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Hyundai Elantra Sedan Body Kit

The Lynx deodorant ads don't lie, first impressions die hard. Over a decade after the Hyundai Excels began roaming the streets, it only takes a few hours of driving around any major city to see the countless number of "modified Hyundais". I use the word modified here with caution as the majority of these modded Hyundais simply come with a bigger spoiler, some side skirts, a milo can exhaust and a fake bonnet scoop.

Alborz Fallah

10:2228 March 2007

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When Kia (Hyundais sister company) tried to cash in on this market and sell the Kia Rio with a Rally Kit already fitted (pictured). Those very few unfortunate souls who opted out for the WRX STi wannabe body kit became the ridicule of their friend and family, and in some cases, even beloved pets would refuse to ride shotgun.

Nonetheless, it is bias to simply pick on Hyundai and Kia, as Toyota (with the sportivo), Ford (with the XR6) and Holden (with the SV6) all follow this principle of adding a sports body kit and leaving the mechanicals the same. This is the perfect car for those who crave a sporty looking car without wanting to fork out the extra money for the power credentials to back it up.

So now Hyundai has released a new Body Kit for its surprisingly popular Elantra. The kit comprises a front bib apron spoiler, side skirts and a rear skirt, plus a chrome extension to the tailpipe, and of course, no mechanical changes or extra power. The Current Elantra looks like this:

Not a bad looking car, but it doesn't exactly ooze that "sporty" image that all manufacturers are dying for. So what does it look like with the new Hyundai Accessories body kit?

Unfortunately, the car is not riding any lower than the standard Elantra, however there is no denying that the body kit along with the new 17" alloy wheels make the Elantra stand out considerably more.

The recommended retail price of these five components as a set is $1220 including GST plus the Hyundai dealer's price for fitting and painting (so roughly $2,000). Complementing the body kit and separately available is a neat, low riser boot lid wing with an integrated LED strip brake light. The wing assembly is $398 rrp plus dealer fitting and painting.

All body kit elements and the rear wing are fabricated in fibreglass, which has proven to be more durable than ABS plastic. Also available from Hyundai Accessories and custom made in Australia for Elantra are new 17"x 7" alloy wheels (pictured) at $1412 rrp for a set of four, for which Hyundai dealers will match appropriate 17" tyres.

For Elantra SX and SLX, a set of the same design alloy wheel is also available in a 15"x 6" version for $1028 rrp. They take the standard 185/65 R15 tyres fitted to these model variants.

Do we like it? If it make Elantra drivers feel like they are in a Sports car, than who are we to stop them.