Hyundai Elantra

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Caretaker

Hyundai Elantra

Post by Caretaker »

I was in the heart of the universe this weekend and got to rent the new Elantra sedan. I now know why the car is garnering so many accolades. I thought I'd share this with my Vibe brethren since our car is no longer made and many of you may be looking for an alternative. Pros: 1. the 6 speed tranny kicks the crap out of our lousy 4 speed automatic from Toyota. I barely noticed the shifts2. the car turns like a race car. I would compare it to any Mustang or Camaro in feel. I was getting so stupid with the car on the windy roads of Missouri that I couldn't tell if the tires would keep me from running into the corn fields like Homer Simpson often does.3. the seats were amazing.4. the appointments from Hyundai are terrific5. the leg room for the driver and front passenger are terrific6. the fit and finish is exceptional. You notice it the minute you pull the seat belt over you. In our Vibe, there is a lot of drag. In the Elantra, it is effortless and a pleasure to buckle up.7. like my Elantra Touring, the brakes are the greatest ever inventedCons:1. that race car steering makes the car dangerous on the highway. We have a bit of slop built in to our Vibe steering. In the Elantra, if you just touch the steering, you are into the next lane on the highway at high speeds.2. Hyundai continues to lower the height of its cars to get the best air flow and gas mileage. The car sits a bit too low for me as I get on in years. The rear passenger head room is a joke, as is the rear leg room. For me, this is a deal breaker. If I want a two seater, I'd buy a two seater.That's about it. Only two major negatives. I think the car is terrific overall. I'd never buy one due to the two negatives. I hope the Sonata Wagon comes to the USA and offers adult comfort for the rear passengers. Come on I-40......come to the good ole USA.
Kari
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Re: Hyundai Elantra (Caretaker)

Post by Kari »

James likes it too...but he isn't getting one.
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star_deceiver
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Re: Hyundai Elantra (Caretaker)

Post by star_deceiver »

I'm 6'4. I've NEVER in my life at any testdrive, car show, friends ride, ect sat in a sub $60'000 latemodel sedan from any make, model, or brand, that had actual rear seat headroom. My friends old 86 Civic came close...Quote, originally posted by Caretaker » The rear passenger head room is a joke, as is the rear leg room. For me, this is a deal breaker. If I want a two seater, I'd buy a two seater.This^^^ (not to mention that Sedans are quite useless in cargo hauling)But put all that handling in a Wagon...
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09vGT
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Re: Hyundai Elantra (Caretaker)

Post by 09vGT »

I really like the Elantra too!Though, my Vibe has horrid head room, and if I'm driving, you can forget about legroom too, because I have to have the seat pushed the most farthest back position. So this wouldn't change my choice in a car that didn't have much, as I already drive a car with no headroom or legroom either!
nittanydoug
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Post by nittanydoug »

For replacements to the vibe, it looks pretty dismall. I'm a wagon-guy. Had a P5 before the vibe. I love the versatility. I wish there were more wagon versions out there. A Cruze wagon would be sweet IMO. I'm not so keen on the Mazda 3 wagons as their mileage is lacking what I had in the P5. I like the Jetta TDI sportwagens but in my area they are kinda rare and command a premium. Fortunately I'm still planning to run the vibe another 150k miles.
Bedlam
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Re: Hyundai Elantra (star_deceiver)

Post by Bedlam »

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »I'm 6'4. I've NEVER in my life at any testdrive, car show, friends ride, ect sat in a sub $60'000 latemodel sedan from any make, model, or brand, that had actual rear seat headroom. My friends old 86 Civic came close...This^^^ (not to mention that Sedans are quite useless in cargo hauling)But put all that handling in a Wagon... I encountered a similar issue. That is when i moved on to the LX platform from Chrysler. Magnum, 300, Charger. There are a lot of very tall families that comfortably ride in those cars. I'm 6'4, 275 and i fit very comfortably in the back seat of my wagon and the 300's i have rode in. Leg room is terrific and cargo capacity is huge. The lower trim models get decent mileage in the mid to upper 20's when driven well which for their size is pretty amazing. You can even get an SRT these days for about 20K giving you all that room plus power and handling.On a side note, i still own and love my Vibe's and my wife drives an Elantra so i have pretty good points of comparison.
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jake75
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Re: Hyundai Elantra (Bedlam)

Post by jake75 »

There are some advantages to being short - of course we short people are the last to know when it's raining.Jake - 5'7" on a good day.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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