My wife and I just bought an 2010 Elantra Touring GLS (hereafter referred to as ET) black on tan with the popular equipment package but without the blue tooth hands free. The car now has 300 miles and one massive trip to the grocery store on it and its time for a first impressions review. I will rate the car on styling, performance, ergonomics, functionality, safety and value. The cars the ET will be stacked against include the rest of my stable. First up is a heavily modified Nissan 300zx turbo. Next up is my commuter, a 2002 Ford Taurus SE with safety package and finally the wifes now traded in ride, a 2005 Pontiac Vibe.

Styling, the cars styling is actually very attractive from the front. It gives an impression of width and agressiveness. The low set fog lights and angel eye rings in the head lights along with the chrome eyebrow accents are nice touchs and the package works. Until you walk to the side that is, the side and rear are ho-hum and uninspired. Styling is important and on most cars this pretty face ugly body would be a killer. Luckily for the ET the car has some saving graces that dictate much of the ho-hum exterior.

Performance isn't one of those graces however. The car isn't underpowered, but she doesn't have any extra ponies to spare either. Not that this matters to me, my 300zx turbo is much more powerful and much more agile and has better road feel. However the ET rides better and doesn't handle bad at all. But the car is mismarketed as a 'fun to drive car". A good point is that there is a noticable lack of torque steer as compared to the Vibe and accerlation at least matches the Taurus. One major complaint is a dead feeling steering wheel thanks to the electric power steering. This makes the car harder to track until the body learns to compensate by taking cues from other sources than the wheel. The cars braking is crisp and steady so thats a major plus. The cars actual ride is comfortable, a bit jarring due to the sport tuned suspencion but still more rideable than the Vibe if not in the league of the Taurus. Body roll and wind sheer movement are also much less than the Vibe which is a very good thing.

Ergonomics is where the car really starts to shine. Everything the car lacked outside is made up for inside. The gauges are easy to read and the soft blue backlighting is awesome. The climate controls and radio are easy to use and easy to read. The steering wheel while dead is comfortable offers easy control of the cruise and radio. In fact with my MP3 plugged in I can cycle through AM/FM radio, satelite radio, MP3, and CD with the push of my thumb. The sound isn't competition level, but is loud and crisp, a hard combo for some manufactures given the Vibe's horrible acoustics. Seating is comforable with its well known class leading space. The kids have plenty of room in the back to kick thier feet with out causing my wife and I spleen damage. In fact this almost SUV like interior space is why the car is so boring from the side and rear. It really is a box, and it works. Interior colors are nice and visually pleasing, the soft touch materials and flowing/rounded countors give it a touch of class. Lots of storage cubbies, drink holders and power outlets are all very handy as well. The rear hatch area is much larger than it looks. Compared to the vibe the amount of room to haul things in even with the seats up is huge. We easily fit $150 worth of food in the back despite all my tools being in the back as we are planning to take a trip to Texas to look at and possibly buy a 300zx twin turbo. Trying to pack the vVbe like this would have left the rear view mirror blocked. Mirrors bring me to vision and sight lines. The car has great visibility all around and the sun visors adjust to block out the sun even when its in the usual posistions to blind you no matter what you do in an older car.

If anything beats the cars ergonomics, its the cars safety features. 4 wheel disc ABS, EBFD, ESC/TC, side curtain airbags, active head restraints, 3 head restraits in the back seat, 4 and 5 star crash test results, great visibility and tall tail lights. This car is loaded with safety features. With two toddlers who I want to see grow up these features are very nice indeed and provide a great deal of peace of mind. Also falling into the safety catagory is the car makers proven ability to build a relaible car and pledge that if the car breaks down within five years they will dispatch a tow truck. This all combines to create a car I feel good about and have faith in while driving.

So how does all of this add up value wise. After all a variation of this review can be applied to a lot of cars. The big differance is none of the other cars this review would fit are in the ET's class. With class determined by price and size the closest competitor is the Scion Xb. With the Scion Xb you get the safety features and the room but none of the extra goodies. Comprably equipped the Scion Xb heads well north of $20,000. None of the smaller cars that might match the features match the room. In a way this puts the ET in a class by itself. Almost midsize room, very nicely apointed, very safe, comfortable and mostly friendly to drive and with a promise of typical (recent) Huyndai reliability all for a car that can be gotten for well below $20,000 makes this car the smart choice for young families. Infact I'd hazard a bet its the best value on the market at the moment. At least I couldn't find a comparable deal when I spent three months researching what car to get.

