U.S. New ranks the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring 1 out of 7 Affordable Compact Wagons. This ranking is based on our analysis of 13 published reviews and test-drives of the Hyundai Elantra Touring, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

Value need not come at the expense of quality and style in the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring. With a chic European inspired design and cargo space rivaling some mid-size SUVs, the Elantra Touring is respectable compact wagon choice no matter your budget. In fact, the Elantra Touring is such a great value that we named it the 2011 Best Wagon for the Money.

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring is that it looks nothing like the 2011 Hyundai Elantra sedan. As Autoblog explains, the Elantra Touring is based on the Hyundai i30, "a vehicle originally made for Europeans who don't believe an economy car must feel like a cheap car."

Due to its European roots, the Elantra Touring isn’t plagued with the boring driving dynamics reviewers complain about in the Elantra sedan.

In fact, reviewers almost unanimously agree the value-priced Elantra Touring is a great choice among compact wagons regardless of budget constraints. Reviewers note the surprisingly lively handling of the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring and applaud the vast cargo area.

In fact the only real shortcomings, according to critics, are a slightly underpowered engine and an optional automatic transmission that could use an additional gear or two.


Read Full Review Here



Pros:
Practical and affordable
Roomy and comfortable interior
Loads of cargo space

Cons:
Some complaints about engine power
Automatic transmission has too few gears


U.S.News Scores (out of 10)

Overall:
8.9
Performance:
7.7
Exterior:
9.5
Interior:
9.0

 

The manual transmission alleviates that 7.7 performance rating

 

I think this car is Hyundai's best kept secret. I never even heard of it or saw it until I saw it by accident while looking for a replacement for my Corolla which was totaled in an accident. Everyone I know hasn't heard of it either, but when they see it and sit in it, and see all the room it has...they like it.

 

It amazes me as well as too how little advertising this car gets. We have a 2010 SE that has been flawless for the first 20,000 miles. You never see any advertising and when i asked the salesman about it, he seemed uncomfortable showing it to me. I originally visited the dealership to purchase a $30,000 Santa Fe and bought the Touring instead. Maybe this is what Hyundai is afraid of!

 

It is surprising how some cars get zero marketing support yet find a niche. Per Car & Driver, Mazda sells 20,000 Mazda 5 minivans with zero marketing support. I doubt Hyundai approaches this with the ET however.

 

One thing you can do with the automatic transmission is to slide the stick over to the right of drive when driving under highway speeds. This keeps the revs up, and gives you a more spirited experience.