2005 Hyundai Elantra GT review from North America

In the 15,000 miles that I have driven it in the year that I have owned it, nothing has broken or gone wrong. I bought the car from my in-law who is an Engineer. He maintained it and the records very well, with no faults or breaks during any of the miles. This in itself impressed me very much. It literally has never been in the shop for any sort of repair. Routine maintenance (which for Hyundai is actually pretty sparse compared to other manufacturers) is the the only time he took it to the dealer/shop. No gasket issues, no belt, brake, electrical, engine light issues whatsoever. These were issues for my last car within the initial 50,000 miles.

Performance marks are a 10/10> I was initially used to the 42 mpg I was getting with a diesel. But this car is getting me around 32 mpg and at $.55 cheaper/gallon it equals out pretty well. At much fewer visits to the shop it definitely has paid off!

My real test came when using the car for work. I load my car with gear and must travel over some mountains to get to the work site. These are steep desert mountains with elevation and can get very hot. I was very skeptical that the 4 cylinder gasoline engine and automatic transmission would perform for me as I did my travels. I was fearing that I would be puttering up the mountain in the slowlane, regretting my purchase. Much to my pleasure, fully loaded with heavy gear and liquid, the 4 cylinder and the automatic performed very well. The engine hummed nicely at 3.5k when needed and would not lurch between 3rd and 4th gear, but was efficient at staying in the proper gear. I was easily able to maintain my speed and position in the fast lane the entire way up the interstate. The car handles the desert dirt roads very well, too. I have yet to need an alignment even over miles of rough desert roads. It has certainly passed my "first year" test with flying colors.

Reliability- Outstanding. What anyone would hope from a car. Never have it break down on you or give you issues. We all have enough of those in our lives! We don't need them from inanimate objects as well!

Comfort- No problems, just like the "heavier" feel of European design better than other designs.

Dealer- Haven't used them, but they get a mark down since they won't transfer the warranty from my in-law to me.