Used 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Love my baby ...however...BEWARE OF HANKOOKS!!
I love this car. I have every bell and whistle available. While I feel I got a decent deal compared to original sticker, I was dismayed to find the trade or resale is much less than projected. It is fun to drive, electronics and sound are great. Full sun roof is awesome! Heated leather seat warm uniformly. The MPG is NOWHERE near what they claim, not matter is driving highway or city. It is apps 7-10 mpg less than they tell you. Blue link is something they don't fill you in on completely. For the full suite of services it runs $300/year. The navigation service thru Blue link is $99/ year and gives no better info than your average smart phone. I have Navi on my touch screen so it adds no value to me. I have the emergency response & vehicle maintenance service $99/yr. My husband bought me the $99 remote start/lock/etc. Worthless. Works from a cell app and no matter if on 4G or Wifi, the service only works 3 out of 10 times and never on a cold snowy day...because the servers are overwhelmed. BEWARE STOCK HANKOOKS! My car had 12000 miles and I had 2 sidewall bubbles. I hit nothing. My rims are pristine and my alignment is perfect. I have researched, this is common due to incompatibility with the suspension of the vehicle and the material of these low profile tires and neither Hankook or Hyundai will do anything about it. I was told that I had to upgrade from the 426 to the Venture Noble 2. 5 months later, bubbles in the new sidewalls. So in the 1st year of ownership, I am about to buy tires #5&6. Also, the stock 426's SUCK MAJORLY in rain or ANY snow or ice. The the Venture Noble were not run in snow since only lasted 6 mths. The new tire will be Michelin Premeir AS since this is what other owners have had positive experiences with. Warranty is good on paper, but be aware that they will try to get out of any and everything at the dealer. They fought with me over window trim that simply flew off of a car that has only been hand washed. I had to create a nuisance on social media for them to pay attention. Also, they try to convince you that you need required service check points. Consult your manual. Most service can be done anywhere with proper recordkeeping. The dealer will try to upsell and make their quotas. Check points are merely selling tactics. Over all I love my car, but I would have hesitated had I known what I do and asked the right questions. Live and learn. Hope my review helps someone. UPDATE ****** The Michelin Premeir A/S perform beautifully in pouring rain and ponding roads as well as in snow and ice slush conditions. I have them on the front wheels and the only issues I had were from the hankooks on the rear not grabbing. Upgrading the rear tires to the Michelins. Dismayed that in 2 years this will be the 7th & 8th tires I am putting on. Next time, if I buy a hyundai, tire upgrade will be a mandatory condition of purchase.
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Love the styling, but shocked at the MPG lie!!
Last week we purchased the 2013 Elantra GT with the Touch-and-Go package for our every day commute car! But I am sorely disappointed at the Noise in the cabin specially on the freeway rides. I am also shocked that despite the rebates on the inaccurate Gas Millage claims, our sticker on the car was still showing a 30 MPG average!! This car's dash only shows 24-25 MPG which is far shy of the stickers claim! I wish I had known about the exaggerated millage. I am NOT sure if it would have caused us to change our decision, but now I wonder what other facts the Hyundai folks have been exaggerating about.
Utility, not performance
The Elantra GT is NOT an enthusiast's car. It's an extremely practical car that provides commuters a quiet and comfortable ride in a relatively upscale cabin, with flexibility for carrying passengers and cargo, or for taking road trips. And with excellent mileage if driven conservatively. Gas mileage: by many accounts, the Elantra GT is unusually sensitive to how it's driven. At 60 mph with cruise control on, I get maybe 42 mpg. Mileage drops off sharply with additional speed, or with cruise control off. After a cold start, maybe 15 mpg for the first mile. When slowing, I take my foot completely off the gas to activate Deceleration Fuel CutOff. I've gotten right at 30 mpg on every tankful.
Second time Hyundai owner
I traded in my 2005 Tucson that I purchased new for this 2013 Elantra GT. The car is really comfortable and has a nice quiet ride for a small car. The value isn't as good as I recieved when purchasing the 2005 Tucson. I think the value of the dollar has decreased to the point imports are having problems keeping the value they offered just 5 years ago. The steering is great. I wanted a Ford Focus until I test drove one and found the steering radius was not what I expected from a small car. The GT steering has three modes and all drive really well. I had problems getting a manual transmission but I didn't want to pay the xtra for an automatic.
A great car
In my opinion, the 2013 Elantra GT is the perfect car for someone looking for a great blend of reliability, efficiency, and low cost of maintenance. My commute calls for in-town driving, but my job has me on the interstate with regularity; the car performs very well in both circumstances. The car is fun to drive, has great visibility, and handles extremely well; having said that, if snowy conditions make you nervous, you might prefer an AWD vehicle. (For my part, I have never had a problem with it in the snow.) The Hyundai warranty is second to none. As for maintenance and mechanical considerations, the car has been extremely reliable: Mine has about 71,000 miles on it, and have had no issues outside normal maintenance. Basically, if you're looking for a reliable, economical vehicle that is great for daily use either in town or on the highway, I cannot recommend this car highly enough. I plan to keep mine for a long time.
