Comments: 1-15, 16-27
None. This car is incredibly dependable.
Hyundai must be one of the world's finest automakers, although it may be a well kept secret. My Elantra is a better car than those priced 3 times as much! It may lack some minor froufrou, but this car is downright amazing!
The styling is absolutely ritzy! It makes a Mercedes-Benz look downscale by comparison!
The dash panels are clearly of high quality craftsmanship. The texture, durability, and alignment of panels are better than that of much much more expensive cars!
The high-quality uphostry is not only comfortable and attractive, but is stitched to extremely high standards. I am often amazed at how rich the fabric is, and the quality to which it is crafted. The craftsmanship here also excels that of American and Japanese cars costing much more. I can throw my kids in the back, and they'll have plenty of room, and be very comfortable back there. They even think it's a luxury car, and most people who ride in it think it is too!
The ride is outstanding. It's smooth, silky, yet is still a blast to take into hairpin turns! This car gives you so much enjoyment when you need it, yet doesn't give you a punishing ride in the least bit.
The motor has plenty of power. I'll often pass people in their more "expensive" cars with plenty of ease. Yet it doesn't howl like most other 4 cylinder engines do. To put it short, it's all of the perks of a 4 cylinder engine, with none of the setbacks. I should also add the shifter is terrific. It shifts so precisely, you could swear it was made by Rolex.
The Air conditioner and heater also work very well. It takes very little time to heat or cool the car.
The quad headlight system also works well, and illuminates the road brightly. Usually you have to look for more expensive cars to get a quad-headlight system, and even those don't work as well as the Hyundai's!
The dash layout is perfect. Every control is right where it should be, and every button and switch clicks solidly, not like those tinny Japanese or junky American cars can sometimes do.
This car has terrific structural integrity. If you slam the doors, they slam shut. Period. No rattles, no squeaks, no doors falling off the car. When you take it over rough roads, it tackles them with ease, while leaving the driver in total comfort and control. I put tons of miles on my car, and I often go out of the warranty period within the first year. But I can rest assured that when my car has 3 times the miles it has now, it will still be under warranty. Even a BMW can't do that.
This car is so amazing, if they were to dress it up with froufrou, it could easily whallop the Lexus ES 300, Infiniti G20, BMW 3 Series, etc.
There's a reason Hyundai keeps selling more cars, and that is that despite their misunderstood reputation, they're turning out some of the world's best cars, and the Elantra is a shining example.
I read your review with great interest. It quickly became very obvious that you are employed, by Hyundai, as a professional writer/car reviewer. I owned a 1994 Excel CXL. I put over two hundred thousand kilometers on the car. I gave it to my daughter and hopefully it will keep on ticking. I noticed also that you did not dare compare your Elantra to the Acura Legend - I was thankful for that! Hey, the Hyundai is an excellent buy - but no car (not even yours!) is perfect. A review like yours may keep prospective buyers away because, "if it's too good to be true then maybe it isn't".
I'll keep it short after reading the first comment posted, since I agree it was a little far fetched. I've driven the car and was pretty impressed however, the description used in the review is brochure material and not reality.
I must concur with the two others who left comments regarding your "review" of the Elantra. It seemed rather forced and at times seemed that perhaps you may be employed by Hyundai. It also came across as less than honest or realistic because of your enthusiasm. The only potential problem that I think this presents to possible buyers, like myself, is that it seems too perfect to be truthful. However, if I am unjustly being cynical then I do apologize. Nonetheless, I find it encouraging that you took the time to review your car.
I've been a professional writer for many years, including some time as an agency copywriter, and yes, clearly, this is from someone with a vested interest in Hyundai. Probably an intern, it's not that well written.
I was looking for a review on the Elantra GT, but unfortunately no one else appears to own one.
I am an owner of a 2001 Hyundai Elantra. While I love my car I would not compare it to a Benz or any other luxury car. My car has not given me any problems and it is fun to drive. While I would not compare it to a luxury car, it is a great value for your money. Upholstery is durable, buttons for the radio are in a reachable place, but I think they are too small. The air conditioning/ heat does its job and it has decent pick-up. There is too much plastic in the cabin for my taste, but for $11,499.00 I do not expect wood... The radio sounds fine to me. If you are looking for an economy car with loads of standard features and a long long warranty, consider the modest Hyundai Elantra...
