Used 2012 Hyundai Elantra Consumer Reviews

151,000 miles. Still pleased with car.

I've seen that some people have gotten lemons, but most buyers are satisfied. I drive over 90 miles a day very aggressively. Appreciate the gas mileage rebate, but the way I drive I wouldn't ever expect anything near 40 mpg.. The interior is noisy and lacks a cushion-like feel, but the sound system with nav. is great. At 70 thousand I needed new tires, wipers and brakes. I exceeded recommendations and had to buy rotors, but that was my fault. I change the oil about every 4500 miles because all my miles are on the highway. No mechanical issues that I can fairly complain about. Had the dealer replace the serpentine belt at 75 thousand just to be safe. Update- 96,000 miles. I did as recommended and allowed Hyundai dealer service dept. to change engine coolant and transmission fluid at 85,000 miles. Got slammed with a bill for 550 bucks! Feel like that was excessive. Still, no repairs have been required - not even a bad light bulb. Update- 104,000 miles. Had a taillight bulb burn out. Had brake pads checked for wear. I don't want to buy rotors again, like I did at 70,000 due to my neglect. Pads are still good. Had to get all the tire pressure sensors replaced - two recently. These are fifty bucks apiece plus labor. I don't appreciate having to spend so much for what I think is unnecessary technology. I can tell by looking if a tire is soft. I think this is a widespread inconvenience not unique to this make and model car. I will need new tires again, in the next 5 or 10 thousand miles. Update: 134,000 miles. Have had to replace battery, another brake rotor and all brake pads. One ignition coil pack. A bunch of light bulbs and long piece of brake line. The ice melt chemical the state puts on the roads in the winter rotted out the brake rotors and the brake line. I was able to replace most of these items myself, so the expense wasn't too bad. Still running great! Update: 144,000 plus a few more. Bought new tires right after last review. Having trouble connecting cell phone. My phone is getting old, so maybe a software update disabled my connection. Will check the web about this. No other difficulties at this time. Update: 151,000 miles - Phone connection works most of the time, now. Otherwise, car as a whole working great. Two oil changes performed since 144 thousand.

No buyers remorse!!

We put our first 1000 miles on our 2012 Elantra GLS after downsizing from a 2007 Sonata LTD. No regrets yet. The interior space is comparable to the Sonata giving me plenty of leg and head room for my 6'2" frame. Back seat space comfortably accommodates 2 adults. The new 148 hp 4 cylinder has plenty of pop and the 6 speed transmission operates smoothly. The eye-catching design is a real head turner. We did get the preferred package which adds a few extras. After reading a few reviews, I was concerned about the gas mileage being overstated, but we recently got over 41 mpg on a road trip and average about 36-38 on our first 3 tanks of gas. This is according to the on board avg indicator.

Good price for a good car

Purchased the Hyundai Elantra GLS in 2014 with 80,000 miles. This is a commuter car no doubt about that, and will remain a commuter car. Driven highway miles 75% of the time. Vehicle was in excellent condition when purchased, needed rear right strut to be replaced. Goodyear Assurance tires are quality and low noise coupled with the Elantra. Consistently get 36+ MPG mixed driving without being on the throttle. Throttle response is lacking due to drive-by-wire rather than cable. Steering is tight and consistent, but no feedback and feels 'dead' at slow speeds. Comfort in front and back is good for shorter distances and road trips 2 hours or more. Steering wheel controls are set up nicely and ECU is good at predicting driving with Cruise Control on. Factory CD player/media player controls aren't the best in how they're set up, but is fixed by installing an aftermarket unit. Available kit on this model is good; safety all around, flawless A/C, 6 speaker sound system, and cruise. However, for a 2012 it would be nice for some minor additions of factory steering wheel controls/power and memory seats, foglights to top off exterior. Engine is noisy with lifter ticking, but common in the 1.8L Nu engine series. Possible to decrease lifter noise with revised lifters/more oil pressure? Transmission gearing is spot on for lower horsepower/torque power bands and excellent for 70 MPH interstate cruising. Shifting is chunky with the 6 speed, but direct. Shifter itself feels too light to navigate the gear box. Minimal maintenance has been required overall. Suspension is tight, however, the 2012 also suffers from the Salt Belt States front coil spring recall (which is still unavailable for the 2012 and 2013 models); both front coil springs have snapped within a month of each other slightly damaging sidewalls of tires. OEM coil springs are nonexistent through dealers in the US. Canada sourced coil springs may be available. Exterior styling is very nice and akin to Japanese cars (well done Hyundai exterior design team). Interior styling is nice as well and has a fluid-like look. Soft angles and a cockpit for front seats with plenty of room in the rear for adults. Interior's plastics do not feel chincy. Dash and center console are designed well, hiding clips to retain dash pieces rather than having screw holes everywhere giving the interior a one-piece design. Everything feels solid inside (revise the shifters to have more weight though!) Overall, the MD/UD 5th Generation Elantras are a welcome design change for the manufacturer. Quality has increased dramatically over all of the vehicles. Like many asian manufacturers though, road salt is nearly unheard of and needs to be addressed for safety before selling.

