Look in Hyundai’s high school yearbook and you’ll see “most improved.” Almost every model the Korean automaker has sent stateside has been a quantum leap forward from its predecessor. The Elantra's roots stretch back to the Excel, which excelled at falling apart. The Elantra name survived; the model went from crap, to cheap, to "say that's not bad." Now we've got the fourth generation Elantra. Does the all-new iteration follow the Sonata and Santa Fe in Hyundai's relentless march from cars you buy because they're dirt cheap to cars you buy because why the Hell should I pay more?
The Elantra sits near the top of the economy car pack in terms of not looking too much like an economy car. Thanks to a dorky swage line that dips in the middle and a teardrop-shaped rear window, the Elantra looks like a Corolla with an untucked shirt. Fortunately, the Korean’s front is all business: crispy tailored creases surrounding the requisite Pokemon thousand yard stare headlights. The Elantra’s a color sensitive beastie; lighter shades tend to highlight some of the car’s more awkward proportions.
At 177 inches long, the new Elantra is significantly shorter than the outgoing model. To put that stat into its proper perspective, the Korean compact is now about the same length as the current Toyota Corolla and roughly 14 feet longer than a mechanical pencil– which is, let’s face it, more aesthetically exciting than either machine. Still, nobody buys an Hyundai or Toyota on looks alone. The bottom line: the Elantra's exterior is modern enough that it’ll still appear fresh when its owner’s five-year warranty expires.
Speaking of fresh, Hyundai’s nostril curling crayon/sulfur olfactory signature is gone. The Elantra’s interior now smells as anodyne as it looks. Yes, the cabin’s about as thrilling as alcohol-free vodka. But it's a remarkably large (more interior volume than the Civic and Corolla) and well-ordered space, swathed in a small selection of wildly inoffensive materials, available in a limited range of gray tones. Still, the Elantra’s fit and finish is beyond reproach– if only because occupants can’t stay awake long enough to kvetch.
The Elantra offers integrated XM radio as part of a cheap audio package. Alas, that’s it for toys. The model's Korean taskmasters have denied their baby any of the other high profit, hi-tech [optional] toys that make Nissan's Versa and Sentra so appealing (Bluetooth, keyless go, hard drive in the dashboard, satellite navigation, etc.). At least you won’t die of boredom. The Elantra’s standard safety features include Electronic Brake-force Distribution, six airbags (including side curtains), antilock brakes and active head restraints. The “rich man's” Elantra SE adds electronic stability and traction control.
The Elantra's dynamic demeanor can be summed up in a single word: easy. There's a theoretical manual transmission, but almost all cars come with a smooth 'n' slow four speed automatic. Pop the Elantra into drive and your brain automatically switches off. Although the seconds required for zero to 60 “sprints” cannot be counted on two hands, the Elantra’s whisper-quiet 2.0-liter, 138 horsepower engine delivers enough pep to merge into traffic and amble around town. Should you find a stick shift Elantra, you can shave two seconds from your dash (down to 8.3 seconds to be precise). But that’s like saying a dash of hot sauce can jazz-up a piece of meatloaf.
Sensibly enough, Hyundai’s chassis engineers completed ignored any notion of sportiness and focused on making the Elantra a pothole munching machine. In this they succeeded. The Elantra’s fully independent McPherson (front) and multilink (rear) suspension is more comfortable and compliant than your favorite slightly kinky sexual metaphor. It surmounts road imperfections with big car ease, with only a distant, rubbery judder to remind you that it’s a hard knock life.
There’s a downside to the Elantra’s mortuarial operating philosophy: its electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion power steering system. The helm is so overboosted that any connection between the steering wheel’s attitude and the rubber wheel’s direction is strictly intellectual. The car responds to the tiller both quickly and competently, but without one iota of dynamic feedback, it's best not to attempt anything resembling a driving maneuver. Just ease on down the line.
Don't get me wrong: piloting the Elantra is a disco-era joy. Kicking back and guiding the compact via a single finger hooked delicately around the rim of a plastic steering wheel is more old school than putting a pack of smokes under your shirt sleeve. Alternatively, you could say the Elantra’s the best entry-level model that Buick never made.
Priced to go, temperate in its thirst, the all-new Elantra is a guaranteed hit. People that love frugality almost as much as they hate driving per se should run right out and buy one. In fact, the (literally) mind-numbing sophistication of the new Elantra makes it clear that Hyundai is the new Toyota. How great is that?
yaaaaawwwn!
…What was that?
zzzzzzzzzzzz
Vega :
That was the sound of a hit product landing on American shores.
Right now Hyundai is offering heaps of incentives on the Sonata, in the “mid-size” free-for-all.
On the Elantra not so much- they even took away the longstanding customer-loyalty spiff on this model alone. Must mean they are having less trouble moving it.
By price and reliability this is about the best appliance you can suggest anyone climb inside of. That’s not a bad thing.
Hyundai’s have come a long way. There was once a time where the only way I’d recommend a hyundai was if you were doing a turbo’d sleeper (Early Elantra’s were powered by the same 2.0 four-banger that was the basis for turbo Eclipses and early Lancer Evolutions), but this looks like about as basic a car as you can get. Sometimes simplicity is a beautiful thing. Less toys = less distractions.
When I first saw this Elantra in pictures from the side it struck me that the designer that had penned the 97-01 Tiburon must have done this car too…from the weird crease down the side to the tear drop rear windows on the sides – it looks like a slightly toned down four door Tiburon from the side, albeit taller.
I am seeing a lot of these around Central Ohio, so the dealers here are not having too much trouble moving them. Some of the other newer models aren’t moving so well here though – the Veracruz comes to mind, as does the Entourage (but the Kia Sedona moves just fine off the lots – I am thinking most people still don’t realize that Hyundai sells a mini-van now, even if it is a badge engineered Sedona).
Nice little car. Wow, did I just say that about a Hyundai? Well, truth be told, we are actually on our 2nd Hyundai Sonata (2002, now 2007), V6 followed by a four (dropping only 7 horsepower).
We probably would have bought an Elantra instead this time, except that we bought a new little pop-up camper this summer, and obviously wanted to be able to tow it!
Sheesh, to look back and think that, at the time I bought the 2002, I was so disgusted with Detroit Inc that I figured “what the heck, it can’t be any worse than those Neons, preceeded by Cavalier, preceeded by Town Car and Taurus.”
