Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS wins SA Car of the Year Award

Tweet It’s official, the Hyundai  Elantra 1.8 GLS has trumped its competitors and won the South African Car of the Year Award announced by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg late last night.

It may not come as a big surprise considering that the Hyundai Elantra won the North American Car of the Year as well as the Canadian Car of the Year. It is in fact the first time that a Korean car brand has won the South African Car of the Year Award, and with the Kia Picanto in second place, the proof is in the pudding that Korean car manufacturers are enjoying success in the South African car market.

The Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS looks modern and stylish from the outside and is spacious and beaming with confidence on the inside. Although the engine has been downgraded from a 2.0 to a 1.8, the Elantra still performs above board with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

More than this, the Elantra 1.8 GLS is packed with luxury features making it a superb choice of vehicle in the mid-size sedan class. Luxury features include power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry, air conditioning, cruise control and telescopic steering. The navigation system has a large LCD touch screen and comes with voice recognition for phone, audio and destinations, including real-time traffic and weather. Bluetooth and audio streaming come standard and a rearview camera accompanies the navigation system. The Elantra 1.8 GLS also rates highly for affordability, quality, safety, performance and fuel economy.

Sounds like a winner to me. Here are the final results of the 2012 South African Car of the Year Award. 

 Final results:

1. Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS: 230 Points
2. Kia Picanto 1.2 Ex: 155 Points
3. Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI 118kW Highline: 141 Points
4. Suzuki Kizashi 2.4i SDLX 6MT: 49 Points
5. Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 125kW MultiAir Distinctive: 48 Points
6. Audi A6 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic: 30 Points
7. Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Trend PowerShift Sedan: 27 Points
8. Citroën DS4 1.6 THP 200 Sport: 22 Points
9. Peugeot 5008 Active 2.0 HDi: 20 Points
10. Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY: 3 Points