Can NOT reccomend this car

I hope a ton of people read Edmunds reviews and will not be lured in by Hynundais pleasing designs and high option content. I see there are others here that are dissapointed! I had TWO 2012 Elantras, the first one bought back due a intermitent "no start" problem that the dealership cound not fix. We had car #1 for about 3 months. Car #2 has suffered from several stall outs, this happens in the City, or on the Highway. My bluetooth has never worked right, cruise control worked when it wanted to, had a clunk in the front suspension from 8k miles, the engine developed a nasty ticking sound at idle, and of course the fuel mileage, I've seen best 28 mpg while drafting a semi in Montana. avg is 25

Pros and cons

I purchased the 2012 Elantra about a month ago. I had a 2005 Sante Fe that got approx. 15 mph, no matter where I drove, town or highway. I am averaging 32-35 with the elantra, big plus! Love the interior and controls. The exterior: sporty. The cons: I find being able to see clearly while backing up, leaves a lot to be desired. I can understand why some models are equipped with cameras. The shape of the rear windows makes a blind spot, the height of the rear end is too high to easily see while backing. The headlights: even on high beam, there is not much distance or light. High beam looks like dim compared to my previous vehicle. I am more uncomfortable driving at night now.

Wont buy a Huyndai again

My biggest issue is that periodically my car won't start because the gear gets stuck in park. I've called a tow truck several times until I was finally able to get the manual gear button pressed and get it out of gear. Sometimes pressing it doesn't always work and it takes awhile to get it to work, and I've been stuck for a while before getting my car started again. This is extremely frustrating, and has never happened with any other brand of car I've owned, ridiculous. Also, you have to constantly correct the steering wheel when driving on the highway - I've had the car aligned several times, and this never gets any better, fine in the city, but at faster speeds its very annoying. Then, the windows are very narrow, which makes seeing out around you more difficult. The steering wheel is placed right in front of the air vents, so most of the air gets blocked and doesn't reach the driver, extremely frustrating, because I have to move my head to the left of the right to get any air on my face. For the price which was new when I bought the car in 2012, their were other brands that I could've chosen but instead tried a Hyundai Elantra, and I wish I had gotten a different brand. For what I paid which was comparable to other mid range cars, I feel these problems are not acceptable. I therefore am leery about any other Hyundais in the future after my current Elantra, and wouldn't buy this brand again because of my current experience. For the price, there are better cars in the same price range.

Loving My Hyundai in Hawaii

After doing research I drove a few cars which I will not name to save them embarrassment and settled on the Hyundai GLS (Desert Bronze w/Preferred Package) without reservation. I've had the car for one month and 1000 miles. It continues to impress me as well as turn heads. Many people have asked me what kind of car I'm driving or they're surprised it's a Hyundai. The car has a quiet interior, rides comfortably and drives great in the horrible Honolulu traffic, a definite plus! Surprisingly I am averaging 32 all purpose miles per gallon, even with the A/C on. I am thoroughly pleased with the car and everything it offers. The other compact cars in this class need to be worried!

Dont buy this car

1. lied about mpg 2. 6,000 miles in my car started electronically malfunctioning, would get stuck in park/drive, would not turn off!!) 3. took it 4 times to the dealership over same issue....they claim its a loose wire from when it was built??? 4. this is a brand new car, not suppose to be happening. 5. spoke to hyundai and would not do anything to help out but offer a goodwill gesture? yeah thats what my warranty was for .... 6. car slips ALOT....highway and bumps, makes it feel very unsafe 7. not to mention no spare kit..you have to pay 400$ for the kit if you want it, unreal 8. moral of the story is i traded this crap in for a toyota 2013 corolla S and its BETTER.

