Congrats to Devin Lussier for a review of his 2005 Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback winning
the last runner up spot.
My parents and I were shopping for my first car about three months ago. We had many choices, including the Suzuki
Reno, Scion tC, Toyota Matrix, and Hyundai Elantra. A few insurance quotes and weeks of online research later we
narrowed it down to the Suzuki Reno and the Hyundai Elantra. The two Toyota choices (tC and Matrix) were left out
because they are more expensive, and don’t come with attractive warranties like the Suzuki and Hyundai or options like
leather seating.
It was down to the test drive now. We had oodles of specs and print-outs from various websites and we were pretty
sure we were going to buy the Reno, especially after reading a rather favourable Autoblog Garage article.
Both the Elantra and Reno came with leather seating, sunroof, fold down rear seats, 100,000 mile warranty, automatic
transmission, etc. A few differences were that the Elantra had more cargo space and horsepower while the Reno had a
superior stereo system with steering wheel controls and a more stylish interior. There was also a $1,000 difference in
our quoted prices. The Reno was quoted to us at around $15,500 and the Elantra at around $14,500. Not a deal-breaking
difference in price.
After test driving the two vehicles, there was something about the Elantra that really won us over. The little
hatchback?s versatility, power and comfort were superb. We bought the Elantra and now that I?ve had it for three months
I can say that I?m pleased with that choice. I?m even a member of a community of Elantra owners at elantraclub.com!
You get a lot for your money with the Elantra. Stuff you would expect on Japanese cars costing
about $6,000 more. But the best part about the Elantra is it never feels compromised. The build quality is excellent,
the quality of the leather is on par with my mother?s BMW Z3, and the engine is a good performer while still getting
over 30MPG.
The Elantra, when equipped with the GT package, is also a really fun little car! It handles very well around corners
and has a very European feeling drive while maintaining a fair amount of smoothness.
Overall I?m very happy with the car, and I would definitely buy another Hyundai after this one. Between all the
features on the Elantra, the great Hyundai warranty, and the price, it?s a very good deal. If you?re in the market for
an economy car that doesn?t feel like an economy car then be sure to swing by your Hyundai dealership. Driving is most
definitely believing.
Pros:
Warranty
Versatility
Comfort for Price
Peformance for Price
Cons:
Poor Standard Audio Player