Road Tests: Long-Term Test

This month, Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans was the wheelman for our long-term Elantra. Attempting to emulate the way a typical buyer would use the car, he did the following things: He drove it to and from work. He sat in congested traffic. He schlepped friends and family during weekends. He used it for grocery shopping. He ate fast food and guzzled soda in it. He drove it to the local gigaplex to see an overly hyped and overly long summer movie about a certain harbor in Hawaii. He listened to NPR and Howard Stern (no CD player, you know). He picked his nose while driving on the freeway and hoped nobody else noticed. After 1,400 miles of this, he came to a conclusion: "Say, this car is pretty good," he said. Only at Edmunds.com can you get brilliant and deeply insightful commentary like that.

What impressed Brent most about the car was the amount of content and the low price. As we mentioned on this car's introduction page, the Elantra comes with a surprising number of standard features. One probably wouldn't expect to find side airbags; a driver seat with tilt, height and lumbar adjustment; dual trip meters; and power windows and locks on a $13,000 car. "A lot of my friends were disappointed to hear I was driving around a Hyundai for a month," Brent said. "I think there is still a certain degree of negativity associated with Hyundai given its poor reputation for reliability in the '80s. But after I drove my friends around and told them that the car was only 13 grand, their opinions changed drastically."

It would seem that other U.S. consumers are also coming around. According to Automotive News, Hyundai has sold almost 41,000 Elantras through the first five months of 2001. This is about same amount of Nissan Sentras sold, and twice as many Mazda Protegés and Mitsubishi Mirages sold. Elantra sales still lag behind big sellers like the Civic and Corolla, but we wouldn't be surprised if the car continued to gain sales at Honda's and Toyota's expense.

Brent also had good things to say about the driving experience. "I would say that the Elantra is just as pleasant to pilot as a Civic or Corolla. The suspension is tuned to provide a comfortable ride on city streets. It's also easy to maneuver thanks to the light steering. Driven harder, the car's limits are reached relatively quickly. I'd prefer to have firmer shocks and stickier tires. But I do think the chassis itself has a lot of potential. If Hyundai wanted to give the car more power and sportier handling to compete with the upcoming Sentra SE-R, I'm sure the Elantra could handle it."

During the month of June, Brent also spent some days driving around other vehicles, including a Porsche 911 Turbo. After the Porsche, he thought getting back into the Elantra would be a miserable experience. But the Elantra's 2.0-liter 140-horsepower engine offered quick acceleration. Brent noticed that there is a slight bump in power when the engine is revved past 4,000 rpm. The sensation and sound reminded him of the variable valve timing system found on some Civics. But after reading up on the car, he realized that the extra power is due to the exhaust system. It has a special valve that reduces exhaust noise at low rpms. From 4,000 rpm to redline, the valve opens up, improving exhaust flow.

When Brent wasn't driving the Elantra, a couple other Edmunds.com editors took the helm. Associate Editor Erin Riches had this to say: "The suspension smoothed out my commute, but it did create a floatier ride than I got in our long-term Ford Focus ZX3. Also, while the Elantra's steering was easy to manage, the steering on the Focus is more accurate and lively. This makes the Focus more fun to drive, but it costs more and its warranty package isn't as comprehensive as the Elantra's."

Erin also had observations about the interior. She appreciated the padded armrests and the simple climate controls. She wasn't bothered by the hard plastics in the Elantra because, as she says, "that's what economy car ownership is about." Both Erin and Brent also noted that the interior seemed to be assembled properly without any loose trim or misaligned plastic pieces.

Our final driver this month was Road Test Editor Neil Dunlop. He took it to Big Bear, a local mountain resort outside of Los Angeles. "I was pleasantly surprised with the Elantra," Neil said. "It's a very capable family car. I found it quiet and comfortable on the freeway. The cabin is tastefully and thoughtfully laid out. The trunk swallowed my luggage with plenty of room to spare. It's even good looking in a run-of-the-mill family sedan kind of way."

So there you have it. Three drivers, three positive opinions. Will the Elantra continue to be in our good graces over the next few months? Stay tuned.

Current Odometer: 3,777
Best Fuel Economy: 27.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 21.9 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 26.6 mph
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None