Good, not great!

So I purchased a new 2012 Elantra about 3 months ago. I have put 5,200 miles on the car so I thought it was time to write my review. The car is really good in some aspects such as exterior styling and smooth ride, but lacks in other areas. This car is a head turner, as I have had many people compliment or ask questions about it. The paint quality also seems good. Overall the car is worth the money (I hope). Overall this model of elantra has not been released long enough to attest to the reliability or longevity.

Quality dropping

I have had 5 Hyundai's in my family in the past 10 years. All experienced issues with rusting underside, and around all the brakes. The most recent 2012 Elantra went in with a value tap, and they replaced the engine. All the other models are known to have engine issues, but they were in denial on this model. They also pointed out the accelerated rust on the undercarriage. Speaking to other Hyundai/Kia owners, there is an obvious pattern where some cars had this rust issue, others did not. My local mechanic said the underside looked like a car that is frequently parked over the grass, but this car was always on pavement. There is something wrong with their undercoating or lack of in manufacturing. The dealer wanted to charge to fix it. When we got the car back, with the new engine....we immediately traded it in for another new car...not a Hyundai this time. Update 9/2017. Many of our friends with Hyundai's says dealerships trying to blame owners for the excessive rust issues on the undercarriage. Said its our fault when its likely lack of rustproofing or bad/cheap metal used in body. FYI: Car always parked on pavement. Also, everyone I know also had the engine replaced. They traded cars in for other brands.

Nice Car.. Could use some improvments

I bought this car in April new and now almost have 17,000 miles on it. I drive a lot and for the most part I love the car. Recently the steering wheel started to peal in a certain spot and the dealership installed a new one with no questions. The backseat has heated seats but when you put on air/heat there are no vents in the back which makes it uncomfortable if you have people in the back since it has to be too hot/ cold in the front so it blows to the back.. The cruise control is really sensitive if I hit a little bump on the highway it flips it right off (which might just be a safety precaution).

2012 GLS Elantra w/preferred pkg

So far, I love this car. I bought it 6/5/11 to replace a 2000 Ford Escort ZX2. I started my search by test-driving a 2012 Ford Focus, Chevy Cruz, Mazda3, and the Hyundai Elantra. In the end I went with the Elantra because, for the amount of money I could spend on a car, it had the most features (bluetooth, xm, tilt/telescopic wheel, cruise control, auto mirror w/ homelink, ipod jack) for the most reasonable cost. It also had the best leg room, which surprised me. I am finally able to have adult passengers in my back seat w/out having to send them to the chiropractor after a road trip.

Love my new Elantra - great looks and fuel efficiency

I've read some of the other reviews and some people seem to be complaining about worse than expected gas mileage.. However, that seems to be only the case with automatic transmission. I have the 6-speed and on my first 3 fillups, I got about 39 mpg on average. The ride of the car is like a full size car. Very comfortable but not too soft suspension, good handling. I really love the exterior and interior design. The feel of the 6-speed transmission is great. So far, I have driven about 1300 miles with my new Elantra and I'm very satisfied.. I didn't expect the car to have sportscar like performance. The power it has is plenty for regular driving.

2012 Elantra Limited - Fantastic Value

Traded in my 2006 Caddy STS (the money pit) last Friday for a 2012 Elantra Limited with all the bells and whistles. Things I love: push button start; nav system; great radio with XM, backup camera, etc. All the things that made the Caddy special are here in the Elantra. What's missing - climate control AC, power seats. I can live without both. The one thing that bothers me - when I opened the trunk and lifted the floor I found NO SPARE TIRE - just a compressor and a bottle of tire sealant. This I'm not happy about. The car drives well, and I don't think that there's anymore road noise than in the Caddy. Nice peppy engine, great brakes, but rather numb steering.

Did Hyundai Provide Me Great Customer Service?

