Used 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT for Sale in Columbia, SC

My wife and I bought this car at the end of 2014 with a baby on the way and needed to trade in our 1997 Subaru Outback. We needed something more reliable and we were thinking we would get a Kia Soul, but I wanted to check out what Hyundai had to offer before we settled for that. The Elantra GT is a world apart from our previous cars. The cabin is quiet. The Bluetooth is fantastic and I've never had any issues making calls or replying to texts (it's speech-to-text, text typing while driving is a stupid thing to do). I also steam music. We have the mid-tier package with sport pedals, blue interior, heated leather seats, and push-button start. The power is a little overwhelming sometimes (I usually drive a 90HP Saturn S-Series), and I catch some (snobbier) drivers by surprise at lights. I'd be nice if Speed Limits were higher to put this car through its paces on twisty roads. I do have fun slamming it through gears and body roll is barely noticeable. The car feels fairly wide, so it corners well, is very responsive, just watch out for curbs with the Passenger-Rear/RR tire. The seats adjust every way you want or need, and the steering wheel adjusts forward and back, up and down. There is plenty of leg and head room and a car seat fits well in the back. It's also very easy to enter and exit, like getting up and sitting down in an office chair (not low like a couch (sports car), not like mounting a bar-stool (SUV, truck). I have noticed though that putting our daughter in her rear-facing seat is cumbersome; hard to avoid hitting her head on the top of the door opening. That's due more to the fact that it's a lower to the ground car rather than an off the ground SUV. I recently was in a Versa Note as a rental and it and my Saturn make the Elantra feel refined, luxurious, and top notch. I don't see how after going to the most recent new car show here that Ford Focus can compare; The Chevy Sonic and Spark are much smaller with no Cruze hatchback; Same for Dodge; VW Golf/Audi A1 is more expensive. Subaru punishes Manual drivers with lower MPG when compared to automatics. I'm sure there are other comparable vehicles that I missed. I only have a few, small points of contention; 6th gear should be lower so that it's below 2,000rpm @ 60 mph (it is hard to find a manual these days with appropriate gear spacing). The infotainment screen brightness is tied to the instrument brightness; I do not like that with DRL lights on the instrument cluster lights are comparatively dark compared to no lights on. The average mpg calculation on the trip odometer is off (errs lower), and instant mpg reading is just a throttle reading: it seems to always be suggesting that I shift into an unreasonably high gear while going uphill (my 2001 Saturn shift light will go off when the accelerator is depressed past a certain point). I do notice wind-buffeting when the rear windows are down which is annoying.

The Hyundai Elantra GT is basically a comfortable and enjoyable vehicle; easy and comfortable to handle on the road and it gives good mpg. Even though I did not purchase one with the many luxury features I enjoy driving it. My son loved ECO feature and thinks it made a difference in the MPG. I am not excited of that feature, because it seems to me that I get the same whether its on or off. I enjoy driving this vehicle now although at first it seemed to be a little lower than normal. It took me a little while to get used to sitting so close to the road, that might have been so because I've been seating high for a few years in my old trucks and loving it! In any case, I got used to the Elantra GT and its features and now I;m enjoying driving it. I like and the comfortable seats and especially the sound system. The brakes are really there when needed and the hatchback holds plenty. I love the steering wheel, it's comfortable to hold onto. I am not a fan of the way in which the dashboard connects to the windshield. It seems unusual and awkward to reach. A few times I find myself struggling to retrieve an item that slid toward the front and somehow is very hard to reach - pen, note pad, paper or even sun glasses. The forward movement at times may have caused whatever it is to wedge into the narrow slanting front. If the item happens to be the size of a credit card, then prepare to pry and struggle for a while to retrieve it! The Elantra GT is an overall good, comfortable vehicle - Not much fancy features, but in my opinion, you get your money's worth .

I've had my GT for about 4 months now. At first the car seemed sluggish, but as I put a few miles on (now 4,000 miles) performance is great and MPG equal to the EPA figure. Couple tricks I learned: When in manual, start in 2nd. Only use sport steering mode on windy days. I use sport most of the time and keep it there. I went from a 2000 Grand Prix thinking there was not going to be enough room for 4 adults in comfort. I was wrong. Took a weekend trip with 4 adults and nobody complained about room plus room for all our luggage. Sometimes going uphill, seems to be searching for the right gear, so I switch to manual mode and works better. I've now owned the car going on 3 years. Fuel economy around town is lower than expected, but could be that my trips are short and stopped at many traffic lights for longer than normal. Handling is better than ever and it will not disappoint. Sometimes, when accelerating from slow or stop it can lag, but once going it picks up nicely. I have had no mechanical problems or issues so far. The only thing out of the norm is that the daytime running lights have both needed to be replaced sooner than normal. My last car they lasted over ten years before replacing the same. I still have not had any issues that need to replace tires, belts or brakes. Pleasant surprise. Seats are still comfortable. Still, the only things on my wish list that could be improved are: More power, better stereo, cooled seats, switching the placement of the odometer and tachometer. Otherwise, this car still keeps a smile on my face, especially when I can take her through the twisties where driving is the best.