MotorWeek Road Test: 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring

[Annihilator1111]

the 2007-present Hyundai Elantra Touring/ i30 is assembled in

Ulsan, South Korea

Nošovice, Czech Republic

Beijing, China

[halfgoodhalfevil]

I have a 2004 elantra, and it is bad quality. It does corners very well, but that's pretty much the only good thing I can say about it. I will never buy a hyundai again.

[subzero92MK]

is this car popular there in north america?

[halfgoodhalfevil]

@subzero92MK sadly, yes

[subzero92MK]

@halfgoodhalfevil why sadly?

[davidhalifax]

@subzero92MK .... Canada is more accepting to these sportswagons, they are compact in size but offer good amount of rear legroom and cargo space.

[subzero92MK]

@davidhalifax maybe like an alfa romeo crosswagon here in italy

[21forever21]

why drive it by a cemetery for a car review?

[stcywll]

This car has like 5 engine options in the rest of the world, but only 1 in North America. I want a diesel one.

[Teeebs]

@stcywll ....agreed, the 2.0l turbo-diesel would be a nice option to have. The fuel economy on the 2.0l gas engine is really quite poor considering the size of the car.

[GarbageState]

it looks much better than toyota matrix.

[macktenful]

love the new equus

[PWITSD]

hatchback?!! :-D

[supercooled]

I was looking at the Genesis Coupe and the sales manager suggested I buy this instead after my credit application came back. Now I'm thinking this isn't a bad choice but I'm also considering the Ford Focus coming in 2011. I looked at the Ford Fiesta but frankly, I rather pay a little more for less cabin noise and a little more oomph.

[zaneoh]

I drove one today for like 2 hrs in the sport level trim. I was very impressed with the handleing, thats one thing i look for in cars is good handling. Id take one with the genisis coupes 2.0 turbo and a 6spd manual.

[finkleaaron]

Most of this review is spot on based on my 2-1/2 months behind the wheel of one of these cars. I disagree with their comments about the acceleration and the quality of the interior.

This car is quicker to 60 than they say, more like high 7/low 8 seconds. It is not blistering, but plenty quick.

The interior is very up-scale for this price range and actually has an abundance of soft-touch materials. Elantra Sedan's interior is cheaper than this car b/c entire door paneles are plastic.

[ksmluvfl]

@finkleaaron

I purchased one about 6 months ago and have a serious issue of it pulling to the right. has almost caused a couple of wrecks. In and out of shop. Do you have this issue? They are telling me that is the way it has to be

[finkleaaron]

@ksmluvfl

There are known issues w/ these cars pulling to the right. Mine was in for this the first 500 miles. The dealer found some excessive toe-in on the front wheels. They realigned everything and it helped a bit. The car still pulls, but seems to be sensitive to road crown. When I am on the wrong side of the road (traffic switch in construction zone near my house) the car pulls to the left. If you have 2010 model, make sure dealer is using most current 2010 alignment specs. They've changed

[Bryansix]

@ksmluvfl What the hell are guys talking about and who paid you to post this? You know you can be sued for this shit right? Almost caused wrecks my ass. Just hold on to the steering wheel. Is that so hard?

[jacoale]

Hyundai has sure come a long way. This is a pretty nice car. Looks pretty good for a station wagon, sort of gives me the impression that it's a hatchback

[JetBlueIce]

That's a very strange looking car, and at 138 hp, I don't know how the reviewer can use the term "sporty prowess" LOL! Maybe if this was 1992 and the car weighed 1800 lbs.

[Teeebs]

@JetBlueIce ....Did you miss the part of the video praising the handling of the car? Why do Americans ONLY care about straight line speed? Some roads do have curves you know, strange as it may seem.....lol

[spacekendet]

I own this car and love it.

[kenr79]

Do Hyundai's come with the suicide gas pedal as an option to compete with Toyota?

[TheSmartdude11]

STFU

[yarneyboy24]

@kenr79 lol! toyota is having trouble hiring crash test dummies.....they're frightened

[MacaroniKetchup]

I think this car looks kind of interesting. I thought the back of it resembled a Honda CR-V. It does look like something I'd drive. I've got a few friends and 2 dogs. I'd also probably opt for the manual tranny. I find that if the car I'm driving has a transmission that you can shift when YOU want it to, works for me.