Hyundai’s safety recall Campaign 137 was on the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system, which may have caused my car accident with my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. I called the Hyundai Recall Campaign Center several times about my case. Many of the reps I spoke with either provided wrong information, inaccurate timeframes for supervisors to call me back, denied my request to speak to a supervisor, or hung up on me. National Customer Care Rep Larry Bane managed my case. He refused my request to have my car tested in post-accident condition. During an oil change visit at my local Hyundai dealer, a service advisor recommended replacing my car’s yaw-rate sensor (the key component to the ESC system), and I approved. More than five weeks later, Larry Bane’s first conclusion letter said, “Unfortunately, we were unable to inspect your vehicle in its post-accident condition since it had already been repaired.” The message ended by saying, “We believe your vehicle operated according to its design in the accident.” The following week Larry Bane sent a second conclusion letter. This letter stated, “We have re-reviewed all of the available information regarding your accident, as well as the points raised in your most recent correspondence. Based on all of the available information, we continue to believe that our previous response is accurate and that your accident did not involve a product defect. With respect to the recall referenced in your correspondence (Recall 137), we do not believe that the condition that the recall seeks to address was present or caused your accident.” Larry Bane’s supervisor Chris said, “We pride ourselves in customer service and delivering excellence to each and every person.” However, he said the decision on my case was already made, and there was nothing else he could do for me. Then he added, “I’m trying to be really honest with you. I’m in the business for helping people, and I want to make sure that I’m doing my part to make us close any gaps and make the process as smooth as possible for you, and unfortunately I don’t make any of those decisions.” I asked him to clarify Hyundai’s conclusion letters. He simply said, “That was the decision they made.” Then I called the Hyundai Recall Campaign Center and spoke with supervisor Ethan. He suggested that “someone that doesn’t know how to write out a letter” could have composed the conclusion letters. Ethan concluded, “Honestly, those letters just sound ridiculous.” I wrote a letter to Dave Zuchowski, the CEO of Hyundai Motor America. He didn’t address my customer service experiences or answer why Hyundai didn’t want to test my car in post-accident condition. He said, “We continue to believe that our previous response is accurate and that your accident did not involve a product defect.” Do you think Hyundai was correct in refusing my request to test my car with the same yaw-rate sensor and ESC system at the time of the accident as part of the recall? Do you think Hyundai provided me great customer service? Do you think my next car should be a Hyundai?

My first Hyundai

20 years ago Hyundai was a joke. How times have changed. They are now building some of the best, most reliable vehicles in the industry. I took the plunge and bought a 2012 Elantra Limited. The styling is beautiful and I'm convinced there is no better value on the market. Mine was nicely equipped with leather and sunroof for $21,400.

GO BUY THIS CAR!!!!

Let me talk about fuel economy. I've read other reviews that bash this car's actual MPG's. Well, no car is a miracle car (not yet). When they rate this at 29 city / 40 highway, those are peak averages in very selective circumstances. This is nothing new, every single car on the market does this. What is amazing is that I DO average (combined city/highway) around 30-32 mpg per tank. And yes, this car will do 40 mpg on the highway, I've even gotten it up to 45 mpg on flat surfaces, @60mph with cruise & no AC on. This car is nothing short of amazing. Test drove them all, this one is in a class by itself. Definitely worth a look. I've owned it for about 7 months now with 12,000 miles.

Update

Sorry about the last review. The editors at Edmunds didn't quite get it right. I admit it was long. Exterior: Unique, eye catching, not mundane. Interior: Well appointed, well laid out. Very nice fit and finish. Excellent leg room in back. Relatively quiet. Motor: Powerful and responsive for a 4 cylinder. Somewhat noisy when pushed, but provides the power you need. Does well passing on the interstate. Other Mechanical Items: The brakes are good, the steering is responsive, and the knobs and buttons do not feel or look cheap. AC works great here in Florida. Radio w/ XM is nice, but I wish it had more power to push the speakers.

Great Value, feature packed !

I have been researching, researching and researching new cars for about 6 months now, trying to find the best car for me. In the end, I bought the elantra. There is simply not a better car out there that has more features and creature comforts jam packed into a awesome compact. The value is simply amazing. Shifts are smooth, and its willingness to downshift for more power is quite impressive. The car is very smooth and planted at high speeds (70mph), granted the steering takes a while to get use too because it is on the light side. In the end, if you want the most bang for your buck, there is no other choice then the elantra. Its no speed demon, but it is still fun to drive.

Nice Car But!

Suspension engineering and steering awful. Owned this car for 2 years and had to replace both rear shocks in addition the dealer could never get the steering working properly. I believe it to be an engineering flaw. The front suspension started thumping and in general this car got to be one of the worst cars we have owned.