The 2002 Sonata was “better than average” if not up to Toyota/Honda quality, and the longevity did not seem to be there compared to these top tier car makers either. There were glitches starting in about 50,000 miles and getting worse by 72,000 miles when traded off. Not Detroit style glitches, but glitches. Though it did have a mystery no-start scenario which came and went (finally found to be a bad internal ground in the main computer, thankfully replaced under the extended warrantee Hyundai gave us). Only left us stranded for as long as 10 minute at a time. Still, it caused us to not actually “buy” another Hyundai for the long-term.
Instead we leased the ’07 Sonata for zero down, $211 a month. This was well over a hundred dollars savings over the prior Sonata car payment over 6 years. And we get to turn it in in 2 years and see what we want then.
Sales numbers tell the story—-Hyundai year-on-year retail sales are flat to declining despite an all new product line and more cash on the hood than some domestics.
Think this Elantra will change the stagnant Hyundai course ? Unlikely. Domestics have improved—and its unlikely someone that is very happy with their Toyota or Honda will switch.
Net, Hyundai have captured the low hanging fruit—I do not think they will get much more share anytime soon.
Anybody else think that the tail lights are vaguely reminiscent of… heresy, blasphemy… the current 3-series sedan’s?
When we met, my wife had just bought a used, low-mileage Elantra somewhere between “cheap” and “say that’s not bad.” I wasn’t impressed, but it was low mileage – or so she was told. I happened to read through the owner’s manual, and someone had noted on the last page that the odometer was replaced at 48K miles.
This Elantra has hung in there, though, and since it gets up to 40 mpg, about 10 mpg better than my more comfortable car, we mostly choose it for our weekend jaunts.
I’m skeptical about this car being much of a hit…I certainly haven’t seen many around here, but maybe that’s because they’re practically invisible. I see the fuel economy ratings are 25/33…is this for the auto or the stick? The stick Corolla is pulling 28/37. This is like a Corolla that doesn’t hold up as well and doesn’t get as good fuel economy, but is every bit as anonymous.
Nice review. Its missing two key components for people shopping this class, price as compared to its competitors and mpg figures.
The Elantra’s roots stretch back to the Excel, which excelled at falling apart.
While I’m not certain, I think they stretch back as far as the Pony, which we were lucky (ahem) enough to get in Canada.
…the requisite Pokemon thousand yard stare headlights.
Sometimes I don’t like the ‘clever’ writing in the reviews, but this line was just priceless.
So much of the writing in TTAC is attempts at cleverness that fall flat and interfere with getting the information across. But this was full of absolutely delightful lines that did the job. I might cite in particular the riff about the mechanical pencil and “more compliant than your favorite slightly kinky sexual metaphor,” and the entire graph about piloting the Elantra. Plus, I have a very clear sense of the car. Great job, Berkowitz!!!
Even if this years sales figures for Hyundai are slightly down or flat they are still ahead of the big three as far as cash flow goes…that’s the important thing.
As far as quality, the 2.0 in the Elantra has been around for almost 10 years now, although it has been updated a few times since it debuted along with the 10 year/100k mile warranty. I had a Hyundai with the first version of this engine and traded that car in with 117k on the odometer. That car had less problems than my current Grand Am has with half the miles, and the GA is 4 years newer.
I can’t conceive of why anyone would pay extra for Bluetooth, hard drive, satellite nav, etc, on an economy car- last I heard the Sentra wasn’t selling all that well. I also can’t see who is going to pay list price for this when there is so much stiff competition out there, even from the Sonata. I don’t understand the whole keyless ignition thing- when did it become such an ordeal to twist a key? What will you do when it breaks?
All of that electronic flashiness is what causes BMW/Mercedes/VW so many quality problems down the line and leaves the owners a bad taste in their mouths, so Hyundai is right to avoid it.
There are probably more empty-nest boomers who will buy this car than the intended young folks, like for the Scions and Element, and they don’t want any of that gimcrackery.
you neglected to mention that Prince is shortly going to sue the pants off of them for making the car available in “purple rain.”
When my 15 year old ride was out for a paint job, the shop gave me a 5-ish year old Elantra 5-speed for a service loaner.
That Elantra had a seriously hard life, chassis/suspension damage that was never fixed right, stains and scratches aplenty, etc. But wow, it had no complaints when I pounded through the gears to get some cheap thrills. The interior held up well even with the neglect, no squeaks or rattles…it was a Toyota Corolla if you pried off its badges.
Hyundai earned some respect from me after that. Wish I could say the same for the punks who gave it to me while respraying my car.
I had the displeasure of being the main driver of my ex’s 2004 elantra. A really awful car, uncomfortable seats, and terrible handling. I wouldn’t dare push it above 75, it felt like the slightest twitch of the wheel would send it rolling. The worst thing about the car? That it probably would never die. You can’t resell it and so you end up stuck with a car that you despise.
The Hyundai dealer was pretty sleazy as well. When the wipers stopped working they tried to charge her $170 to fix even though it was under warranty. Turns out that the wipers weren’t even broken. There was a screw that pops out if the wiper gets overextended (which it seemed to do on it’s own). You just have to screw it back in with a regular screwdriver. Took 2 seconds.
Will this be the KO after the Japanese one two punch?
Everyone’s sales figures were pretty flate for last month, there’s a downturn int he new car market, or haven’t you heard?
Seems to me that the prices on Korean-made vehicles have been creeping up (albeit along with the quality and content); it makes me wonder if Korean auto workers are benefitting at all, or if there’s just more corporate profit. $17K is in Civic/Mazda 3 territory; you really need to be hitting a price point to choose this car over the competition.
umterp85:
Sales numbers tell the story—-Hyundai year-on-year retail sales are flat to declining despite an all new product line and more cash on the hood than some domestics.
Think this Elantra will change the stagnant Hyundai course ? Unlikely. Domestics have improved—and its unlikely someone that is very happy with their Toyota or Honda will switch.
Net, Hyundai have captured the low hanging fruit—I do not think they will get much more share anytime soon.
