Beautiful Chinese people may not have dreamed that the "black samurai" image of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movie will cross the far Pacific Ocean to the East a few years later, becoming the trend vane of countless Chinese young people, from clothing, watches, electronic products, to cars, all of which are affected by this wave of "blackening".
Even the A-class family car category, which is known for its conservatism, is no exception, and in order to attract the attention of young people, many models have begun to "blacken" attempts. Like Beijing Hyundai's seventh-generation Elantra, it specially launched the Black Knight limited edition model, as the recognized "Yan Wang" of the category, through the blackening of a large number of body coverings, the appearance value instantly added a lot of points; Toyota Corolla, which was complained about as one of the "three mothers on the road", also launched the GRSPORT sport version model, with a partially blacked kit to win the attention of a new generation of consumer groups.
However, in the face of the increasingly tricky tastes of young people at present, Beijing Hyundai's seventh-generation Elantra Black Rider Limited Edition and Toyota Corolla GRSPORT Sport model, who are more in line with young people's aesthetic preferences and pursuit of performance, we still have to have a comparison.
A trending new landmark of Elantra Black Knight's blackened aesthetic that grew up on aesthetics
In fact, the first popular "Black Samurai" appearance in the domestic automobile circle began with modification, when the modification enthusiasts had a cool visual effect for their cars, filming, painting, adding kits, changing wheels... Subject to many regulatory restrictions, as well as paying a lot of energy and money at the same time, a little too much force will fall into the strange circle of "auto parts city style", and even high-end modified accessories are definitely not as suitable as "original production".
And like the seventh generation of Elantra Black Knight Limited Edition, when the original factory was produced, the appearance part was "modified" almost, and the change was also very advanced. First of all, in the choice of car paint, Beijing Hyundai did not choose the matte black color commonly used in film stores, but adopted a phantom black car paint with a metallic texture, which has a very cool sense of light and shadow under the sunlight, without a little kitsch feeling.
In terms of body kits, the application of black elements by the seventh generation of Elantra is also "not stingy", and the front grille, wheel hub, and lower end of the rear bumper, including the logo part, are all designed to be black, which is usually only in the operation of high-end sports models such as Audi and BMW. With the car-like body and sharp exterior design of the seventh generation Elantra itself, this Black Knight is simply a realistic version of Darth Vader in the automotive industry.
In contrast, the design of the Toyota Corolla GRSPORT Sport model is not so prominent, just replaced by a set of 16-inch matte black wheels, and the rear bumper and LED combination taillights in the rear part of the car make a little blackened smoking effect, if you don't look closely, it is almost not much different from the regular version.
Beneath the blackened exterior is a powerful and powerful Elantra Black Knight with a more material face
Under the cool appearance of full blackening, the power level of the Elantra Black Knight Limited Edition is also remarkable, with a total of two power configurations, one of which is a high-performance powertrain of 1.4T turbo engine + dual-clutch transmission that has won Ward's top ten, which can burst out of 103kW of maximum power and 211N·m torque peak in terms of parameter level, which is definitely better than most other models in the joint venture model at the same price.
Another power combination is the 1.5L self-priming engine + CVT transmission, the maximum power of 84.5kW and the peak torque level of 143.9 are absolutely sufficient for urban driving, and the fuel consumption level of only 4.9L is YYDS. In addition, stable power, low maintenance costs, and low failure rate are also synonymous with this set of powertrains.
Compared with the two powertrains of the Elantra Black Knight, the Corolla GRSPORT Sport Edition is not so lucky, only a 1.5L three-cylinder engine + CVT transmission is a power choice, to know that based on the current domestic market environment, most consumers are unlikely to accept the three-cylinder engine. And now the 1.2T four-cylinder engine sold by Corolla has not launched the GRSPORT Sport version, which can be described as a major failure.
Born with a sports gene, enjoy the high-quality driving control of moving and moving
Young people who really understand cars, after seeing the appearance and power of these appearances, will inevitably explore the deeper chassis control system. At this point, Hyundai Motor, as the largest "outsider" in the European market, can maintain hot sales of many models for many years, especially in the field of small displacement performance vehicles to maintain a very high market position, and its solid chassis tuning skills have played a great role. To know that in Germany, where the speed limit is not limited at high speed, the chassis is not good or not, and it is known if you run a lap at high speed.
The seventh generation of Elantra Black Knight Limited Edition as a model version launched by Beijing Hyundai's main young market, based on the development of Hyundai's i-GMP technology platform, the biggest advantage is the outstanding handling performance. Through a series of operations such as low-center-of-gravity body design, improved front and rear suspension geometry, and optimized body counterweight ratios, the stability and responsiveness of the vehicle at high speeds and corners have been greatly improved; at the same time, the 7th generation Elantra chassis with optimized handling is not as "hard" as the German car, and its solid suspension system also has good driving comfort.
Although the Corolla GRSPORT Sport has the word "sport", its essence is an ordinary family car, and people who may understand the car know the Japanese car, especially the "loose" tuning style of the Toyota chassis. There is a clear example, also in the European market, Toyota's share is much lower than other regions, one of the main reasons is that Toyota's too soft chassis, in the high-speed driving "fluttering" feeling, is really not in line with the appetite of Europeans.
Beijing Hyundai has always been adhering to the concept of "opening up the best life with perfect cars" to create high-quality products that can truly meet the needs of consumers. And the facts are also proving that Elantra has done this, from the launch of the Black Knight limited edition can be seen, through the continuous upgrading of design concepts and product performance, this classic "god car" is now being welcomed by more and more young people.
And Corolla still faces the market with a conservative strategy, relying on the so-called "Toyota faith", not to strive for strength in the product, even if the launch of the sports version of the model, at best, is to put on some more makeup on the face, compared with the seventh generation of Elantra Black Knight, who is more popular with young people, is obviously a high judgment.