Faults:

Since new: A persistent fluttering noise in the front passenger door at 65mph+. It sounds like a small, loose piece of paper blowing around inside the door panel. If it persists, I'll bring it to the dealership.

General Comments:

Overall, I'm very impressed and satisfied with my new Elantra. It's a beautiful car inside and out. It feels solidly built and the interior fit and finish are top-notch for this class of car. I've heard professional auto critics say it feels "a class above". To me, it feels like a small luxury car. The looks, the comfort, the refinement, the features. It's all there to me. Plus, I've averaged just above 40 MPG in mostly city driving, according to the trip computer. Fantastic!

The car is too new to comment on reliability or running costs, but based on online consumer reviews and maintenance intervals in the owner's manual, I expect it will hold up well over time and be very affordable to run.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

This is probably the best packaged car for the money today. It comes standard with heated leather seats, power sunroof, leather wrapped flat bottomed steering wheel, 18 inch wheels, and it is really fun to drive. If you are unfamiliar with this car, it is not an average Elantra. It even has unique front and rear ends which totally separate it. The rear suspension is a multi-link unit as well providing .91g of grip on all season tires.

I looked for a while to find such a setup that wouldn't break the bank. I got mine for just over $19K. I compared it to the Civic Si, but I am not crazy about the looks of the Civics these days. Also the need for premium fuel, which is about 60 cents over the cost of regular around here these days, was an annoyance. I feel the slightly less power and a few tenths of a second to 60 were worth not putting premium in the car on a regular basis. What is interesting in addition is the Honda uses summer only tires. Car and Driver tested an Si on all seasons and it was about the same as the Hyundai in performance. Another thing is the mileage ratings on the Hyundai. They said it only is good for 30 MPG highway. I'm already seeing over 33 MPG around town so I already know the EPA ratings are low. I'm thinking 35 or 36 MPG highway is easily reachable.

Now the drive... HP is 201 and torque is 195 and it peaks at only 1,500 RPM. This translates into a very easy to drive car around town. You can easily slow down and take a corner in 3rd with plenty of power to spare in accelerating back up to speed. It has the shift up indicator and it looks for 5th at about 38 mph and 6th at about 43 mph. 0-60 is about 6 1/2 seconds, which is fast in an Elantra. I haven't pushed it really hard, but it has a lot of pull in the upper revs. The other complaint I've seen is long shift throws. I actually like that about it, as it is such a nice shifter overall, it's nice to have that action. It is in no way a real long throw though and is very easy to row quickly if you desire. It is also one of the smoothest and easiest driving manuals I have ever driven.

All in all, this is one to look at if you are thinking Focus ST or Civic Si. Even the ST isn't much quicker and it too takes premium fuel. Take a drive in the Elantra... you'll be surprised.