I'm pretty certain anybody who can think on their own would realize this can't possibly be a real review. I've loved many cars that I've driven or owned, and no matter how much loved my old crapola '89 Accord, even I wouldn't have claimed it's styling was better than a Mercedes (although, to its credit, the Accord did have those sporty pop up headlights which I miss). The same applies in this situation, there's no way on the planet anybody would believe that the Hyundai elantra somehow has a superior engine and overall build quality than a Mercedes Benz. For one thing, Daimler-Chrysler owns a 30% stake in Hyundai, and the day they make worse cars than their bottom end partly owned subsidiary will be the day (although it could one day be possible as Nissan is mostly owned by Renault hehe). I mean, Hyundai had long been using Mitsubishi engines because they weren't able to engineer their own until recently with the Beta, Alpha, and Delta series, and even there the Delta series has had it's problems since the Aluminum working isn't so great. On top of that Hyundai was just forced to change their horsepower ratings to be honest on their cars for like the last 5 years. How can you possibly expect anybody to believe that the 135HP 2.0L I4 Beta engine in the Elantra is superior to ALL other engines? I could name 10 engines off the top of my head that are technically superior, so if you're going to write junk fluff you might as well make it somewhat believable.
I have driven cars of different makes for thousands of miles.
I hired Elantra to understand the dynamics of it. The car really handles well. I did not expect a car at that price could handle that well on the road. I felt the car's engine makes more noise than Corolla's engine. Every other thing seems perfect and the car really looks good.
There is no point in comparing the car with expensive models, but for the price we pay it is really a good bargain. I think Elantra GT is the model that puts us ahead of the comparable models of Toyota and Honda.
Rackman.
I have owned my Elantra GT for one week now and although I am very satisfied with it, I think this review is a little too much on the enthusiastic side. The power of the motor is OK, but not as strong as you want to make us believe. The credibility of that review is doubtful.
I've owned my 2002 Elantra GT for 16,000 miles and aim for 100,000, my normal useage. I have yet to find any defects or problems except the electronic heater control control, a fairly esoteric electronic part. When I took it in the dealer immediately had a senior service tech check under the dash to see if the problem could be solved by simple adjustment. When the tech confirmed the problem to be an electronic rheostat breakdown and the part wasn't in stock, the part was overnighted to dealer and I dropped by the next day for an hour while it was installed. Absolutely no other defects! No flaws or surprises, just a solid 30 mpg.
In fact this car as been as trouble-free and seemingly well-engineered and solidly-built as any of the numerous Honda's, Toyota's, Volkswagon's and Ford Taurus's I've owned.
No this car is not comparable to far more expensive, high performance-oriented cars such as Mercedes, BMW's, etc. -- even though its standard luxury features, European GT styling and seeming quality are exceptional at this cost!
But based on my ownership experience so far, my overall experience with dealer sales, service and parts and my previous ownership of a number of very high quality cars, this may be one of the best value, highly personal (easy to like!!) and quality-featured cars on the market today. If pressed for a comparison, I'd say it was more like a very high quality, more reliable and luxuriously appointed counterpart to the British Sport GT's that were so popular during the 40's, 50's and 60's. (By the way I'm 60.)
Hyundai certainly had major initial engineering, quality-control and service reputation problems to overcome due to weaker product quality, reliability and dealer support of their offerings and dealerships during the 80's and early 90's.
But based on my personal experience with this Elantra GT and my high "benchmark expectations" after owning other highly satisfactory, great value cars, Hyundai may be on the fast track to overcoming Honda, Toyota and other manufacturers known for exceptional value, solid quality and much better-than-average reliability and dealership strength.
No, I don't work for or have any association in any way with any manufacturer or dealership. I just like it when hoped-for value and overall satisfaction with a product exceed my expectations. Many people may fall (and remain) in love with their Hyundai. I'm not a romantic, but my bumper sticker might read: Ask Me Why I Hug My Hyundai!
Jim Miller, Wichita Kansas.