Awesome Car

I got a new lease on the 2012 Elantra Limited a few days ago. I test drove so many cars before deciding on the Elantra. It has everything you can imagine and more as standard features. I put 110 miles on it over the last couple days and the gas gauge barely moved off full. My husband is 6'2 and there is more than enough leg room for him. I know I made the right decision getting this car its much better than I imagined.

Elantra save my life

3/21/12, I totaled my 2008 Elantra. Seatbelts and airbags saved me life.

Crashed the car and will never buy a Hyundai again

After a long love/hate relationship. The steering and suspension were awesome.The car crashed with me in it with no known reason whatsoever. I had a near death experience. I was driving one morning and the car fishtailed twice on its own then went on 60 degrees angle to the left and crashed in a ditch!!!. The car was still in "America's greatest warranty" and Hyundai really dodged it and denied any faults that can be with the car. After a couple of researches, the steering on models from 2009-2013 has a big problem of suddenly turning to the left and locking in that position causing crashed and fatalities. I was completely in love with this car and only using Hyundai dealership for maintenance and had a very horrible sad end. This car is not safe!!!!

Hyundai is Big Time

I've owned three Hyundai cars to this point (this is my 3rd) and they just keep getting better. They used to be mainly a value play. At this point the Elantra is better than anything in it's class in most ways. I don't have enough data on the fuel economy yet but I'd expect worse in-town than my 2008 Accent due to the weight/rolling resistance. On the first tank I'm in the low 30 (33mpg) with all short trips and around town. The Accent 5-spd gave me 32-33 under the same circumstances and I've babied the Elantra due to it being new. On the highway I'd expect the Elantra to do better due to low wind resistance and taller gearing. I'll update when I get more fuel economy data.

quality of interior materials extremely poo

Replaced stirring wheel twice in 6 years - starts to peel off after some time. Driver leather seat - leather on interiorr back deteriorated quickly and eventually broke split right in the middle. Mind you I am not a construction worker driving in this car in rough working close. I am a lady wearing nice clothes to office. And I always put a wind shield screen up! I don't think interior materials should be deteriorating to such level only 6 years later on a vehicle.

Car Failure with only 8 miles

I was very excited to drive off in my new Elantra 2012 with only 8 miles on the engine. The joy went away as an engine light went on the day after purchase. Took the car back to the dealer only to have them say all is good. The engine ran rough and would almost stall at times. The car has been at the dealer for over a week and I was told that they don't know what the problem is and the engineer from Hyundia will need to determine the problem. Needless to say I am not pleased with my first Elantra. To think I decided not to buy another Toyota due to all the great reviews.

Engine Gone 48,000km

My Elantra has 48,000 km on it, is not driven hard, driven by me and my wife who are both 50+ years old, and the bottom half of the engine needs to be replaced. My friend has an Elantra that is a year newer than mine and her engine has to be replaced. I know of a couple of other people who drive Elantra's and they have ticking in their motor the same as I have. Buyer beware.

Disappointed.

The car is nice to look at. The MPG was a lie. The radio has malfunctioned at 80,000 miles. The timing chasing was replaced at around 20,000 miles and now at 83,000 miles the problem seems to happening once more. The tensioner went bad and it looks like it is agaIn. I change the oil every 5,000 miles and drive mostly freeway or highway miles. It has two pending recalls and the smog system had a computer reset early on. Other than that the car has been pretty nice. It does what it was designed for well. It is not a performance car. The brakes are superb. They are much bigger than need to be. And are very well finctioning.

Attractive compact car with many standard features

I purchase car to meet the varying needs of the family including easy to park, works for both short and taller drivers, good mileage and appealing looks. The vehicle has not been a disappointment and is feature rich and very functional. It has a larger trunk and the interior layout is well designed. Performance and power seem to be adequate. Since it is a smaller vehicle it does not have as comfortable ride as the suspension of a larger upscale vehicle especially on bumpier slower speed limit roads. The highway mileage has been around 39 mpg but the city mileage has been around 22 mpg and has been a a disappointment.

The Junkyard dog.