For the smart consumer who can look past the outside and middle of the road performance this is the car to get. What the car does well, it does very well and it doesn't really fail at anything.

 

Interesting review.

I have the ET on my short-list for a purchase decision in the next few weeks. Right now I'm cross-shopping with a 2010 Golf 2.5, and interestingly, the new 2010 entry level Tucson (both manual transmission versions).

My initial impressions are that the ET interior was light and airy, with a surprisingly spacious amount of room. I find the front exterior a little bland, but the side profile and rear are acceptable enough.

Am going to do another test drive soon. I will check on the radio quality sound, and how well the reverse gear works (if it meshes first time). Did you notice any additional noise from the open cargo area whilst driving ?

 

Nise level in the car is light comapred to the vibe, you can hear the engine at higher RPM's but wind noise is very low. Interstingly, the car does not stop the audio on the outside. At even moderate volume the music is clearly audibleon the outside even with the windows up.

I have an automatic transmission, so I can't comment on the manual version. In the auto shifting is easy, and smooth. The car won't win any races, but it moves through the gears smoothly without major jarring except for the initial take off. The throttle is crisp and responsive- so 1st gear take offs can jump if you have a heavy foot. You won't go fast and theres in't a lot of torgue steer but the car is eager to get going. With ESC/TC you won't spin the wheel either.

 

Great review. I haven't yet driven one of these, and have been somewhat hopeful that it would handle especially well. Sounds like it's good here, but not great. I'm not sure what I'll eventually replace my Mazda Protege5 with.

 

I am replacing my '03 Mazda Protege5 also. I drove this for the first time yesterday. Really, really like it. Tons of space. Handles nicely. Quieter than the P5. Feels very solid.

Rick

 

There aren't many cars that aren't much quieter than the P5.

 

Ok, we are well into Summer with 8,000+ miles on the car. It has been an interesting ride so far. To start with the bad- Within weeks of getting the car the electric power steering went out, probalby the first one to do that ever. Part had to be ordered from Korea so we spent a week driving a 2009 Sonata and could not wait to get ET home. That has been the only mechanical fault other than a dime dropping into the cigarette lighter and popping a fuse. We had one scary incident during the winter when going down the steep hill that leads to our house. The sheet of snow on top of the car slid forwards and completely blocked all vision while we were moving down hill on an icy road- NOT FUN. I sent a message to Hyundai telling them to move the antenna forwards to give snow an anchor point. Also the car is a wagon and is fmaily oriented, why don't the seats have a scotch guard treatment. They stain easily via the antics of toddlers. Also the dash material collects and holds dust readily.

The good- The ride remains good, gas mileage is around 30mph combine city/highway driving. Handling for what it is, is good, and acceleration is acceptable. AC manages to cool the car within a few minutes and freeze you out within 10 minutes unelss you adjust the thermostat. The seats really need a scotch guard treatment as they stain easily. The initial impressions of interior room have proven true, the car's back hatch area just swallows goods like a mini u-haul truck. You can easily fit 2 adults, 1 teen and 2 toddlers in car seats into the car. The Sound system continues to impress and all the little storage bins are handy. Perhaps most importantly, the cars esc saved me from a momentary lack of focus and kept the car straight and level through some emergency maneuvers on the highway at 75mph.

We haven't seen many other ET's running around. This is surprising as the car is a good value. Fellow ET drivers we've talked to rave about the car as do we. We would buy it again.

 

Sorry but that is NOT Hyundais fault. It is YOUR responsibility as the driver to clear your car from snow before you drive. And that doesn't just mean the windows.

 

You certainly speak the truth. I don't think my son will object to the noise since the P5 will likely wind up in his hands.

 

Not always possible in blizzard conditions... Simple fact is a simple relocation of the antennae could possibly serve a very important safety function.