2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring - Drive Time review

Drive Time review of the all-new 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring by auto critic Steve Hammes

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Hyundai
• Elantra
• Touring
• 2009
• Drive
• Time
• review
• Steve
• Hammes

[JaBunGa23]

more like a mazda 5 not a mazda 3 5 door

[stevehammes]

Interesting perspective...but the Hyundai's dimensions and target audience are more in-step with the Mazda 3.

[bigbradford69]

mazda3 sport looks better

[Vachowski]

Update: The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Beginning with 2010 models built after November 2009, design changes were made to the side airbags and body side and rear door structure to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door).

THIS brings some of the side torso and pelvis scores from Marginal to acceptable.

[Vachowski]

The safety scores on this car and wagon for side impact are not very good.

[kyungjinn]

At first I really felt this car looked very lackluster in terms of design. I'm also not a very big fan of hatchback cars in general... but I think I've come to appreciate its design slightly more as I kept looking at it.

Despite the exterior, I'm not a large fan of the interior layout only because it lacks the "pizazz" of some of the more upperscale Hyundai elements that the company is starting to introduce into its newer models. Maybe a future revision will change things up a bit.

[dawidoist]

In Europe this Hyundai is as a i30 Vagon and Hatchback

[wanderer4818]

Thanks for the review. I'm seriously considering the Elantra Touring (Sports trim) versus the 2010 VW Golf (both in manual transmission). Already test drove the Touring and was pleasantly surprised. Will need to factor in total cost of ownership including insurance and servicing.