Faults:

SQUEAKS AND RATTLES:

This car initially had several squeaks and rattles. Most worked themselves out over the first few thousand miles, but one persisted. It was LOUD and sounded like an empty soda can blowing around in the front passenger door frame. It was only audible at 65+mph.

ELECTRONICS:

The manual climate control exhibited a very specific and odd behavior. Anytime I had the climate control on, and I let off the throttle while driving under 20mph, the vent selection would switch to defrost mode. As soon as I stepped back on the throttle, it would switch back to whatever I had it set on.

TRANSMISSION:

At 8k miles, the transmission lost forward momentum while accelerating onto the interstate, and the engine revved up, as if the transmission slipped into neutral. It did the same thing again at about 10k miles under the same driving conditions. These were the only two occurrences. At 18k miles, the transmission began slamming harshly from 1st to 2nd gear accompanied by a loud metallic clanging noise. This occurred every morning when leaving the house until I was able to bring it to the dealership. They reset the transmission control module (TCM), so it would have to relearn my driving behavior. This initially solved the problem, but by 25k miles the issue was back.

SUSPENSION:

At low miles, I started noticing a loud creaking noise from the front end while turning sharply. It sounded like old, creaky floorboards. After fighting back and forth with the dealership, they finally admitted it needed new front struts at 20k miles.

ENGINE:

About 2 weeks after purchasing the car, I started noticing the engine randomly stuttering and acting like it was going to stall. As time went on, the engine began detonating (pinging), and it would randomly lose a significant amount of power, to the point that it would not accelerate under full throttle. It would only maintain speed. I brought it to the dealership 5 times to diagnose and fix the issue, but they claimed no codes were stored and nothing was wrong. I even had a mechanic ride along with me, who admitted to hearing the pinging, but kinda shrugged and said, "They all do that."

General Comments:

I REALLY liked this car. Aside from the initial squeaks and rattles that worked themselves out, the build quality was very solid. Fit and finish were excellent. Seat comfort was good. The infotainment was logical to operate. The 6-speaker sound system had nice fidelity. I also loved the car's design. Very sleek.

Unfortunately, I can't give this car a good or even acceptable rating due to the extensive reliability problems from such a new car. It was unacceptable, and the Hyundai dealerships in my area were awful at properly diagnosing the issues and taking care of them under warranty. I like Hyundai in general, but this car put me off the brand for a while. I switched to Nissan, and so far, I'm much happier.

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.