Hyundai Elantra

This article refers to the pre-1995 Hyundai Elantra. The Elantra that continues to be sold today can be found at Hyundai Avante.

The Hyundai Elantra (J1) was a compact sedan built by Hyundai of South Korea between 1991 and 1995, with a mid-term facelift in 1993. It was a replacement for the rear wheel drive Hyundai Stellar. The Elantra was replaced by the Hyundai Avante (J2), although the Avante is usually known as the Elantra in export markets.

The Elantra was also known as the Lantra. This surfaced because of a naming issue, according to the Australian press. Mitsubishi Motors of Australia complained that Elantra was too close to its Elante trim level. The Elantra name also fell foul of Lotus in the UK and Europe, being too close to its Elan name.

The Elantra was sold as the Lantra in many Australian and European markets until the 2001 model year, when the name was brought into line with other overseas markets for Hyundai. By that time both the Elan and the Elante had ceased to exist.

The Elantra was powered by a Mitsubishi-designed 1.6L (1596cc) straight-4 engine. This DOHC 16-valve unit produced 113hp (84kW) at 6000 rpm and could push the Elantra to 60mph (97km/h) in 9.5 seconds. The quarter-mile (0.4km) run took 17.1 seconds and produced 80mph (129km/h). Top speed was 116mph (187km/h). The Elantra got 22mpg (10.7L/100km) in the city cycle.