Well said. Hyundai a few months ago was at the *peak* of a new product blitz. Most of their lineup is either new or redesigned. So what have they gotten for all their effort? Flat-to-declining sales compared to 2006. Now that the product blitz has come to a halt, what do you imagine will happen in 2008? Sales could easily decline in 2008.
If anyone thinks this new Elantra is going to change that, you’re only kidding yourself.
This Elantra might steal some potential Cobalt or Focus customers, but it doesn’t offer anything to conquest Toyota/Honda buyers, especially with a new Corolla on it’s way.
NN:
I’m skeptical about this car being much of a hit…I certainly haven’t seen many around here, but maybe that’s because they’re practically invisible. I see the fuel economy ratings are 25/33…is this for the auto or the stick? The stick Corolla is pulling 28/37. This is like a Corolla that doesn’t hold up as well and doesn’t get as good fuel economy, but is every bit as anonymous.
That just about sums up my thoughts on this car. 25/33 EPA is for the auto; strangely enough the manual does worse at 24/33.
Hyundai brags in it’s advertising that the new Elantra has more standard features than the Corolla. Too bad for Hyundai then that a new Corolla is right around the corner, one that will have more standard features than this Elantra.
Two rather important standard features strangely absent on the base model Elantra are an audio player with aux input jack, and a tilt-telescopic steering wheel. To get these two features, you have to move up to the pricier Elantra SE model as the base GLS does not have these features. The new Corolla in base model trim will have standard tilt-telescopic steering wheel and audio player with aux input jack. Plus, the new Corolla blows away the Elantra with the options it will offer, like auto A/C, bluetooth, and nav.
This is besides the obvious points you mentioned NN, being that the Elantra likely won’t hold up as well as the Corolla and it won’t get as good fuel economy.
$17,000 is too much money for a commuter car – if it was $15,000 we would be talking. I could care less about any options much beyond a CD player and cruise control – the rest is useless to me.
That is the rub on buying cars like this – for $17k I’d go corolla and get much better resale value, deserved or not.
Perhaps TTAC should start using more stars in the grading system – too many 3’s popping up.
3/5 seems to be capturing everything from ‘not offensive’ to ‘not quite exciting enough in its niche’.
@taxman100 $17k was a fairly loaded model. Forget the CD player and cruise control, and you can have an Elantra for $15,275.
Someone please help me here…why is there this thing about calling Toyotas and Hyundais “bland and boring”, but not the equivalent cars in other companies’ lineups? Is the G5 supposed to be an exciting looking car? Does the Aveo “have soul”? I mean, they are all equally blah.
Johnson, I don’t get the snickering tone of your comments.
“Hyundai brags in it’s advertising that the new Elantra has more standard features than the Corolla. Too bad for Hyundai then that a new Corolla is right around the corner, one that will have more standard features than this Elantra.”
So what? Every big maker plays Can You Top This when their new models come out. You could say the same thing about the new Accord acing the new Camry.
“The Elantra likely won’t hold up as well as the Corolla.”
Oh yes, Invincible Toyota. Like the new Camrys and Avalons with the self-destructing automatic transmission. Or the new Tundras with the camshaft problem and the bed problem. Or all the other accumulated failures that just earned Toyota a humiliating demotion in the Consumer Reports quality rankings. Where the Hyundai-Toyota comparison is concerned, you really should adjust your johnson.
So what? Every big maker plays Can You Top This when their new models come out. You could say the same thing about the new Accord acing the new Camry.
I pointed that out because it’s a silly marketing scheme to directly target and name your competition in your advertising. Last I checked, the new Accord ads do not directly mention the Camry. Toyota also never directly mentions the competition in it’s ads. Directly mentioning the competition in ads makes an automaker seem desperate or “try hard” and it also puts the competition on a pedestal.
Oh yes, Invincible Toyota. Like the new Camrys and Avalons with the self-destructing automatic transmission. Or the new Tundras with the camshaft problem and the bed problem. Or all the other accumulated failures that just earned Toyota a humiliating demotion in the Consumer Reports quality rankings. Where the Hyundai-Toyota comparison is concerned, you really should adjust your johnson.
Less than 500 engines were affected with the camshaft problem, a problem which was solved months ago. The tailgate problem, I’ll give you that one. Also, only the 6 speed tranny has quality problems in the Camry. The 5 speed has been solid.
Last I checked, the Corolla does not have a tailgate, nor does it have the Tundra’s 5.7L engine, nor does use a 6 speed tranny.
Also, last I checked the Corolla had a better reputation for quality. The new Corolla has already been on-sale for months in other markets around the world and so far no quality problems have been reported.
Replying to Mo:
Someone please help me here…why is there this thing about calling Toyotas and Hyundais “bland and boring”, but not the equivalent cars in other companies’ lineups? Is the G5 supposed to be an exciting looking car? Does the Aveo “have soul”? I mean, they are all equally blah.
They are bland because you see them everywhere. You see them everywhere because many people bought them. Many people bought them because they are well made.
In other words, bland = automotive excellence.
You know, BMW 3-series and Infinity G35 are bland in certain communities. Bland is the opposite of quirky (i.e. VWs).
This question comes in along the same lines as Mo‘s commment… I’m having a hard time grasping the meaning of the star-based review system here. The Elantra review, in particular, seems like a good place to voice this:
What would the Elantra have needed to make it a 5-star car?
I ask only because Justin seems to have given it a completely clean bill-of-health, and let’s be frank, there isn’t a whole lot more a car could be in this segment and still do what it is supposed to do. (That is, A-B transportation in comfort and quality as cheaply as possible.)
Alternatively, name a car in this segment that *is* deserving of the 4 or 5 star rating…
Another car perfect for the average American who cares not about steering quality as long as they can park badly at the supermarket and cares not about power as long as they have enough to ignore that stop sign and cut me off.
@AndyR:
I hear what you’re saying, and it’s a fair argument. From my perspective, the risk is rating cars, especially the star rating, exclusively on “what they intended to accomplish,” because at some point you can end up giving a Pontiac G5 a 5-star rating because it’s exactly what Pontiac intended a G5 to be.
Shortcomings in this particular car that limited it to 3 stars:
-the 4-speed auto is not only low tech, but results in revving higher than it should at 55+ mph. It was too noisy on the highway.
-telescoping steering wheel just not available without getting the more expensive ($18,000) SE model.