I am writing regarding the Elantra. The Elantra that we own is primarily my husbands car. Although we admittedly have had no problems until just recently, I personally do not like the car, but that is more do due to taste than anything else. I own a Santa Fe. What I am writing to complain or caution about is the service aspect from the dealership. My husband had an accident with the car a year ago and after contacting the insurance company we brought the car to the dealership it was purchased at to be repaired. One of the repairs was the air conditioning unit.
It has been a year and we have had nothing but problems with the air conditioning since it was replaced. We have been back and forth to the dealership and originally were told (after a small fee) that nothing was wrong with the unit. The next day it died completely. We returned and were told that there were two very large puncture holes in the condenser unit that they did not see the day before.
The long and short of this is that the dealer ship won't fix it because as it was in an accident the warranty on that part is now void, the insurance company won't pay because they say it is a design flaw in the car, Hyundai claims that there is no design flaw. So we are out the deductible for the accident, the fee to find what is wrong with the car, and the air conditioning is still broken.
Please be advised that after calling Hyundai I was told that very often the dealerships replace the defective or broken parts with used parts. I was told by them to request more information to make sure that the condenser used to replace the one broken in the accident did not come from a salvage yard. So much for the warranty and standing behind the vehicle. I am seriously concerned about owning two Hyundai's now.
I have owned my 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS since July 2001 and have accumulated almost 40,000 miles to date. I initially was looking for a dealer "certified" used Mercury Tracer, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla or Nissan Stanza with 50,000 or less miles, but I quickly discovered that for less than the price of an "optionless" example of those models I could purchase a brand new Elantra fully loaded with a killer warranty. Perhaps because I had few expectations of the car other than basic transportation to work and back, I must say that I have been nothing short of impressed with this amazing little vehicle! I will add that I have previously owned at least one of each of the competitor models I listed except the Stanza and I feel none was particularly superior to the Elantra (and none had all of the extras). I find my Elantra to be smooth, quiet, comfortable, reliable, plenty of power to keep up on the interstates, and easily manueverable in city traffic and tight parking lots. The service at my dealership has also been outstanding, with courteous and responsive service representatives and a proactive attitude towards customer satisfaction. For example, the only problem I've had with the car is a fluctuating idle so minor that I didn't even notice it, but the service guy changing the oil did, which resulted in a sensor being replaced under warranty. Overall I am very satisfied with the car and have gladly recommended it to several relatives and friends who were car shopping, two of whom did eventually buy their own Elantras and are equally satisfied. My goal is to stretch this car to 200,000 miles, which seems reasonable to me if it keeps running as well as it is today.
I purchased my 02 Elantra GLS nearly 2 years ago and have since put almost 30K miles on it. So I felt the time is right to voice (or type) my praises. The car has not had any work, warranty or otherwise, done except balancing the tires and of course normal maintenance. Fantastic purchase. I intent to put 150k on it as it appears to be quite durable. Nothing fantastic to note, but at the same time, I would certainly say that my experience has been above average, especially considering the cost.
I agree with everyone here...
The car is good... but hey... compare with the same class, not 30k to 4k $ cars!
I have owned
a civic cx 1992
a civic dx 1998 (crashed)
an accord 1995
a golf 1992.
Now the elentra GT 2002.
I have driven the civic SI 2002
test drove the corrola...
The elentra has more power, better look, better handling, more options... well everything is pretty much better...
It just does not have the reputation...
In north america... most people who hear hyundai thing cheap...
My family has been telling me off for buying it and yet yesterday at -30 HY Hyundai started first shot with little gas while my brothers AcruaCL 1998 with 67000km did not.
The car has a lot of quality... but you skipped the cheap parts
like the dash lights are blue while all other options light yellow
or how they skipped 180 and 200 to replace it with 190...
The car is freaking good.
But be realistic... its not a lexus G20 and it is not a BMW series 3.
Hey, I just got my 2002 Elantra. Though I bought it used I have had no problems with it, save the cig. lighter going out in it. The service department fixed it at no cost to me. It is the most enjoyable car I have owned and am looking forward to continued satisfaction with this vehicle. I just love it!
Sean, Spokane WA.
If the original reviewer truly thinks a Hyundai is the "World's Best Car", is on par with cars costing three times more, and "makes a Mercedes look downscale", I think it might be time to check for an exhaust leak. It appears that fumes may be getting to you.
Hyundai has made great progress, but let's not get carried away.