2016 Hyundai Elantra vs Skoda Octavia vs Toyota Corolla Altis: Spec Comparison

We put the spec sheet of the newly launched Hyundai Elantra under the microscope and find out where it stands against competition

With buyers choosing compact SUVs over sedan, the D-segment class of cars hasn’t been bringing in the kind of numbers that manufacturers would like. That being said, car makers still want to have presence in this class for those conventional buyers who still prefer a car with a ‘boot’. Skoda has the Octavia, Toyota has the Corolla Altis; and to compete against the two, Hyundai has now introduced the updated Elantra.

We take a closer look at where it stands against its competitors in a spec comparison.

Dimensions:

When it comes to dimensions, the new Hyundai Elantra is probably the smallest when compared to the Skoda Octavia and the Toyota Corolla Altis. Although not as long as its rivals in discussion, the new Hyundai offering has a wheelbase of 2,700mm which the identical to the Toyota offering but longer than the Skoda. A longer wheelbase has allowed Hyundai to make more room for the passengers at the back much like the Corolla Altis. All three cars have a fuel tank capacity of 50 litres.

Engine and Transmission:

All three cars come with petrol and diesel engine options. The new Hyundai Elantra, like its predecessor comes with a 2.0-litre petrol unit that pumps out 150bhp of power and 192Nm of torque. The diesel on the other hand is the same unit that we have already experienced on the Verna and the Creta. The 1.6-litre 4-cylinder unit churns out 126 horses of peak power and 259Nm of max torque. Both these engines come mated to a 6-speed manual as well as a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Skoda Octavia comes with two petrol engine options and a 2.0-litre diesel mill. The 1.4-litre TSI unit on the Octavia produces 148bhp and 250Nm while the 1.8-litre TSI unit makes an impressive 177bhp. Torque rating for the 1.8 TSI though remains at 250Nm. The Octavia with the 1.4-litre engine option only comes with a 6-speed manual transmission while larger displacing unit comes mated to a 7-speed DSG. The Octavia has the most powerful diesel motor of the lot. The Czech offering makes a whopping 141 horses and 320Nm. This engine comes mated to a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The gasoline powered Toyota Corolla Altis sports a 1.8-litre mill that puts out 138bhp and 173Nm. This unit comes mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed CVT transmission. The diesel on the other hand makes just 87bhp and 205Nm from a 1.4-litre powerplant. The oil burning Altis is just available with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Suspension, Brakes and Wheels

Up front, all three cars are fitted with McPherson Struts. While the Elantra and the Corolla Altis sport a Torsion Beam at the back, the Octavia sits on a compound link crank axle. The 1.8-litre gasoline Octavia though sports a multi-element axle with one longitudinal and three transverse links, with Torsion stabiliser. Braking duties are performed by disc brakes all around on all three cars. Each of the three models also sits on 16-inch wheels with the diesel Corolla being the only one to get 15-inch wheels.

Safety:

With regards to safety, all three cars come with Airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution as standard equipment. That being said, while the Hyundai and Toyota only get 2 airbags in the base trim, the Skoda gets 4. Other safety features include rear parking sensors with reverse camera on all cars. The Octavia is the only car to sport parking sensors up front as well, albeit just in the top-spec variant.

Features:

Considering each of these models are priced starting around Rs 13 lakh, one would expect it to come pretty well equipped with features, and in that regard, none of them disappoint. The top-end variants of all cars come with leather upholstery, Tilt and telescopically adjustable steering wheel, electrically adjustable driver seat adjustment and more. All three cars come with Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity and steering mounted controls too.

Price:

Hyundai has priced the new Elantra extremely aggressively starting at Rs 12.99 lakh. The Toyota has been priced starting Rs 13.79 lakh while the Skoda is the most expensive with prices starting Rs 16.58 lakh. The fully loaded variants of the three cars are priced at Rs 19.19 lakh, 18.67 lakh and Rs 22.41 lakh respectively. All prices ex-showroom Delhi. While the Hyundai currently has the most affordable base price of the lot currently, this is just the introductory price that is expected to ride towards the end of 2016.