-The mileage/acceleration trade off in this car is not impressive for the segment, at 25/33 and 10.5 seconds to 60. I’m not asking for drag race power, but under 10 seconds is becoming the norm and is really helpful for merging.
-Overboosted electric steering is comfortable for the hands, but I felt it was so bad as to be a safety issue. You can easily over or under turn the wheel.
-The car has zero style or panache about it, inside or out.
-It’s not even remotely fun to drive.
The truth is, the Elantra is a toaster. That’s fine, since it’s an excellent. I really like it, for what it is. But our star ratings are more comprehensive than “does it accomplish the mission.” If so, the Aveo could have 5 stars for being a cheap car that takes you to work and nothing more.
For the segment (cars around $15k?) I haven’t driven anything I would give 5 stars to. The Mazda3, if I was rating it, would be worth 4 stars. The Mini Cooper is wayyyy more money, but it’s a 5 star car.
I think we should cut Hyundai some slack. They make good cars for a reasonable cost and offer a better warranty than most. Name another company in ANY business that has improved their products as much as and as fast as Hyundai.
As to the Elantra, I don’t think they intended to sell them to speed freaks or executives. Boring suits most people just fine, as long as it gets them A-B everyday.
Korean cars are rising in price due to the falling dollar. Hyundai can mitigate that somewhat with US production but ultimately US buyers are seeing the effect of the Euro on the dollar.
I think the interior is nice in this car, at least we don’t have the cyclops instrument pack so popular these days. Putting gauges in the center of the dash is a bad idea, it flushes the soul of the car away.
GS650G : “I think we should cut Hyundai some slack”
NO—-given the title of this website—the Truth is the Truth—nobody gets any slack here.
The TRUTH is that other than a “warranty scheme”…Hyundai does not do anything exceptionally well nor do they differentiate in any meaningful way.
It doesn’t matter where they came from—its what is on the table now. As stated earlier—whats on the table for Hyundai is a couple tough years as their main courses (re: new product lineup)have not attracted enough new eaters to fill the restaurant.
I guess whether you think toys in a compact or smaller car are worthwhile depends on what you use them for. I’m guessing that it would be Taxman’s second car for commuting, so he doesn’t need all the extra stuff. If I was buying it, however, I would want the nicer stereo and CD player and Bluetooth because that’s what I would want in my primary car. I’d be glad if automakers started to out-do each other with their compact and smaller cars. That would mean that they would actually care about them, which is all I ask.
I read a few interesting tidbits about Hyundai lately. First, Automotive News recently wrote that Hyundai is planning to do a hybrid Elantra and Sonata by 2010. I also surmised from a few sources that it may well be that Hyundai may offer their new 2.2 litre diesel in their Sonata with a 5 speed automatic (this drivetrain is now sold in Europe in their larger Azera). This would possibly be coming by next autumn, they need to get the emissions in check for the US market. I also read that an upcoming V6 diesel is going to be available in the Veracruz SUV.
Finally, the Hyundai people are aware that now that the yen vs dollar is not moving apart as fast as the won vs dollar (i.e., Hyundai have essentially lost their price advantage against the Japanese over the last year or so due to the Japanese keeping the value of their money closer to the depreciating US dollar), Hyundai are apparently planning on a Mexican production plant to manufacture smaller cars for North America. They’ve already determined (apparently from the 2.8) that they can’t turn a profit on small cars built in the US – with their famous amounts of standard equipment and warratee.
Can’t kick Hyundai for building a Mexican plant, however (assuming they do). They’re just playing the Nafta game, same as the 2.8. And, at least they did build a plant in Alabama (and their Kia partners are building a plant in Mississippi).
I forgot to add these salient facts. With hybrids AND diesels AND eventually value pricing on small cars (Mexican plant) being mixed into their line-up, I wouldn’t bet that Hyundai’s market share is going to stay flat. Overall sales is flat right now, and next year, it is going to do a swan dive (I have this gut feeling). But I wouldn’t write off Hyundai as a flash-in-the-pan.
Didn’t anyone else see the prez of Toyota’s statement translated from Japanese just the other day? “Hyundai is a formidable enemy”. I guess in US PC-speak, it would have come out “Hyundai is a formidable competitor”. But perhaps the Japanese don’t have to be as PC as we think we do, and can actuall speak truth! Ha.
>>This Elantra might steal some potential Cobalt or Focus customers, but it doesn’t offer anything to conquest Toyota/Honda buyers, especially with a new Corolla on it’s way.
Let’s see. Can we get stability control on a Civic? Traction control? A 5/10 warranty? 5 year roadside assistance free? Factory satellite radio? Heated seats? A $2000 savings? More interior room than anyone else in the segment (Sentra possible exception).
glenn126:
They’re just playing the Nafta game, same as the 2.8. And, at least they did build a plant in Alabama (and their Kia partners are building a plant in Mississippi).
The Kia plant is under construction in West Point, Geogia.
AndyR :
November 28th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
This question comes in along the same lines as Mo’s commment… I’m having a hard time grasping the meaning of the star-based review system here. The Elantra review, in particular, seems like a good place to voice this:
What would the Elantra have needed to make it a 5-star car?
I ask only because Justin seems to have given it a completely clean bill-of-health, and let’s be frank, there isn’t a whole lot more a car could be in this segment and still do what it is supposed to do. (That is, A-B transportation in comfort and quality as cheaply as possible.)
Alternatively, name a car in this segment that *is* deserving of the 4 or 5 star rating…
How about a Mazda3? More standard features, better acceleration, and much more fun to drive based on Justin’s description of the Elantra (I’ve only driven the various itterations of the Mazda3 not the Elantra).
This seems to be one of the better cars to have your college-bound kid take with them. There’s a low cost of entry, nice warranty, decent quality scores, big trunk (they have to visit home sometime!), and a welcome lack of distractions that either set people up to have them break or cause an accident.
(If I ever read the words – “The New 20xx Hyundai Elantra/Sonata – Now with a new Lane Departure System” pack your bags and say your peace with the diety of your choice since the world is ending now.)
I’ve recently rented a 2007 Sonata and also a 2007 Azera and was stunned with how much Hyundai has caught up and surpassed many makes and models it competes with. With the next road trip being longer, I might see if they have one of these to rent since I would like to save a few bucks on gas. I hope my experience will be as good as this review.