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Poor quality - so many recalls/defects! (updated)
10/7/19 - Update to my earlier review: After having suffered through the false-mpg class action lawsuit debacle, the window trim falling off, and the transmission seal leaking, I have now been notified by Hyundai of yet-another dsn/mfg defect - the panoramic glass sunroofs are prone to random shattering! I have finally decided it's time to cut my losses and sell this lemon. Throughout all these problems, Hyundai has been a real pain to deal with. They just don't seem to care about customer satisfaction, nor about accepting responsibility for their design/mfg defects. My previous Hyundai's were solid (Tiburon, Santa Fe, Veloster) but after this experience, no more Hyundai's for me! ------------------------------------ Earlier review: I purchased my Elantra GT new, and have driven it for four years, putting about 70K miles on it. For the most part, the car has been comfortable and reliable and trouble-free. As is well known, the true MPG is nowhere near the marketing claims by Hyundai (and there is an unresolved class action lawsuit underway to address that). I also had a problem where the rear quarter-panel window trim fell off - fortunately I found a TSB published on the internet about that, so Hyundai fixed it under warranty. However, I recently had a problem where the clutch started chattering/slipping. My mechanic discovered that the transmission input shaft seal was defective/leaking. Even though this is covered by the Hyundai 10 year/100K warranty - Hyundai refused to honor the warranty and pay for the repair. So if you are considering buying a Hyundai vehicle, I would recommend purchasing instead a vehicle with higher quality/reliability and from a manufacturer who stands behind their product and their warranty commitments (think Honda, Toyota, Mazda). And definitely don't count on the Hyundai 10 year/100K warranty actually providing you any protection from product defects. UPDATE OCT 2017: Hyundai continues to disappoint me with their terrible customer service. They truly seem not to care whether or not their customers are happy with their Hyundai vehicle. At this point in time (after having been a loyal multiple-car Hyundai customer) I have zero loyalty toward them, and I will definitely not even consider ever purchasing another Hyundai product again. Honda offers much superior products and customer service! My advice to anyone considering buying a Hyundai vehicle is DON'T DO IT!!!
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It's a Love-Hate Relationship
I've had this car for about six months and have some regrets about buying it. It looks great - both the interior and exterior designs are excellent. And the technology it's equipped with (I have the tech/style pkg) beats any other car in its segment. However, there are some major deficiencies: (1) the gas mileage is nowhere near what Hyundai claims. The most I've ever gotten is 30mpg highway and 27 combined. That's driving conservatively in eco mode the entire time; (2) the ride is VERY harsh - you feel every (I mean EVERY) bump in the road and forget about going over rough pavement, bumps, or potholes. I feel like I'm riding in a school bus. (3) the acceleration/power stinks...badly.
Tall-friendly and Winter Worthy!
Edmunds sent an e-mail to "update" my review yet again. I still own it, I still love it. No mechanical issues! Edmunds sent an e-mail to "update" my review as it's going on year 3. So, here goes. As my first Hyundai, going on year 3 I continue to be impressed. I've yet to have any mechanical or quality issue arise with this little GT. We just got back from a weekend road trip, averaged 39.6 miles per gallon on the trip. Still tight as a drum, no creaks, no rattles, no noises what-so-ever. It's been through 3 Minnesota winters (2014 we were hitting -30F outside) and it performed just like any other day. The only possible "con" I have is the wheels and tires. There's nothing wrong with them, but these low profile 17" tires cost more than a 195/65 R-15 tire by anywhere from $20-40 per tire. So when the time comes, I will replace the OEM stuff with 15" wheels and tires. Will be more resistant to wheel scratches from potholes as a bonus! This car has been incredible so far. I'm 6'3", 175 pounds. I fit comfortably, better yet, I can fit 3 more 6'+ people with no problem. Ride quality, engine noise and road noise all exceed my expectations in a very good way. I own a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 as well, the difference is staggering, and I love that car! The attention to detail and material quality really sets it apart from a lot of cars. Nothing feels cheap (and this is a Hyundai! Man, they've come a long way), nothing creaks or pops going down the road. I'm used to these small, 4 cylinder econoboxes being complete rattletraps. Not anymore. And it does well in snow. I couldn't be happier.
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Amazed!
I recently purchased the Hyundai Elantra GT...and I love it. I was driving a Lexus RX 350 which had been a wonderful car. But it was 8 years old and time for a replacement. I'm a single mom and a teacher so another Lexus was not in my price range. I researched tons of vehicles trying to find the most for my money and hoping I wouldn't be missing the Lexus. The Elantra was it! The ride, the comfort, the bells and whistles...all of it. I don't miss my Lexus at all. I got it fully loaded and it was totally in my price range. In fact, dare I say it's more fun to drive. A little smaller and zippier around the neighborhood. My 10 and 13 year old boys even like my new car better. :)
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
Just bought the car a couple of weeks ago. Had narrowed decision down to Toyota Prius or the GT. Decided on the GT because of price, standard features, warranty, no batteries to replace and, believe it or not, quietness! Admitedly it is a little smaller than the Prius but we are empty nesters in our 60's looking for an around town/short road trip car. The car is a joy to drive and so quiet. Suspension is "sports", i.e., fairly stiff. Car feels solid.