2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring from North America

Summary:

A winner in most of the categories that matter

Faults:

Suspension knocks.

Creaks/rattles.

Seat tearing.

Steering wheel peeling apart.

Mirror cover on visor breaking off.

General Comments:

We bought this car several years ago for my wife to drive. She mostly drives to and from work, which is about 10 miles round-trip. I feel like its boxy but not tipsy shape makes it a safe car for her.

The route this car is driven on consists of some of the worst roads in the area. We're not talking potholes, but instead, craters. As a result, this car has had to be serviced due to repeated suspension damage.

The car was originally a rental vehicle in Canada before coming to the US. We test drove, and purchased, the car in the wintertime. Come summer, we found out that the car was never equipped with A/C. We honestly didn't know you could still order a car in 2010 with no air conditioning. We took it to the dealer to find out why the A/C wasn't working. They broke the news that the car wasn't equipped with it. Too late, we couldn't return it. This has seriously ruined our experience with it (I know, we should have checked first, but really, who knew cars were still made without A/C?).

The styling is truly bizarre. Odd dimensions, weird proportions, strangely-shaped body panels. It's ugly. We did not buy it for the looks. We bought it because of the price, low-mileage, and feeling of safety.

For whatever reason, the driver's seat is ripped. I don't think the upholstery is of high quality. The steering wheel had a stress crack upon purchase, but didn't seem like a big deal. A few years later, it has split apart and is peeling away. Poor materials.

Inside, it's well laid-out with great cargo room and spacious seating.

Gas mileage is very good, typically requiring 1 fill-up a week.

We have not experienced any major mechanical failures. Just suspension problems related to our crappy roads. The car does make creaking noises and the interior components are cheap.

Despite its looks, this could have been a great package. It actually is a great family car for those who don't want the bulkiness and poor gas mileage of a van. For some reason, they sold very poorly. I think I've seen every one in my area by now. It's well-priced, economical, and useful. I guess it was just too weird looking for most tastes.

Pity about the lack of air conditioning. A little more money spent on the final product could have gone a long way.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th August, 2017

2010 Hyundai Elantra GLS 2.0L from North America

Summary:

Good bang for the $$$

Faults:

Nothing wrong with the car YET... low Klicks on it so far..

Get back to me when / if it ever gets to 250,000 km.

10,000 km / year, it could take a while..

General Comments:

So far, I think the car is under rated, Honda, Toyota & Nissan should be a little afraid with what Hyundai is bring out to the car market.

Elantra GLS, here in Canada, it's approx. $23.000. it's not a race car, but as a 2nd car & grocery go getter, it does the job very well. The cabin area is well laid out, everything in easy reach for the driver. Once I get my 280 Lb butt in the car, it's comfortable enough. But I wouldn't want to spend 12 hours straight behind the wheel.

Only downside so far, the car does get blown around a little on the highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th June, 2011

2010 Hyundai Elantra from North America

Summary:

Can Hyundai go from rags to riches? It sure looks like Hyundai can!

Faults:

This car was a rental, and nothing went wrong with it while in my tenure.

General Comments:

I had this car as a rental for about two weeks while my 2001 Camry was in the shop, and while I was car shopping because it had been totaled for a second time.

There were really no bad things about the Elantra, so I will start there.

First, the trunk was small compared to my 2001 Camry. A footlocker BARELY fit in it.

The paint was very fragile on this car. It was thin and scratched easily, particularly on the bottom of the trunk lid and on the door handles. The car was black, so maybe this had something to do with it (maybe the red or blue ones are better).

The car blew in the wind easily, and, the more weight that was in it, the more it swayed on the highway.

The brakes, although better than my Camry, could not stop a train.

The car fared much better in regards to the engine. The car was not fast, but it wasn't slow. It was faster than my 2001 Camry, that much is certain. The Elantra also had EXCELLENT gas mileage, with the lowest figure being 29 MPG and the highest being 38 MPG.

The seats are above average. They were very comfortable and sculpted well. For a car, they were as close as one could get to sitting in a La-Z-Boy. But, the material was too easily dirtied. Headroom and legroom abound in all seats, but I question how comfortable it would be for three people in the back seat for longer than several minutes.

The controls were logically laid out as far as the radio is concerned. The Sirius/XM Satellite Radio received signal very well. The center stack had to bright of a blue backlight and the text on the screen was too dim to read against it at night. This is similar to a 2010 Hyundai Accent I rented a few months ago.

The air conditioning was very efficient, but smelled of brussels sprouts when it was on full blast.

In conclusion, the Elantra is an excellent car for what it is. I understand why it is Hyundai's mainstream model, and it is because Hyundai designed their cars so people will want them. I would consider this car in the future.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th August, 2010

10th Nov 2010, 20:25

I am considering an Elantra, and would like to know if the car was noisy on the freeway and on rough surface roads? It is hard to find an economy car that is quiet. Thanks.

14th Nov 2010, 07:57

ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.

I'll be honest; I have no comparison of this car, other than to the ones I drove directly before and after it (both of which I owned).

It was quieter than a 2001 Toyota Camry, but not as good as a 2005 Ford Taurus.

I apologize for not being of more assistance.

2010 Hyundai Elantra GL 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Nice looking, but they cut corners

Faults:

Three days after owning the car, I get a hole in the tire. I pull out the jack, and jack the car up. Loosen the nuts, jack the car off the ground. Turn the nuts, and the jack snaps. My nail is black and blue, falls off a week later.

Phone my Hyundai dealer. 10 minutes later they tell me to call road side assistance and they will have to charge me for the repair.

Well I get the car home, do it myself. Email Hyundai Canada; reply is what do you want us to do. Well I stated in my email that the jacks in the 2010 Elantra are faulty, check them out. At the end of there email it states "glad you're not hurt".

I do have pictures of this jack for anybody to see. Hyundai does have poor customer service, and big time in Canada. I do want people to watch out when changing a tire on a Hyundai as someone could lose a limb, and Hyundai just doesn't get it. They did reply again, and said a tech checked them out, they're good. Wouldn't a company like Hyundai have a quality control department to check this out?

General Comments:

The head rest on the front seats are too far forward, and it strains my neck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th July, 2010

6th Jul 2010, 09:39

I've used the jack in my '07 Elantra to rotate my tires (and yeah I know you're not supposed to do that). I can't find anything wrong with it, and it's never so much as creaked when I've used it. Perhaps you weren't on level ground when you used yours? Too much weight on one side of the jack could stress it enough to break it.