No one has mentioned the upcoming Elantra hatchback that has been making the rounds at the auto shows. It will probably be available as a 2009 model.
Different from the old hatchback it replaces, it screams: “STATION WAGON”! It’s more of a station wagon than the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, but not as much of one as the Volkswagen Jetta and Suzuki Forenza.
But then, I like station wagons. With so few station wagons available in its class, a Hyundai Elantra hatchback is something I would consider over the mediocre Forenza or the over-priced Jetta.
Yes, I have actually driven one of these (I only comment on the cars I drive, and since I go on government sponsored trips quite frequently, I get to drive A LOT of rental fleet fodder).
The car’s personality exactly mirrors this review. The Elantra goes, stops, turns, and euthanizes without any drama or fuss, perfect for most commuters. I danced with this particular partner for about a week in New Mexico where I got to wring its little neck up the backside of Sandia Peak (Hwy 14, 17 miles, over 30 hairpin turns, all uphill), and it went like a fat kid trying to get in shape for the prom… i.e. it went, I knew it was trying, but ultimately, it fell flat footed and lost.
That said, it was better than the Corolla I had in Las Vegas a month ago. When merging onto I-15, the lack of feeling from the helm was a bit scary when trying to place the car on an on-ramp, at night, with drunk yokels yelling “whoooooooo” out the sunroof of the stretched Panther-chassis limos that are everywhere (because they are so cheap to rent). The lines are more interesting to look at (interesting, not better), the interior was better, and it was just as quick.
But I would still buy a used Civic.
I think the Elantra could steal into Corolla sales somewhat. The Focus, Civic, and Cobalt all have 2 door models available so they tend to sell more to younger folks. The Corolla and Elantra appeal to older people.
Ok, so Hyundai may have solved the problem of “unsightliness, but it is still a long, long way from attractive. My other question is have these Korean dog eaters fixed their reliability problem?
For years their transmissions have been junk, needing to be replaced at 60,000 miles or less is far from a rare occurrence.
MANUAL OR AUTOMATIC.
Hyundai is the Samsung of the auto industry. It went from being the laughing stock to a genuine value leader as well as real quality rival to the Japanese.
The Elantra likely won’t hold up as well as the Corolla.
In my family we have an 03 Elantra VE and an 05 Corolla CE. Both are flawless in terms of reliability. The Elantra’s build quality is a hair better than the Corolla. The Corolla’s fuel economy is much better than the Elantra and the Corolla is rated as an ULEV in Canada. Aside from those differences both vehicles are standing up to the abuse typical of a family of 8 where so far the Elantra has been used to teach 3 of the 6 kids how to drive. I don’t think Toyota is worried about GM or the other Detroit ironworks in terms of building an economical, reliable, quality small car but they are watching Hyundai like a hawk. I am not a big fan of the styling of the new Elantra but I know it to be a rock solid quality car.
I don’t think we’ll ever see westhighgoalie on a flight to Seoul…wow.
ra_pro: isn’t Goldstar/LG a Korean brand also? I remember way back when with the great 80’s game shows that if a microwave or dishwasher was won, it was a Goldstar. I thought they “morphed” into LG a few years back and their products are as popular as ever.
(If I’m totally wrong, I’m sorry – the head is in a total fog due to illness!!!)
I’m also reminded of South Korea’s past especially leading to the 1988 Summer Games. You might recall the massive anti-government protests during the game since their “democratic” system wasn’t really that. At that time, wasn’t Hyundai’s bread and butter cargo shipping? That’s probably easier for a somewhat corrupt government to regulate instead of making and exporting high quality cars at a fair price. Man that first generation Excel was terrible…
@ theflyersfan
Yes, Goldstar = LG = “Lucky Goldstar” – the full name of the company. LG is an abbreviation of “Lucky Geumseong” in South Korea, which is translated into English as Lucky Venus—”Venus” being “Gold Star”.
The Korean “Chaebols” / large conglomerates do almost everything. Hyundai, for example, started life as a construction co, but now it does the following (although the co’s below are not necessarily legally related):
1) the world’s 6th largest automaker;
2) the world’s largest shipbuilder;
3) top semiconductor producer;
4) elevators;
5) container services;
6) tourism
Captain Neek:
Korean equivalents of the Japanese Keiretsu. I like it!
Even in the States, the Hyundai name appears on all sort of stuff. Computer monitors are one more commonly seen example.
Hyundai cars are descent cars. If you are wishing to make the price lower than a Corolla you will be dreaming for the rest of your life. The High cost of shipping, tarriff taxes, so on and so forth,
Remember Koreans are like Japanese almost the same language and culture.
The Land of the Can do Spirit
They build the biggest oil tanker in the world,manufacture great quality winter jackets,
industrial equipments,trucks,boats etc etc.
Comparing another product is The Typical American Consumer. We complain about the quality of cars But You never really Look at the back of your Shirt and see where was it made from China.
I wonder how Chinese products are doing.
Hey!!Did my kid just chewed a Lead coated toy
After some seriously bad experiences with Korean cars, I was so disgusted that I swore to never to buy Korean products if an alternative is available. But I have been very pleased with LG electronics. I still think Hyundai and Kias all stink, but not because of the country of origin.
As Johnster mentioned, the new Elantra wagon/hatch eliminates the Civic and new Focus from consideration. That leaves (realistically) what, the dying-for-a-refresh but still excellent Mazda 3 and the new Matrix. To me, this is a very useful review if it anticipates the new Elantra hatch content. I fear, though, that the hatch will be Mazda 3 pricing without the 3’s driving dynamics.
And I seem to rent NOTHING but Sonatas lately, and they are the most inoffensive car I’ve ever used. If they had a wagon, I would at least think about buying one and driving it into the dirt over the next two decades or so. But one commenter here, I think a month ago or so, mentioned the MANDATORY timing chain/belt replacement on Hyundais, which is like a four-figure repair? If that’s true of all Hyundais, forget that, I’ll get a Honda.
As for stars, it’s too trite to go with half stars, but the rating summary and performance review are what really tell the story.
Hope
You
Understand
Nothings
Drivable
And
Inexpensive
By the way a lot of my College buddies drives Hyundai, They don’t care what kind of car it is as long it takes them point A to B.