[Dhalgren01]

I have one and it is a great car. It has an iron block engine, which adds weight most new cars don't have. But the 5-speed transmission is notchy and fun to use (it's a B&M shifter, which is unheard of in the compact segment). I had to opt for the 4-speed because I prefer automatic. But fuel economy and acceleration for the 5-speed is slightly better. I highly recommend the Elantra Touring SE with the sunroof, 17" alloys, and heated seats. $19,600 out the door.

[palebeachbum]

I like it! The styling is sophisticated and mildly European. Looks kinda classy for a small, cheap car. I don't know why Hyundai didn't give it a unique name though. Elantra Touring? Why not its own name? Not like the average consumer would know it's basically the same car under the skin as the sedan. And somebody answer me this. Why does the Touring get worse gas mileage than the sedan, even though they have the same motor?

[wwerules7991]

@palebeachbum it gets less mpgs because it weighs more.

[palebeachbum]

@wwerules7991 Well that explains that! Thanks. I assume then that it's also slower accelerating than the sedan.

[gtakilla22]

@palebeachbum More weight? 

[gghost911]

@palebeachbum weight 

[ExpressJapan]

@palebeachbum You have to remember that the Elantra Touring has more overall weight than the Elantra saloon, so the engine has to work more harder to get the car moving. Plus, saloons usually have a more aerodynamic form than wagons, so that may be a contributing factor.

[tbonedrumcam]

This video isn't the best representation of this version of Hyundai's Elantra. This version is the same version as the i30 Wagon in Europe (Hyundai directly brought this model from Europe with very few to no changes).

The interior is much better than Motorweek gives it credit for. I've sat in one. It does feel very premium, even in base trim. It did feel like a nice place to be.

I'd honestly take this over the Toyota Matrix. The Matrix looks and feels too half-assed to be Toyota quality.

[ckacr18]

@tbonedrumcam this or the hhr. Which is better?

[tbonedrumcam]

@ckacr18 In overall value, the Elantra Touring is the best. It comes with more standard features, better overall reliability, a better warranty, & handles better (due to being a European model). The only HHR that is better is the 260 hp SS version, only because the SS is the only one of it's kind in this class of car.

Elantra Touring > HHR

[noyaleeta]

@ckacr18 this is better mostly because hhr sucks balls;)

[palebeachbum]

@ckacr18 My dad and step-mom each own an HHR, 2006 and 2008 models they both bought brand-new. It's a neat little vehicle with a nice smooth ride, but this Elantra is a million times better. The quality is better, the fuel economy is better, it's roomier, lots more usable trunk space, and I believe the price is a a little lower too. I find the HHR to be kind of an awkward driving vehicle. It's got a weird driving position, and the electric power steering feels awful. Get the Elantra Touring.

[yiyangcheng]

i won't like hyundais......their resale value are just as worse as chrysler

[davewhodavedunn]

Hyundai is on their way up, but not so much with this one. I think it actually goes backwards in design and quality for them. The interior is kinda cheap, and unless you get with 17inch wheels it looks horrible..other than that every other hyundai is a great choice, they beat ford gm and chrysler is every aspect of over reliability quality and value!

[steve9509]

Not Ford.

[jas4925]

Hyunadi is coming up and Gm and Ford need to both come back with small wagons. When I was growing up my parents had an 84 cavalier wagon cl and it was great. Dad ran nothing but Mobil 1 in the engine and it made it to 300,000 miles which was amazing for a cavalier. Sadly I totaled the car when i hit a deer. I was not quite 9 years old when they bought it and 18 when i killed it.

[divooriginale]

I test-drove both the sedan and the wagon back-to-back. The sedan has a smoother ride, but the wagon has a roomier cabin.

[palebeachbum]

@divooriginale Interior quality is noticeably better on the wagon too. Higher quality materials.

[revaholic]

I have driven two Hyundai Elantras as rental cars, and they were the most disappointing cars I've driven. They both vibrated annoyingly at speeds of 120kmh. Even though the media seems to be saying that Hyundai quality is improving, I'm not buying it yet.

[kjoey76]

All rental cars drive like crap. I drove a Murano and it vibrated like hell!

[revaholic]

Well I rent very frequently. I have driven probably 20 different rentals in the last year, from different rental companies too. The two Elantras were the only ones that gave me trouble, with steering wheels that vibrated like crazy at 120kmh. They were even from different rental companies. I looked up this vibration online and owners were experiencing it too. Coincidence? Dont think so.

[ThorMaxx]

@revaholic As an Elantra Owner... can't say i have EVER experienced that problem.

[305pride]

Hyundai is coming up