2004 Hyundai Elantra GT from North America - Comments

My MP3 player didn't seem to be installed properly. The dealer replaced it easily.

The engine stalled on very cold mornings. It would just go a few hundred yards and stall. The dealer is currently working on this problem as they've never heard of it before. It's getting to be seriously annoying. I just want a car that drives in the winter. It's not too much to ask.

99% of the time I LOVE this car.

The trunk is freaking huge. The backseat is very roomy. The driver's seat is perfect for me.

I've fallen in love with the MP3 player and the sunroof. (Options I couldn't afford otherwise)

Still trying to figure out what possible connection there would be between your Hyundai and any SAAB model?

Perhaps it's because they both have 4 wheels, a windshield and a steering wheel.

The Elantra GT 5 door hatchback has been compared to the last generation Sabb Hatchback. The two cars look similar to each other. That is why this owner used the term "My Fake Sabb Rocks." I hope this clears up any confusion.

No, dear.. it just means that if you're not looking dead on, you think it's a Saab. I've even been treated better waiting for a turn signal or a lane change because the car looks that good. Nobody gave me the time of day when I had the '98 Ford Escort.

Yea, the trunk is pretty roomy, a hair smaller than the Escort.. (huge compared to the F Focus.) I test drove both on the same day. Focus is a joke, man. I can't put groceries, my 10 year old son and 30 something husband in that car. (2005 Focus) Forget it! Elantra was roomier all around and is perfect for what I use it for. And I love the 138 HP. If I want power, and extra room, I borrow the Husband's Taurus (200HP).

I've had a couple of people ask if my 2005 Elantra GLS hatchback was a SAAB.

To the poster on Dec. 27, 2004: The connection is that the Hyundai is undoubtedly a better all round vehicle than any GM-ized SAAB, based on the reviews I have read.

I too have had my GT called a 'Saab' as well as others I've encountered.

In regards to the commenter who said that any Hyundai is better than a "GM-ized Saab". Your kidding right? You actually think that a car the makes 200hp out of a turbo 2.0 motor, the best of European handling and heritage is outperformed by a Korean economy car? Wow, you GM haters truly are delusional. But I suppose that you're an "expert" just like all the other GM hating "experts" on this site.

BTW, I really do like the Elantra GT. It's a good looking car.

"The best of European handling and heritage"?

Are you serious?

BMWs, Audis, and even some VWs run circles around Saabs as far as handling. Throw in the endless, endless torque steer and Saab loses further.

What's more, Saab can't even compete on reliability. My 2000 BMW 528i had ZERO problems in the three years I owned it. Read Saab reviews here (9-3, 9-5) from the same era and you get the opposite picture.

Saabs are simply rebadged GM family sedans (excluding the stupid SUV and the Saabaru 9-2X). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they aren't the pure sports sedans that BMWs are.

I drove the Elantra GT and liked it a lot except for the steering. The car is very attractive and does look like a Saab, more so than the 9-7 atrocity and the 9-2X.

Saabs are not rebaged GM with the exception of the SUV which is a trailblazer with better suspension (not a bad thing at all). Yes the 9-2X is a Subaru wagon, but that isn't a bad thing. Yeah okay the Saab has torque steer, but it's a front driver and would be much better suited to winter driving than your BMW. Besides, the 9-5 is a lot cheaper than your vanity German buggy. Saab has a hell of a heritage behind it. I mean they manufactured jets for gods sake. Even BMW used to be in the business of aircraft manufacturing. Yes they are trying to find their bearing in this fractured market, but Saab is still quite an outstanding automobile. My comment above was directed the individual who said that a Hyundai is superior. Just relax. Yes GM has a finger in the Saab pie, but these days everyone is laying in eachothers beds.

I have a five-door Elantra GT AND a Saab 900S. They look extremely similar for cars that were made almost ten years apart. Even the interior of the Elantra echoes the Saab. I love both cars and they are both fun to drive, but the Saab can outhandle and out-accelerate the Hyundai anytime. On the other hand, the Elantra is far more comfortable and will probably be more reliable too.

As for the comment on Saab "heritage" and building jets: true, but irrelevant. Building a good missile or submarine (both of which Saab Corp. does) doesn't mean you can build a good car. I think Saabs are good cars, but its not because Saab makes other stuff too.

Furthermore, Saab has been a division of GM since the late 1990's (with the 9-3). All Saab models are designed by GM, and built with GM parts. Heritage? No.

Actually yes the Elantra looks a lot!!! like a SAAB 9-3 from the 90's even the interior (that's good it's a beauty) but the SAAB has poor reliability and if you all really wanna know the 9-3 is not a rebadged GM like the newer models it's a rebadged OPEL from Germany not a very good car for that matter even though the base is German (the engine is all swedish its pretty good too except for the ignition module cassette keeps going out 100000 head gasket probs and many many other annoying things for an expensive car it's a cheap car draped with beautiful close the elantra on the other hand took most of the beauty of the car and some good reliability and gave us an excellent price thanks!!!

I rented one of these GTs for a week, and the thing had about as much frills as wheelchair. A slow and wheezy piece of crap filled with more plastic than a Fisher Price factory.

I would honestly say that I would be ashamed to be the owner of such a lame car. The thing was small and cramped, and had the cookie cutter interior styling like something that was thought up in one night.

I own a Saab 900 SE Turbo. LOVE THE CAR, I've had all sorts of cars from all regions of the world. I don't hold any alliance to American vs Euro vs Asian, but I can honestly say that my 900 has been the most fun of any of them. The two cars look nearly identical from a side profile. Hyundai completely ripped the styling. Argue about it all you want, but you cannot deny the blatant similarities of the two vehicles.

Is it a GM car? Well mine not really, it's a 96 and made in Sweden, but there are various GM parts or GM branded parts in my car. The firewall in the engine bay has GM printed on it for example, but beyond that the car is so unique. Just know that the similarities between the two cars is simply cosmetic and should not be compared in any way shape or form beyond that.