Yes Honda and Toyota are good cars Again ang Again(Everyone knows that) and Hyundai sucks..Is that what We said about Mazda 30 years ago that they suck too?
Transmission problem, probably if you don’t know how to drive an Automatic it will break. to be a tail gater and Stop and Go ooops stop and go again driver.
American Consumer is again dictated by the Media.
By the way who killed the electric cars in California 15 years ago? US… who else
Truly a Toyota Corolla in drag. Not much drag actually.
The Hyundai name is on every oil tanker. Now you know where they make their money. :)
I’d make a suggestion for a new rating system to replace the 5 star system that would give you a little more lattitude in rating a car. Use a 1 to 10 point system, You could even have a cool tachometer graphic to show the rating.
I can hear all those horrible Radio spots at the local NJ dealer now.
It you can throw a football and have $69, will give you 30% off our price to take this “snorecar” home.
umterp85:
The TRUTH is that other than a “warranty scheme”…Hyundai does not do anything exceptionally well nor do they differentiate in any meaningful way.
It doesn’t matter where they came from—its what is on the table now. As stated earlier—whats on the table for Hyundai is a couple tough years as their main courses (re: new product lineup)have not attracted enough new eaters to fill the restaurant.
Exactly. Hyundai does not do anything exceptionally well and they don’t differentiate in any meaningful way. They are simply trying to imitate Toyota and Honda.
Also, despite their entire product lineup being new or redesigned, they have been struggling sales-wise.
glenn126:
I read a few interesting tidbits about Hyundai lately. First, Automotive News recently wrote that Hyundai is planning to do a hybrid Elantra and Sonata by 2010. I also surmised from a few sources that it may well be that Hyundai may offer their new 2.2 litre diesel in their Sonata with a 5 speed automatic (this drivetrain is now sold in Europe in their larger Azera). This would possibly be coming by next autumn, they need to get the emissions in check for the US market. I also read that an upcoming V6 diesel is going to be available in the Veracruz SUV.
An almost entirely new product line-up has not helped Hyundai sales, so I doubt hybrids or diesel offerings will ignite their sales.
glenn126:
Didn’t anyone else see the prez of Toyota’s statement translated from Japanese just the other day? “Hyundai is a formidable enemy”. I guess in US PC-speak, it would have come out “Hyundai is a formidable competitor”. But perhaps the Japanese don’t have to be as PC as we think we do, and can actuall speak truth! Ha.
Toyota considers everyone a formidable competitor. It’s part of their paranoia-filled corporate culture. Even a small competitor is considered formidable by Toyota. Quite smart when you think about it as it reduces complacency in the company.
ronin:
Let’s see. Can we get stability control on a Civic? Traction control? A 5/10 warranty? 5 year roadside assistance free? Factory satellite radio? Heated seats? A $2000 savings? More interior room than anyone else in the segment (Sentra possible exception).
I believe you can get some of those things, not all. Besides, you can get things on a Civic that you can’t get on an Elantra, like a solid reputation for reliability, unique interior/exterior styling, great fuel economy, and a sporty fun ride that has a good comfort/handling compromise.
ra_pro:
Hyundai is the Samsung of the auto industry. It went from being the laughing stock to a genuine value leader as well as real quality rival to the Japanese.
Not quite. Samsung went from laughing stock to (very quickly) value and quality rival to the Japanese to where it is now: an innovative company in it’s own right that has stopped copying the Japanese and is forging it’s own path and identity in the marketplace. Hyundai isn’t quite there yet.
Ronin:
Let’s see. Can we get stability control on a Civic? Traction control? A 5/10 warranty? 5 year roadside assistance free? Factory satellite radio? Heated seats? A $2000 savings? More interior room than anyone else in the segment (Sentra possible exception).
Johnson:
I believe you can get some of those things, not all.
Which? No doubt the Civic is a more sporty feel, and better fuel economy. But after discounts it will cost you $2000 more, and you get fewer features and less support.
Occurrences like these make me never want to purchase from a[the]Korean automaker. Ever.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gzFOP2t_blo
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=9
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=224
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
Nue,
I don’t get the last link. The 04-06 Elantra recieved a Good rating. Am I missing something?
Sanman111,
Read the test details, as a fuel leak occurred the first time and the airbags failed to deploy the second time around. Again.
Ok, so Hyundai may have solved the problem of “unsightliness, but it is still a long, long way from attractive. My other question is have these Korean dog eaters fixed their reliability problem?
I think the new Sonata is really sharp looking. And I know several people with 100K plus on their Sonatas with practically zero problems.
John
Hyundai really needs to stop copying car designs. Way to completely lift the rear from a Corolla, guys – no better way to prove that you make great cars than by making them look like those made by your competition.
ronin:
“No doubt the Civic is a more sporty feel, and better fuel economy. But after discounts it will cost you $2000 more, and you get fewer features and less support.”
Can you get features like unique design, great resale value, and rock-solid reliability on an Elantra? Because that stuff’s worth more than 2 grand for me – and for many others as well. And long warranty really means jack – most people don’t keep their cars for more than 3 years anyway, and Civics keep on rolling with few problems way past that.
@f8:
[on an Elantra]Can you get featureslike unique design,
Er, no.
great resale value
That’s a negatory, too.
and rock-solid reliability
That one, yes.
Reference the timing belt replacement comment: all current generation Sonata, Azera, etc. V6 engines are chain, not belt. No maintenance needed.
Regarding Elantras reliability (i.e. transmissions), it’s a fact that it has one of the lowest warranty costs per vehicle in Hyundai’s current line up.
I absolutely agree with the comment that Hyundai has followed the path of Samsung and has made the make over from the joke de jour to a force to be reckoned with in the automotive market; albeit that force may be confined to every day joes that just want a fairly comfortable A to B ride.
Justin Berkowitz:
“Er, no.
That’s a negatory, too.”
Are you saying that Civic’s design isn’t unique and it doesn’t have great resale value compared to Hyundai? If so, I don’t really know what to say to you. Go on a test drive, read the classifieds, see for yourself. Honestly though, Civic – even with the Star Wars-dashboard and greenhouse interior – is far more interesting visually than a third-rate knockoff of an old Toyota look by no-talent Korean designers.
