Hyundai Reina

Overview

In the bid to clinch on to the sales in the compact entry-level sedan segment, Hyundai introduced Reina in the Philippines. The Hyundai Reina sits below the Accent sedan in the South Korean automaker's lineup and competes with the likes of the Kia Soluto, Suzuki Dzire, and the Nissan Almera. Hyundai offers the Reina in two different variants, namely GL 5MT and GL 4AT. While the Reina GL 5MT is priced at Php 648,000, the Reina GL 4AT carries a price tag of Php 698,000. Customers get to choose from a total of five colors - Polar White, Blue Passion, Oriental Brown, Glowing Silver, and Fiery Red.

Interior & Features

The Hyundai Reina looks likes a common man's common car on the outside. And, the very simplistic approach can be witnessed inside of the South Korean compact entry-level sedan as well. For starters, the compact sedan flaunts a dual-tone upholstery with black and beige being the two protagonists colors. Then we have a 1-DIN music system, dashboard with chrome trim, manual climate control, and a simple three-spoke steering wheel with no audio controls.

Moving on, the seating inside the Hyundai Reina is pretty decent and offers adequate comfort. Other creature comforts inside the Hyundai Reina include sun visor for both driver & passenger, room lamp, power windows, instrument cluster with a 2.8-inch LCD MID, adjustable front headrests with fixed units at the back, and adequate legroom, headroom, shoulder-room, and knee-room courtesy of a 2570 mm wheelbase. A spacious cabin with various storage spaces and just the required features make the Hyundai Reina a compact sedan worth considering.

Exterior

The Hyundai Reina is not a looker by any means, and that's something you better let yourself know before going on the hunt for your new compact entry-level sedan. Anyway, the Hyundai Reina looks just fine but won't be turning heads. While the front end of the compact sedan is made up of the new cascading-effect grille, finely chiselled bumper, blank fog lamp housings, and a hood with a Y-shaped haunch, the rear end, on the other hand, involves not-so-large wraparound wrap around taillamps, boot lid with Hyundai & Reina badging, and a rather plain-looking bumper.

As for the side profile of the Hyundai Reina, the compact sedan flaunts a shoulder line and a few other small creases. Then there are the 14-inch steel wheels with wheel caps taking centre stage. In terms of dimensions, the Hyundai Reina stands 4,300 mm long, 1,705 mm wide, and 1,460 mm tall. There is no LED lighting as both the headlamps and the taillamps feature halogen units, and the sedan doesn't vaunt much chrome either.

Ride & Handling

Now, this is a department where the Hyundai Reina won't disappoint you at all. In addition to the well-cushioned and comfortable seats on the inside, the sedan features a solid suspension setup that brings along MacPherson Strut with Stabilizer at the front and a Coupled Torsion Beam Axle at the rear. The combo, including the monocoque frame, ends up providing the occupants with comfortable and untiring ride quality.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Just like the variant listing, the mechanical section on the Hyundai Reina's specs sheet also covers a modest space, as there is a solitary powerhouse on offer. The compact entry-level South Korean sedan houses a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol-fed engine that is capable of generating 95 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 134 Nm. The transmission options incorporate a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gearbox. In case you're wondering, yes, this is the very engine that we saw on the previous-gen Hyundai Accent.

Braking & Safety

A compact entry-level sedan with no more than 95 PS and 134 Nm up its sleeves doesn't require Brembo brakes, does it? Hence, Hyundai has equipped the Reina with standard disc brakes at the front and drum units at the rear. For enhanced braking performance and safety of people both inside and outside of the compact sedan, the Hyundai Reina also gets ABS with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD). Other safety features on the sedan include dual SRS airbags, speed-sensing door locks, central locking, and others.

Verdict

Even though the Hyundai Reina doesn’t get too many bells and whistles, the South Korean sedan still makes a case good enough for the Philippine masses to consider it before making the final decision. While the compact entry-level segment doesn't feature the likes of a touch-screen infotainment system, steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control, LED lighting, and others, it tries to justify its price tag via a spacious cabin, reliable powertrain, and a very comfortable ride quality. At Php 648,000 or Php 698,000, the Hyundai Sedan is a good bet nonetheless.