2009 Hyundai Elantra Reviews

The problem I have had with my Elantra is a cracked window regulator on the driver's side. It has been replaced once already under warranty, and I will be going again to the dealership this week to have a second one replaced. When I googled the words Elantra regulator, I found a YouTube video of a gentleman that had replaced nine window regulators on his Elantra. True, it was an older version of the Elantra, but two does seem a bit obsessive for a three year old vehicle. The price to replace the regulator appears to be 300.00 to 400.00 dollars, according to the gentleman on YouTube. I did a search on this site, and it appears this was a frequent issue with the 1999 and 2000 models of the Elantra.

The car handles well on ice and snow.

The gas mileage is not as good as stated.

The interior is OK, but nothing to write home about.

The alignment appears to have issues with pulling to the right.

Sometimes it revs highly with no result for 2-3 seconds, then accelerates normally when entering on highways.

Reliable car, good commuting car.

I wished I would have bought the manual one, as the transmission has 4 speeds and is not that economical, and sometimes when you push the gas and it revs highly, you get no acceleration for a few seconds...

A lot of cheap plastic inside. I love the heated seats and heated wipers blades. No problem so far with the car, considering a 100KM a day commute.

Nothing.

Read the reviews and decided on the Hyundai Elantra Touring (known as the I-30 in the rest of the world). In fact most of the reviews I read for this car were for the I-30, since it has only been in Canada since 2009. Finally found a fully loaded Sport model, with 12K on it.

This car has a very high build quality, fit and finish inside is superb. The only oversights I can quibble about is that the stereo LCD backlight (which is a beautiful cobalt blue) is brighter than the rest of the instrument cluster lights at night, and is a bit annoying at times, when on the highway at night. It would be nice to have a separate adjustment for it. Also there is no inside hatch release, but it's easy enough to open from the outside with the key fob or by gently pressing the release (no key required).

The Sport has 45/17" tires and a very sporty suspension, which means you feel every bump in the road, but it handles like it's on rails. The regular touring has a more forgiving ride. I guess that's why they call it "Sport".

Surprising value for the money; even has steering wheel audio controls, heated seats, hidden lighted USB stereo input (in a storage compartment), storage compartments everywhere, 3 - 12v accessory plugs, excellent finishing inside. For the level of car that it is, it really is loaded.

Engine has good torque for a 2.0 liter, and the auto transmission has buttery smooth shifting, almost imperceptible - very surprising for an "economy" car. Engine always sounds a bit gruff for the first minute of startup, but then quietens down - apparently this is normal for this engine. The cruise control works very well.

A real bonus for us is that I can put 2 mountain bikes in the back (rear seat down obviously), without taking any wheels off. And that is with the front seats all the way back. I am 6-2" and driving position is excellent, good leg room and even better head room even with the sunroof! I can count the number of small cars with sunroofs on 2 hands that have enough headroom for a 6 footer.

In the year that I have had this car, it has not had one problem, and if Hyundai keep this up, they will be a force to be reckoned with.