The Corolla and ToYoMoCo in general is the zzzzzzzzz king. Lord Supra and the Corolla GT-S pawn have long since been slayed. And if Toyota knows its got a boring car syndrome that could bite it later (creating the “Committee to Create Interesting Cars”, no joke), why would Hyundai go running towards a fire Toyota knows it should be running from?
f8:
You read his meaning in reverse.
he’s saying “er no you can’t get unique design in Hyundais nor great resale value”
But he is saying “Yes! You can get rock solid reliability in Hyundais.”
Note this “third-rate knockoff” design was created by AMERICANS in California. I really can’t fault carmakers the drawing inspiration from other designs. Some older Honda Civics and Accords remind me of BMW and Mercedes and it makes them look classier. Elantra just shouldn’t copied the most generic parts of the Corolla.
General thoughts not addressing f8:
As I know most of these sites are written for car enthusiasts by car enthusiasts, people who value “driveability” and “performance” and “fun” over reliability and practicality.
Hyundai started this redesign in ’04 when the Corolla actually looked a lot more snazzy compared to then super boring Civic. The 00-07 Corollas, boring or not, that is completely subjective, is a 7 stars out of 5 if you work sales into the equation. It is the winner by a mile. So it makes perfect sense to me for Hyundai to go after the same set of customers who made Corollas a mega-hit…not folks that haunt cartalk forums, but people who want a decent-looking, easy to drive, affordable, economical and reliable vehicle. They don’t fret about body roll or how fast they can hit 60 if they floor the pedal.
I think they did a bang-up job at coming up with an alternative to Corolla…as this and other reviews echo.
But the Corolla crowd is a cautious lot, not really willing to experiment, so winning sales from Toyota will be extremely difficult. Around the SF Bay Area, 07 Elantras are a rare sight. I see more Lexus IS250’s than Elantras.
I bought myself an Elantra and it is plenty fun to drive…that’s me coming from a 1993 Geo Prizm. I have had extended drives in rentals including driving a Mustang convertible down windy Hwy One, but I admit I don’t push a car enuff to notice the quirks/plusses that test editors find.
I did hate the Elantra’s light electronic steering (since the Prizm had hydraulic PS). Taking quick turns was sometimes scary. There is some feedback , just not that much, and I am sure the editor would have adapted to it if he had the car as long as I have. “It’s no Saturn Ion” is what i am saying.
And the shift points are a little weird compared to other cars I’ve had, most noticeable during gradual acceleration. (Maybe it is the CVVT or changes to the tranny to save gas)
Otherwise pretty satisfactory all around. I chose the car because of price and reliability and because there are 5,000 Corollas in my town, but I am beginning to appreciate the 4-wheel disc brakes, XM, MP3 port, sunroof, leather steering wheel, 16in-alloy wheels (all for 15,700). Owning this car may turn me into a budding car enthusiast.
I just spent 8hrs yesterday looking at all of the cars in this class. I’m taking today (Sunday) to read reviews and do even more research on my top two choices. This is on top of six months of preparation and research leading up to tomorrow when I’ll buy my first brand new car. (2x Civic’s, a Ford LTD and a Charger previously).
The top two choices are the ’08 Elantra GLS and the ’08 Mazda 3 GS. I also test drove the 08 Civic, Toyota Corola and the Toyota Matrix. Before my test drive day I had already eliminated the Focus, VW City Jetta, and the Nissan Versa.
The Elantra didn’t even make my initial list and I only stopped in because a friend of mine recommended the salesman. Now there is Truth! He was excellent as were the rest of the staff at the dealership! Compared to the VW dealer, who didn’t even call me back or the Toyota dealer who gave me the keys for the test drive and disappeared.
The Elantra was the biggest surprise for me. I discounted it originally because it looked so small in the pictures online. Getting inside of it and seeing that huge trunk space was really shocking. Coming from a Honda civic, the trunk in the Elantra is absolutely massive. As research confirmed, the Elantra has the largest trunk in it’s class, the largest interior, the most leg room and the largest back seat – out of all of these cars, it’s the roomiest. It is also the most fuel efficient (8L/100km city, 6L/100km hwy) And with a 2.0L, 4 cyl, DOHC, multi-port fuel injected, 16 valve motor – it’s zippy enough for an economy car. The braking was excellent. I test drove it on frozen, snow covered roads and held the corners and stopped better than anything else I have ever driven. (Notably bad in this department was the Matrix, which almost slid through a 4 way stop and went sideways when I tried to get it to go again).
The interior is way beyond what I thought a Hyundai interior would look like. It is classy, sporty and extremely comfortable for my 6’1″ height. The blue lights inside the dash and stereo are extended to the power window controls in the door. Just another really cool feature that reflects how much time and thought has gone into this car.
The Mazda 3 was the other runner up. It came out about $2000 more expensive for their “equivalently” optioned model. The truth here is that the Mazda 2 GLS is lacking a few features that the Elantra offers even in it’s base package.
Checking out the maintenance costs, the Elantra wins again. Forking out less money for oil changes and warranty inspections is a big bonus. It’s actually a very big bonus compared to Honda or VW. Hyundai has the best warranty and offers 3 years of free roadside assistance.
The financing plans available for Hyundai in January 08 in Canada include 0% purchase or lease financing. Only Mazda was willing to match that.
The Mazda 3’s interior is ugly. And yes, that’s my own opinion. I’m sure the raging red interior lighting and super dark black interior will suit others more than the Elantra’s blue.
Both the Elantra and the Mazda 3 look sexy from the outside. Unfortunately, the Mazda Alloy rims are an eyesore, as is the 100′ antenna sticking out of the back end of it. The Elantra has a mean look about it’s back end that reminds me of an Asian version of the Charger. When the Elantra is decked out in Black paint, that curve is a little more subtle.
Before my day of test drives, the Matrix was my favorite. Unfortunately, I drove it. It’s like a simulator for a minivan and the thing drove like a “special” bus. The interior of the Matrix looks like a van as well, with the shifter almost dangling out of the front dash board. I would have preferred a “3 on the tree” over this. My test drive lasted long enough to go around the block once and even that was too long.
To get to the same price as the Elantra, the Honda Civic would have to come without Air, without power windows or locks, without the fold down seats, without seats of any kind I’m sure. I sat in an ’08 Civic for 1 minute. That was long enough to realize I would never, ever, ever want to look at that instrument panel again. It looks like a cross between a Civic and a Cylon. Cheap plastic clogged up the interior of the Civic, much like the Elantra.