It started great but when downhill from there. The exterior seals constantly leaked. Allowing moisture and water to seep in. The paint started to faint after 2 years. They should borrow Toyota's paint manufacturing process. At 40000+ miles, the engine inexplicably started to burn a little bit of oil. Then at 55000 miles, it suffered a catastrophic terminal engine failure which included a blown exhaust manifold. I will never buy a car from Korea again!

Average vehicle

I have had my Elantra for almost a year and 18000 miles into the service I am in a position to provide some feedback. As far as the gas mileage I am resigned to the fact that the vehicle is going to give me avearage 26-27 in mixed city/highway driving. At this time I have found a couple of things that are annoying and I wonder if other owners face the same issues: 1) When coming to stop the shifter gear makes a clicking noise. I have taken this to the dealer and they replaced the shifter solenoid but it hasn't entirely resolved it and I still get the noise most the time when the vehicle is coming to stop. Another issue is the clicking noise from front left tire when driving over certain bump

One of the best cars I've ever had!

This is a truly incredible car. I bought this car used in 2013 with 35k miles on it. Now in 2016 with 65k miles, I have not had one problem with it. The only thing that I have had in the almost 3 years I've had this car is getting the tires replaced once, and a few oil changes. There was a re-call for a braking problem where the car would roll, and my local Hyundai Dealer (amazing service, btw) fixed the "issue" (I never had a problem) immediately free of charge. The car is so reliable, especially considering that this car has 65k miles on it. I get incredible fuel economy and this car has saved me so much money on gas. I was once rear-ended on the highway off-ramp at about 15 or so mph. My car had a small scratch on the back bumper, and the cruddy Mitsubishi from the 90s that hit me was pretty mangled. I absolutely love this car so much and would even recommend it to smaller families, because of how much room it has. It could be considered a small family sedan if you ask me. I really think that Hyundai/Kia will be the next Toyota. An Asian import that is know for quality reliable cars. The Hyundai Elantra is a great value, has incredible fuel economy and reliability, and is an all around awesome car. Would recommend to anyone.

12000 miles fo far and very happy with my Elantra

Bought my 2012 Elantra last November and already put 12000 miles on it (trips from Florida to New York and from Florida to Mexico) and the car has been very fuel efficient and reliable. I had ZERO problems with the car and I'm getting an average of 39 mpg (mostly highway). The only time that I got worse gas mileage was when driving with 3 persons, a dog and lugguage to New York and to Mexico.. The extra weight dropped the gas mileage by about 3 - 4 mpg.. I really love the looks of the car, inside and out.. I don't know what other reviewers are talking about when they mention that the engine is noisy.. At 70mph cruising, I can't even hear the engine...

Very good, but not excellent

I previously leased a 2010 Elantra GLS. Wow, the 2012 Elantra Limited is a huge improvement. I shopped around, and did my research. There is no better car available for $23k. I liked the styling of the Mazda3 but the ride is terrible. (Who cares about "handling" when that Mazda rattles your teeth on smooth pavement?) If you want a compact car with leather, nav, and a backup camera (essential features for me), then this is your car.

After you own it a while, you see how bad it is

Bought this car, traded a BMW 1 series for it. Thought i loved the car, but honestly i see that i was just taken over with new car brain. Noteworthy: 1. The leather seats are not leather. They are plastic with "some leather somewhere" as verified by the company and the dealer after they melted under an unknown liquid. 2. the steering wheel will fall apart gradually over time. You will get black rubber or whatever it's made of all over your hands and chunks WILL fall off. 3. The Nav system is upgradable - but the dealership will not do it because "there's a chance it will brick the computer". So you're stuck with whatever maps are on there. Good luck. 4. After 7 years, the car rattles EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere. Doors, trunk, seats (how does that even happen?). 5. The paint is delicate. Normal road debris will give you rust spots within 3 years. 6. The miscalculation on the MPG that hyundai was guilty of is worse than advertised with this model. 7. Do not drive it in ECO more than you have to. I was told (again by the dealer) that ECO mode creates excess carbon in the engine, leading to stumbling and poor performance - which i found out when i took the car in for a stumbling engine, and after 3 cleanouts it still is not fixed and is a permanent part of the car now. 8. If you get the limited, be warned that the low profile tires are prone to "cupping" Says the dealer. "at about 50 percent they're going to show signs of wear and get loud on the road. It's just what they do"> WHAT?! Steer clear of hyundai. They look great, but dealing with all this, i feel like i really got taken. Thought i was getting a quality product, but the old bait and switch is definitely in play.

