The refreshed Elantra has had a bit of a weird start in India. When it hit the market back in October last year, the sedan had just engine option – the BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) 2.0-litre petrol. Then, in April 2020, Hyundai quietly updated the Elantra’s brochure to include a second engine option – the 1.5-litre diesel that powers the Creta, the Verna and the Kia Seltos. Now, we have the prices. As revealed before, the Elantra gets the diesel motor in two variants – SX MT and SX (O) AT. The former gets a price tag of Rs 18.7 lakh, and the latter costs Rs 20.65 lakh.

Before moving forward with the usual stuff, there’s another significant development on the prices front. For that, refer to the table below:

Within a year of launch, the petrol-powered derivatives have seen a drop between Rs 79,000 and Rs 89,000 amongst them. People who would have bought the Elantra facelift between now and October 2019 must be kicking themselves! Another difference is that the entry-level trim – S – is no longer available.

Turning back to the diesel Elantra, the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine produces 113bhp/250Nm. You can have it with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. Naturally, the diesel Elantra returns more kilometres per litre than the petrol-powered range. How much, exactly? Hyundai hasn’t shared that figure.

Not impressed with those numbers? Well, the Elantra isn’t just about performance. As a package, which ropes in everything from features to ownership experience, the sedan is hard to falter. Part of the creature comforts it offers includes Hyundai’s Blue Link connected-car technology, 10-way powered adjustable driver’s seat, LED-powered projector headlamps, electric sunroof, dual-zone climate control and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

With the Toyota Corolla Altis gone and the Octavia facelift not available just yet, the only rival the Elantra currently has in India is the Honda Civic. That too will soon gain a diesel engine.