Hyundai's sure have come a long way, they are now at the top of their class, and for good reason.
Due to these two cars' similarities Ill cover both in this post.
The Elantra was redesigned for the 2011 model year and man did they do a good job. This one redesign inside and out quickly catapulted Hyundai's from being cheap economy cars, to great looking, comfortable, and feature packed competitors in every class. In Canada, where smaller cars are more favored, the Elantra quickly rose to be one of the top selling cars in the country, and for good reason. I mean, just look at it:
Different Models / Styles:
When it was first redesigned in 2011 the Elantra was only offered in the sedan style. However, in 2013 they added a 2 door coup style and a 5 door hatchback called the GT (which will be discussed in more detail later). The GT is not to be mistaken for the Elantra wagon called the Elantra Touring which was sold from 2009 to 2012. The 2 door coup is almost the exact same as the sedan, but with 2 less doors. All cars either have a 1.8L engine with a 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto trans or starting in 2013 with the GT they added a 2.0L engine that became optional on the sedan and coupe in 2014.
2011+ Elantra Sedan:
Styling / Comfort Impressions:
This is no doubt a great looking car from the outside. A nice front and rear end with flowing curves to connect the two. It doesn't have as much of a blunt nose that many other smaller cars in the class do which is nice. The windows are a bit small and the rear trunk rises quite a bit but overall this is a very nice looking economy car from the outside.
The inside may leave some people speechless for a car in this class at this price point. To sum it up, its fantastic! Take a look for yourself:
Once again, I like the look of the lighter colored interior, but even I will admit that the black / dark grey looks pretty good in the Elantra.
One thing that I have never figured out is how they manage to give passengers so much space in a relatively small car. The Elantra has tones of head and leg room up front and in the back, with great seats. I had no problem finding a comfortable driving position with the many seat adjustments as well as a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. I also was able to sit in the back seat comfortably with the front seats pushed all the way back. The seats have a slightly higher quality fabric to them than most other cars in this class, and leather is an option. Also, you can get tones of features in this great little car, like heated seats in the lower trim levels. In the higher trim levels you can also get the rear seats heated!
The front and center console look like they should be on a much larger and more luxurious car, and they essentially are; the Sonata, Elantra, and smaller Accent share the same basic design for the front and it really helps with the upscale look and feel of these cars. Smooth flowing lines with soft touch materials and large easy to see and use buttons are great and when upgraded to the multimedia screens you also get a back up camera, which is nice as I will mention later. The sound system has 6 speakers that sound quite good, nothing outstanding but for a compact car to have 6 speakers standard is pretty good. One thing I did not particularly like was how low the air and temperature controls were located in the console, they are a bit of a reach from the wheel while driving.
One complaint I have about the Elantra sedan is it's relatively poor outward visibility. The window sills are quite high on the sides and the trunk lid is very high meaning you cant see much through the rear view mirror. This lack of visibility almost makes it necessary to upgrade the radio set up to include the back up camera.
One complaint I have about the Elantra sedan is it's relatively poor outward visibility. The window sills are quite high on the sides and the trunk lid is very high meaning you cant see much through the rear view mirror. This lack of visibility almost makes it necessary to upgrade the radio set up to include the back up camera.
Driving Impressions:
The Elantra sedan once again is very comfortable on the inside and finding a good driving position should not be a problem. Once you do find it the steering wheel is padded and comfortable to grip with optional radio, cruise, and other controls. The 6 speed auto also comes with a manual shift gate which can be fun in certain situations. The 1.8L engine is smooth and the auto trans does it's job well but there are some times where you will wish for more power. When loaded up with people the engine does strain to get up to speed, but with just one or two people it is quiet and refined, even at highway speeds. Overall the car is very quiet while driving with little road or wind noise, it has adequate power and a very tight turning radius.
For the 2014 model year both the sedan and 2 door coupe also have an optional 2.0L engine with the same transmission, as the Elantra GT has it as its standard engine I'll cover its performance there.
Due to the small-ish windows and high trunk lid, visibility while driving is slightly compromised, meaning you really should / need to upgrade to a model or package with the camera.
For the 2014 model year both the sedan and 2 door coupe also have an optional 2.0L engine with the same transmission, as the Elantra GT has it as its standard engine I'll cover its performance there.
Due to the small-ish windows and high trunk lid, visibility while driving is slightly compromised, meaning you really should / need to upgrade to a model or package with the camera.
2013+ Elantra GT (hatchback):
Styling / Comfort Impressions:
The GT shares its platform and looks with the sedan, besides the hatch on the back, and the open mouth look of the front, the outside is quite similar.
The inside is also similar to the sedan, but it does have a few noticeable differences. First is the front console, keen eyes will notice that the middle air vents are located higher and are larger. The A/C and other temperature controls are pushed higher and the center stack has more of a vertical drop than a slope down like the sedan, along with straight edges instead of a slight curve (bulge) in the middle. The controls are all located a bit higher so it makes them easier to reach than in the sedan while driving.
Other than that, the front is still the same roomy, comfortable space as the sedan. Its in the back where the hatch starts to make a comfort difference. While in the sedan I had just adequate headroom ( the extra legroom meant I could slouch down a bit), in the hatchback I have more than enough headroom plus that awesome legroom! Another nice change the hatchback brings is slightly better visibility. While the front windshield and front side windows are essentially the same, the back windows are a tad larger and instead of having a high trunk cutting into the view through the rear view mirror, you have a nice wide window, the only thing blocking some of the view now are the head restraints and the seat backs. But that can be solved easily by removing the head pieces or folding the seats down.
Obviously there is now a much more versatile trunk and cargo area due to the added height and fold flat rear seats. While the GT actually is 8 inches shorter than the sedan, the overall hatchback design provides much more cargo room.
Driving Impressions:
The GT is similar to the sedan in how it drives as it shares many of the same components. However, it does have a 2.0L engine instead of the 1.8L in the sedan which; even thought it is about 100 lbs more than the sedan, gives it enough extra power so it doesn't feel like it is struggling to get up to speed when there is more than one person in it. Otherwise it is just as refined as the sedan: quiet, comfortable, smooth, but with the added benefit of slightly better visibility and a rear wiper which is always good for anything but stellar weather.
Both the 1.8 and 2.0 engines use timing chains instead of belts meaning less costly maintenance needed.
Overall:
I really like these cars. They look great, come full with features not usually available so easily in cars in the class. They are very comfortable and drive nicely as well. Due to the slightly better visibility, added power, and more versatile cargo capacity of the hatchback Elantra GT, it gets my vote between the two. So if you are looking for a great economical car on a budget AND you want it to look like it costs quite a bit more, these are the cars for you.
Facts / Figures:
Sedan:
Price ( for this trim level): $20,000+
FWD
MPG (approx*): 27 city, 37 highway
Cargo room (approx*): 15 CuFt
Length: 178''
Width: 70''
Tank Size (gal): 12.8
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 396
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $14,000+
Hatchback GT:
Price ( for this trim level): $21,000+
FWD
MPG (approx*): 27 city, 37 highway
Cargo room (approx*): 23 / 51 CuFt
Length: 170''
Width: 67''
Tank Size (gal): 12.8
Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 396
Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $16,000+
* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic.
Hope you enjoy these reviews. Expect to see reviews come every tues or weds and sat or sun.
J.K.
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