it looked cheap and garish.
Comfort and Space
In terms of interior space, the new Lantra rates better than the class average, but I didn't score it as well on comfort. For me, seat comfort rated as fair only and ride comfort as reasonable, but nothing special.
With its good leg room front and rear, the Lantra can accommodate four adults without being too "squeezy". Rear seat width is the best in class, according to my measurements, but it's still not really suitable for three adults for any more than short journeys. Three children would be okay.
The sedan's boot isn't especially deep, but it's long and wide, and overall, should prove large enough for most buyers' requirements. The split fold rear seat is useful when longer items need to be carried, but it would be even better if the cushion folded as well, to provide a flatter area. The rear body panel is cut down to bumper level to allow easy loading.
Behind the Wheel
With the GLS's height adjustable seat and tilt steering column, a good driving position is achievable. The only complaint I had (apart from the poor quality of the gearshift itself) was that it was a stretch to move the gear lever into the forward positions (such as 1st and 3rd).
The layout of controls is well arranged and the instrument panel is clear and easy to read. In this regard, Hyundai have sensibly followed the typical Japanese layout, so buyers changing over from a Japanese car should have no problems or surprises driving the Lantra.
The Lantra's large glass areas and relatively slim roof pillars allow for good vision in all directions, providing for safer driving and easier parking. The standard power steering is welcome when manoeuvring in tight spots.
On the Road
Though the Lantra's specifications show class-leading power and torque output compared to other 1.8 litre cars, the performance in everyday situations, such as general city and suburban work, isn't so impressive.
The problem seems to come from a combination of power and torque being produced at relatively high engine revs and rather "tall" lower gears. The result is that the manual version isn't easy to drive smoothly in stop-start traffic, exhibits a lack of zippy response (unless you leave the gearbox in a lower gear and have the engine revving high) and displays sub-standard hill-climbing and overtaking ability in the higher gears.
In full throttle acceleration tests, the Lantra's times compare well with its opposition, but of course that's not how people normally drive. Unfortunately, the manual version of the Lantra is one of those cars that requires quite a lot of driver effort to get the best out of it.
On a more positive note, the Lantra does well on fuel consumption. The overall test figure of 9.2 litres/100 km puts it near the best of current 1.8 litre cars tested.
Information accompanying the release of the new Lantra claims that noise levels have been reduced by five decibels over its predecessor but my testing didn't substantiate this. Though the Lantra
cruises quietly enough, with interior noise at a steady 80 km/h ranking about average for the class, engine noise intrudes noticeably under acceleration. Gear noise was also prevalent when reversing.
Fitting high-quality, wide-section Michelin tyres was a clever move, because they bring a finesse to the handling which I suspect, wouldn't be there with lower quality tyres. As it is, the Lantra handles well, with a stable, neutral feel and good adhesion over varying surfaces.
The steering is fairly quick, with 3.0 turns lock-to-lock, but it lacks the precise feel of a European car, for example.
With four-wheel discs and ABS, you could expect the Lantra to have good brakes and that's how it turned out in testing. Only a very light effort is required on the pedal for normal braking, and emergency stopping tests from 80 km/h resulted in short stopping distances and no deviation from a straight line.
Repeated moderate stops from the same speed resulted in the front brakes becoming a little hot and pedal effort increasing, but overall results were satisfactory.
Summary
Bigger, roomier, more powerful and better equipped, the new Lantra has moved closer to the popular Japanese small-medium cars in both concept and design.
However, when the pricing is similar, you tend to look closer at the finer points and there are some areas where the Lantra could do with more refinement to compete on an equal footing with the Japanese offerings. In summary, the new Lantra is a good car, but not quite the advance over the old model that I had expected.
