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Used 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback Consumer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
64 reviews

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4.25 out of 5 stars

Love the styling, but shocked at the MPG lie!!

dmortaz, 01/21/2013
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT PZEV 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful

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.

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4 out of 5 stars

Love my baby ...however...BEWARE OF HANKOOKS!!

Kimberly B, 12/08/2015
updated 03/07/2016
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT PZEV 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful

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.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

Poor quality - so many recalls/defects! (updated)

Doug in Vancouver, 10/13/2016
updated 10/08/2019
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6M)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful

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!!!

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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4.25 out of 5 stars

Utility, not performance

doug_pardee, 03/21/2013
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT PZEV 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
15 of 17 people found this review helpful

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.

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4.38 out of 5 stars

Second time Hyundai owner

furunofan, 10/01/2012
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6M)
16 of 19 people found this review helpful

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.

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1 out of 5 stars

Beware of Hyundai Elantra engine issues!!!

Cassie Kottke, 03/09/2019
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful

We all have recently found out about the recall Hyundai made on it's 2011-2013 Tucson's but it has also been covering up an issue with the Elantra. I recently took my 2013 Hyundai Elantra in due to a loud engine tick at 78,000 miles. I had regular oil changes done on the car and had never had any issues with the car up to this point. I had done extensive research before I took it to the Hyundai dealer and found hundreds of reports online with a similar complaint. Most of the reports resulted in the engine being damaged and needing to be replaced.Sure enough... I received the same news at the cost of $6500, not to mention the $30 per day in rental car fees and the fact that the engine would take months to get in. Although the mechanic could not tell me exactly what was wrong with the engine, they found metal filings in the oil pan and I was warned not to drive the car because in his words, "the car was dangerous and the engine could seize up."The damage was not covered under the 100,000 power train warranty as I was not the first owner and Hyundai would put NO guaranty on the new engine they put in. My advice to anyone is to trade their car in NOW especially if you are not the first owner. Whatever you do, do not purchase these cars used. Often times the engines have been replaced with the same engines that have had issues in the past.

Safety
1 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazed!

tammielb, 04/19/2014
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT PZEV 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful

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. :)

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4.13 out of 5 stars

dissapointing gas mileage

tracey17, 01/28/2014
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT PZEV 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This car is reasonably zippy for a small car, although not quite as good as my first impression during the test drives. The fuel economy was a big factor in choosing this car and, in this, I am very dissapointed. I drove a manual 2001 Honda Civic EX for a few years prior and I LOVED that car...plenty of zip and mpg ranged from 32-34. I drove a couple different years of Ford Escape as a company car as well and it was a solid 24mpg. It is a tough MN winter and I am seeing 17-21mpg in this ElantraGT. In the couple months before the snow hit I was still lucky to get 26mpg overall and 32mpg on the highway, even in Eco-mode and being very conscientious about driving conservatively for a week.

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1 out of 5 stars

Engine failure at 68k miles!

Kurt, 02/05/2019
updated 11/29/2023
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful

I'm very frustrated with Edmunds.com because I trusted the good reviews of this car. We bought our 2013 Elantra GT 8 months ago and have barely put 2k miles on it. A few months go we started hearing tapping noise that went away after the engine warmed up. The noise became a full-blown knocking deep in the engine that becomes more frequent as the car accelerates. We took it to a Hyundai dealership and were told that there was a lot of metal in the oil and the engine was basically useless. The only solution is to replace it. The dealership has blamed this problem on poor owner maintenance. After further Google research I've discovered that engine failure for 2011-2018 Elantra's with the Nu 1.8L model is very common but Hyundai refuses to admit that it's a manufacturing defect. However this only seems to be the case in the US. Canadian owners of the Nu 1.8L engine get theirs replaced upon experiencing the knocking and metal shavings in the oil--at no cost to the owner (our Hyundai dealer quoted $6k for the replacement). This indicates that Hyundai knows and acknowledges the defect but wont extend the replacement to the US because we don't have consumer protection laws like Canada. In short, I'm stuck with a car that the dealership will give $1000 as trade-in (We still owe $7000), or I can spend $6000 to replace the engine. I'm considering joining in the class-action lawsuit against Hyundai. **** Update 2021 **** My daughter has been driving the car a little every day. We never go on highways or freeways and never leave town with the Elantra. We don't go over 45mph. The car still has a loud nasty knocking while running. I change the oil every 3 months, even though I want to give up and let the car self-destruct. We have joined a class-action lawsuit against Hyundai, which means that we have to keep this crappy car until the lawsuit is resolved. Hopefully that will be in April or May of 2021. I don't know what will happen if the suit is successful. What ever they do, I'm going to get the car fixed and sell it ASAP. Hyunday cars have proven to be garbage. Not only mechanically but the interior components are crappy too. The dash and plastic parts rattle, the foam padding in the seats has deteriorated to almost nothing. My advice is to stay away from Hyunday. 9/2021 **** Hyundai did end up replacing the engine. It runs well now but, after a month we keep getting check-engine lights. My daughter owns the car now so she handles all of that. She has taken the car back 3 times in 2 months because check-engine lights coming on. I've tried to get her to sell the car but she is attached to it and doesn't want to give it up now that it has a new engine. If it was up to me, I'd sell that lemon tomorrow for whatever we could get. Did I mention that I recommend everyone stay away from Hyundai? 11/2023 UPDATE: My daughter really hates this car. back in 2021 I mentioned she had check-engine lights going on. Well, the dealership kept resetting the error because they couldn't find the problem. The CEL code indicated an emissions/fuel system issue but for some reason they can't find anything wrong. They just told her to drive it until it comes on again then bring it back. She is a teacher and can't be taking time to bring her car to the dealership every week for phantom check-engine lights that the mechanics can't seem to identify. I finally went in and lost my temper and raged at the service manager. I was out of control and told them how badly they have treated her and how incompetent they were because they were wasting her time and couldn't fix the car. The other issue was the this same dealership is the one who blatantly lied to us in the beginning about how we were the cause of the initial engine failure. She has been jerked around and treated horribly because Hyundai built a crappy car and won't take responsibility for the mess they made. To be fair, my daughter STILL owns the car! Well, after my out-of-control tirade at the dealership they kept the car overnight and finally traced the problem to plastic part near the gas tank fuel outlet. I can't remember what part it was but it had cracked and was disrupting the fuel system vacuum enough to throw the CEL. After 3 months and more that 5 times in the dealership they finally fixed it... and didn't hesitate to charge her for their time. Oh, and now the hatchback won't open. The latch is stuck and can't be released with the key or the manual trigger. So that's fun. She has a horribly useless failure or a car that she can't sell because the hatchback won't open. We are wondering how many hundreds of dollars that's going to cost her to fix.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Interior
1 out of 5 stars
Comfort
1 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

A great car

Nate, 07/18/2016
updated 07/28/2017
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 6M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful

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.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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