Swinger for seniors

We bought our 2012 Hyundai Elantra Limited in the spring of 2012, and have driven it 78,400 miles. We are senior citizens (one still working, one retired) -- we say that because neither one of us was looking for a high-performance car. In fact, we have never driven it out of "Eco" mode. The performance is fine by our standards. Gas mileage on our frequent highway trips is 35 to 40 mpg; this car seems to like tailwinds a lot. Our only warranty issue was that the steering wheel began to peel. The dealer replaced the steering wheel promptly; the problem has not recurred. The dealer's service department has been excellent; they often suggest added preventive maintenance, but never push for it. Surprisingly, the dealer offered the best price on tires (offering a wide range of brands). We bought the Limited for the tan leather interior. The Limited came with 17-inch wheels and low-profile tires. I would have preferred 16-inch wheels with higher profile tires (which would offer a wider range of replacement options). Overall, the Elantra is as good a car as we've ever owned.

Best use of money!

I bought my 6 speed manual Elantra in Sept 2011 (2012 model). I have had zero problems in Buffalo. The big problem I had was the car was too light and the original tires were not good for Buffalo snow. So all summer I use good radials and for 8 months I use snows, and that makes for a perfect drive. The car is mostly city driven, now it's at 55k miles. It does about 2 long drives per year, typically between 1000 and 1500 miles each. It is dealer maintained. I had to do the coolant flush and the brake fluid replacement at 55000 or so, about $500 overall (very steep). I have replaced by 4 brakes after 6 years. I still use the original battery. Car is noiseless, rides very well. City mileage on radials is about 27 mpg, on highway is about 36-37 mpg. City miledage on snows is about 24-26 mpg, on highway is about 32-34 mpg. This car has been very reliable so far. I had to replace a tail light this year, $12. Update - At age nearly 8, the car remains reliable and an excellent drive. Very happy with the vehicle. I strongly recommend Hyundai Elantra if you are on the look for a small comfortable 5 seater which has good power, extreme reliability and the lowest maintenance of any of the 8 cars I have owned over the years.

Vibration while idle--poor customer service

I bought my 2012 Hyuandi Elantra almost 2 years ago and I feel like I should have kept my previous vehicle. My car has been giving off a vibration while idle for over 6 months and every single time I come and complain the service people do not find anything wrong with my vehicle. I met with the service manager and he test drove my car and stated that the vibration is normal. I am not sure how vibration is normal, my car literally shakes. I am almost at 30000 miles and then after that my warranty will be up! I am done with Hyuandi and if I could drive my car through the dealership to show my frustration I would. I do not recommend this car That is why they provide all these warranties!

Great Value so far.

Overall the car is great. I'm commenting on those people crying over not getting 40mpg. Umm...drive more hwy miles and your sure to get 40mpg or more. Your dash board says "Avg." That means the average gas mileage your getting. So if your getting less, your probably making too many trips from your house to mcdonalds. Get this car it looks great and so far the reliability is good.

Kinda Bought it on Impulse

The dealer called up and said they had one in stock we could look at. (They couldn't keep them in stock in 2012.) We are glad we ended up buying it. It's been a good car. No big problems. We did put on a set of tires after about 28,000 miles. It's fun to drive and the visibility and headlights are pretty good. It's OK in snow, but it's a lot better with all weather tires. We have a sunroof which came with the deal, but we seldom use it. Our grand kids think it has a good design (How about that!). The only thing I would change is the low profile tires. They look great, but I would just as soon have regular tires. That's not a big deal though. It gets about 30 miles per gallon, which is a little less than Hyundai predicted, but is fine with us. We are pleased with this car. Update 5 years later: We still have this car and it's working well. We had to put in a new battery and have the brakes redone, but that's to be expected after five years of driving. Our only dislikes are the low profile tires. There's one nitpicking dislike and that'e the ease of fastening the seat belt if you're a larger size person and wearing bulky clothes in the winter. (The snap-in is too close to the seat.) We will consider buying another Elantra when the time comes.

135k and no big repairs

I bought this car in 2011 and have only done routine maintenance (brakes, tires and fluids). The biggest issue I'm having is the paint chipping but that's not unusual for 100k+ miles of highway driving.