The interior of the Corolla is utilitarian and lacking anything close to style. The Civic’s interior is way way over styled and The Elantra is just about right (except for the cheap silver plastic).
I’ve decided to go with the Elantra for a number of reasons, but what it comes down to is the bang for the buck. There is no other car in this class that comes remotely close for the price. If you don’t believe me, just ask your Honda dealer how much you have to spend to get heated seats, heated mirrors, and a 6 speaker, 200W stereo in a Civic.
Go Hyundai!
Everyone should listen to his/hers own senses.
Buying a Hyundai / KIA for its warranty and low price, solid build quality, much bells and whistles and very low risk of attracting thieves (= lower insurance) is one rational way of thinking, I can’t get rid off.
If I’d ever go and BUY a car with an auto shifter, I would insist on a 5+ years warranty plan for the gearbox, and I would still prefer if the auto shifter could have the manual controls.
I like to beat he average MPG ratings of any given car, so I shift manually and plan ahead when to put my feet away from the throttle and put the car into neutral before a planned slowing down or stops.
Geez – I bought one of these at the end of March ’08; my 11-year old Camaro RS was starting to go into nickel-dime-dollar territory, so I needed a car fast that cost 15k or less (I wanted to pay cash+trade, period).
Luckily Hyundai “hit the mark” by offering a 2k rebate on the Elantra SE 5-speed that I’d had found at a local dealer over the interweb.
I agree almost completely with Justin’s assessment of the car with some exceptions:
I got the “theoretical manual transmission”, and it definitely makes the car faster and more fun to drive; the shifter is a bit rubbery and a moderate throw, but snicks into gears pretty consistently. The clutch is also very linear and predictable – the only complaint regarding driveability is an agressive throttle programming and light gas pedal that has you watching the tach, lest you be revving over 2 grand when you let out the clutch. Also, the ECU hangs onto revs between shifts, so casual driving requires you to let the revs drop before letting out the clutch. (It’s my understanding that this intentional behavior reduces emissions when shifting; this may be why the manual trans gets slightly worse city mileage). I do like the fact that if I stomp the “go pedal” I can chirp second gear (cool).
I don’t know if Justin drove the SE with the 16″ wheels and Khumo Solus skins, but it really handles quite well for a car of its height. There is some initial body roll, but if you keep pushing the car harder, it settles into corners and hangs on well enough. He’s spot-on about the steering, though, you have to look where your pointing the car to be sure.
The interior is just a nice place to be; well-finished and put together with a lot of small touches — the storage cubbies and even the passenger assist grips have a “soft return” action. The controls are well placed, and the parking brake lever (unlike the Civic) doesn’t rub on a tall driver’s leg, nor does the console, which doesn’t form a “tunnel” to trap your legs in. The “dead pedal” is just plastic, but it’s wide and well-placed.
The dash lighting is really nice (blue/white) and is perfect for me, as my peepers ain’t what they used to be; highly visible – and the controls (even the window switches) have blue illumination. The right-hand stalk for the windshield-wiper control is a bit long, so I’ve unintentionally activated it a couple of times; but it’s convienient and intuitive otherwise.
The headlamps are not automatic, but they turn off with the ignition switch (like my old Fiat 128)
A caveat: I’m 6’4″, so I found that the driver’s seat had insufficient thigh support, and that the manual seat height adjustment raises the seat, but also closer to the steering wheel — I bought some longer bolts and washers and was able to raise the front of the seat by 1″.
So, I’d say that my height is the upper limit for this car. No problem with headroom, to be sure.
The A/C is a bit on the weak side, but once the dash plastic cools; it’s reasonably good (don’t expect it to blow icicles two miles after turning it on). The climate control knobs are smooth in their operation; I beleive that the vent-switching is acheived with engine vacuum (no “clunks” or cables).
The stereo OK to good; fairly powerful, and the high-mounted tweeters are a nice touch; but the rear speakers are in the doors, so they’re not as direct as rear-deck mounts. The FM reception is only fair (rear window mounted antenna); the XM radio is good (except in hilly terrain), but the volume maxes out before the amplifiers are clipping. My MP3 player through the AUX jack is excellent – it sounds more like a “200W” system that way.
Reliability? Well, since March, I’ve only put 2500 miles on the car, as I live very close to work, and ride a motorcycle on nice days.
The only problems I’ve had were a rattle at idle (traced to the trunk spring rods popping out of their plastic support – secured with a cable tie) and the strange problem of the alarm going off on hot, partly cloudy days. I found on the Internet that turning the rubber hood stops in a turn would satisfy the underhood switch — it’s worked so far. The MPG readout is 2MPG optimistic. No other issues.
Mileage? Well, since I drive short distances much of the time, my mileage really takes a beating — If I drive directly to work, the engine temp guage is just starting to rise – I’ll get 25MPG. suburban 40-50MPH occasional stops: 27-28MPG. Highway 60MPH – 35-36MPG; 70 MPH – 33-34MPG.
Probably more than you needed to know, unless you’re interested.
BTW, if you want a hatch and if you wait a bit, the Elantra Touring will be out later this year – and it’s supposed to have a tighter suspension.
Singing off (finally)…
HYUNDAI ELANTRA…IS A HORRIBLE CAR.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PIECE OF JUNK TO ANYONE. I HAD ONE AND HAPPILY GOT RID IT OF IT IN ONE YEAR. THE CAR USES AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF GAS FOR ITS SIZE. WE BOUGHT A SMALL SIZED CAR HOPING TO KEEP OUR GAS BILLS LOW BUT THIS CAR USED ( I EXAGERRATE NOT) A 1/4 TANK IN 10 MILES. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS I DID. I AM ONLY WRITING THIS TO WARN PPL.
I bought a 2009 Elantra and love it. I previously drove a Mercedes. The high performance engine was slurping up my cash. Now, my Elantra has the leather interior, skylight, etc. I love the way it drives. It gets me where I want to go at practically no cost. Also, other people with whom I associate have driven Elantras in the past – the milage did not seem to be a factor in the automobile’s performance. For example, I know someone driving a 2005 Elantra with 98,000 miles, and the car is still dependable. I love it.