Ive had my 2012 Elantra for 2 weeks

Barely a month since I bought my '12 Elantra w/30K mi and so far so good. I hear all the complaints about gas mileage but so far I have no problem averaging combined 33 mpg. which is great for me considering my Pathfinder only got 16/21 mpg. I put on custom rims and a better quality tire which seems to have helped a bit w/ road noise. So far only complaint I really have is the ride is a bit stiff and there's no spare tire. I bought my Elantra for $14k out the door so for the design and features you cant really beat it for the price....Remeber, you cant expect a $14k car to drive like a Mercedes. You get what you pay for, folks. I'll follow up in a few months..

First new car with the worst mpg

This is an update from the one I did 2 months ago or so. The car is still nice but the gas mileage sucks. No matter city or highway or driving conditions I only get between 21-25 mpg. And the miles to empty when full is 259 exactly. Both of those numbers are horrific for a compact car as well as a car that suppose to get 29 city/ 40 highway. I drive extremely gas efficiently and have not even came close to the 30s at least. I have started to look cars I can trade this for....maybe 2012 honda civic ex....But I am trully done with Hyundai. Such a disappointment.

My first new car! and I LOVE IT!

I purchased the 2012 Elantra GLS with preferred package last night. This car has gone beyond my expectations. I wanted to get the Limited with a sunroof but my money couldn't stretch as far as I wanted it to. So I guess I will get a sunroof put on it later or trade this one in the next 2-3 yrs for one that has one. Anyway, the Elantra actually has pep in its step don't let the 148 hp and 131 torque fool you. Already in one day I have acheived 42 mpg and I tend to have lead foot. That's saying a lot! My beige interior is phenomenal and the red allure exterior color is so crisp and shiny. The elantra gls' technology and safety puts all other compacts to shame except for cruze and focus.

A lot of misrepresentations in these reviews.

I know there has been a lot of debate about the GAS MILEAGE this car can REALLY achieve - to the point Hyundai had to issue some corrections, Being honest, if you cannot drive a six speed manual CORRECTLY, you will not get the 43 to 44 on the hwy - AS ORIGINALLY CLAIMED. I am fully aware the vast majority of US drivers most likely learned to drive in an automatic, and I have met many, many US drivers who have no ability to drive a manual gear box correctly. I learned to drive in the UK in the 1970s - the manual was the only option in most cars and engine displacement was always around 1600cc. It is not that I perceive myself as a brilliant driver - perhaps just 36 years of experience in a stick shift. So, with respect - I KNOW this car can achieve 44 to 45 mpg on the highway - absolutely no problem - and I do not think I was given a MAGICAL ELANTRA -- so these complaints are really not legitimate IMHO. If you drive this vehicle carefully using good manual changes -- you will get the original 44 mpg performance - trust me, I have had this car since 2011 - so I do think this is a legitimate comment!

Good car

Deplorable Gas Mileage

I am getting under 30 MPG on my 2012 Hyundai Elantra while doing 55 MPH on the highway and using cruise control. They respond to your emails with big promises, but then they just disappear and think that you will magically become a satisfied, and silent, customer. I'm neither satisfied nor silent. I estimate that I have steered at least 15-20 people away from Hyundai and I will try to warn as many people as i can in the future.

Lemon

I was hoping for something better for the reviews. Only 3 years old and needs work on fuel ejector and a new axle!!!!!! What the heck?

New engine needed 71,000 miles..need I say more

2012 Hyundai Elantra, serviced by a dealer throughout the life of the car. Only has 71,000 miles and needs a new engine. Spoke to many people at the company including a CEO and basically they didn't care. I bet the CEO would not even purchase a car if he knew there would be a need for a new engine at this mileage. Really, Really, Really poor quality car.

Very Happy With My 2012 Elantra

I had a 2002 Elantra which I got brand new and traded it in after 10 years of great reliability towards a 2012 Limited Edition Elantra. I've had the 2012 for a year now and I love it. I typically average about 35mpg or more and there are some weeks when I average 43 mpg or higher! Admittedly, there are a couple weeks when I average only 29-31 mpg, but I am VERY pleased with my gas mileage. The car itself is fun to drive and the interior design is beautiful. The Bluetooth is very handy, the seats are comfortable, and the car accelerates fairly quickly. My main concern would be the absence of a spare tire...and the fact that the limited edition tires cost a small fortune to replace.