It’s common knowledge that first impressions are often lasting impressions. It’s also well known that while a fist impression can linger, they can also be changed. It was because of this that I looked forward to my first opportunity to conduct an Enviro Dad Test Drive on a vehicle from Hyundai, which in this case happened to be their new look 2011 Elantra.
When Hyundai first entered the North American market in the mid 1980’s I remember how my next door neighbour growing up purchased a new Hyundai Pony. It was a no frills, low cost, under powered and rather poorly designed hatchback and it made a nasty noise when he drove by. Well, suffice to say it was a first impression that, right or wrong has stuck in my head for many years since. I fully know that the Hyundai of today is a far cry from the Hyundai of 25 years ago, but would my chance to review their latest version of their successful compact sedan be enough to change the way I saw their vehicles for such a long period of time?
FIRST IMPRESSION
I have to admit that the lasting impression of Hyundai I had took an immediate jolt when I first laid eyes on the newly designed 2011 Hyundai Elantra. With a sleek, aerodynamic look and an almost aggressive design, this was a far cry from the Hyundai of old. In fact it’s a far cry from the previous version of the Elantra as well. I had the chance to rent a 2010 Elantra while on a trip to Winnipeg last year and I found it rather unremarkable. From the outside at least, the Elantra had suddenly gone from being barely noticeable to something hard not to notice when driving by!
DRIVE
With the new generation of compact cars that are popping up everywhere, there is a realization that just because it’s small doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to drive. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra certainly is a testament to that since from a performance standpoint I found it a lot of fun to motor around.
All versions of the new Elantra come with same 1.8 litre, 16 valve, 4 cylinder engine. It puts out a peppy 148 horsepower, but at the same time provides terrific fuel efficiency. It’s ratings of 6.9 L/100 km (city) and 4.9 L/100 km (highway) or 6.0 L/100 km (combined) make it, according to Hyundai the most fuel efficient, non-hybrid vehicle in its class. I found that the Elantra was nice and responsive when accelerating. The suspension, while not sporty was still firm enough that never allowed me to feel anything but in full control.
INTERIOR COMFORT
The GLS version of the Elantra that I tested came with cloth seating which was not the best I’ve sat on nor was it the worst. The company’s press material do make reference to the fact tha the seats are environmentally friendly as the cloth is made with fibrous tissue and volcanic rock (yes, that’s what it says). Leather seating is available on the Elantra Limited model. The seat was reasonably comfortable, however I found that my driving leg would cramp up a bit in the beginning as I perhaps didn’t have enough legroom and the seat was not able to be adjusted to a better configuration.
A nice touch was the heated front bucket seats as well as the two outside rear row seats. While we are beginning to see more cars come with heated rear seats, I was pleasantly surprised to see it in the Elantra since I’ve been in some 2011 cars which do not have this feature yet cost much, much more.
Also quite impressive with the Elantra was its amount of interior space. With a passenger volume of 2,707 litres it beats out most other cars in its category. We had little difficulty placing 3 children in the back row and all but the largest of adults should be able to take at least simple drives in the back seat without too much discomfort.
GADGETS AND GIZMOS
There are certainly significant improvements visible when you sit in the driver’s seat of an Elantra and you begin to look at its gadgets and gizmos. The tilt and telescopic steering wheel is a nice touch that ultimately increases driver comfort. The instrument lighting and gauges are bright with a blue hue to add a sense of style.
Audio systems can vary depending on which model you choose. My tester came with the basic 172 Watt, 6 speaker system with AM/FM/CD/MP3 and it sounded okay, but since I’m a sucker for a good OEM audio system I was left unimpressed. The GLS version also has XM Satellite radio however I’m forever frustrated by trying to scan satellite radio. I also found on the Elantra that the controls for scanning were too far away from me and I had to lean forward and stretch to adjust.
Bluetooth hands free technology is available with steering wheel mounted controls. Also available on the Elantra Limited is a navigation system. Climate controls are well placed and easy to work with.
STORAGE
The Hyundai Elantra is a compact car but when opening the trunk I found an impressive amount of storage space. At 420 litres, its rear trunk is larger than all but one of it’s in class competitors. Inside the passenger compartment is another almost 17 litres of storage space. I was surprised how easily I managed to fit all of our grocery bins inside the rear trunk on a typical weekly jaunt to the supermarket.
IN THE END
At the beginning of this review I mentioned that while first impressions can be lasting ones, they can be changed over time if given compelling enough reasons to do so. Where Hyundai is concerned, I think it’s safe to say that with the launch of the 5th generation Elantra, there is clearly a need for me to change my way of thinking. With the launch of the new Elantra, Hyundai finds itself in the middle of an ambitious plan to re-launch seven different models within a 24 month period. If the Elantra and previous re-launches of the Tuscon, Sonata and Equus were any indication, I’d say that they are well on their way to changing the minds of additional consumers as well.
While there are still some minor things that I think still need work, overall I’d say that the new Elantra is a solid compact vehicle and well suited for the needs of a busy small to medium sized family.
ENVIRO DAD’S Test Drive Ratings (Out of 5)
STYLE: 4.5
COMFORT: 3.0
FEATURES: 3.0
STORAGE: 4.0
DRIVE: 4.0
ENVIRO/ECO: 4.0
VALUE: 4.0
(MSRP as Tested: $20,999)
OVERALL RATING: 3.75
Good review – just read March 2012, but you didn’t note whether you had an automatic or manual or what gas mileage you managed. Also you’ve changed your rating out of 5 here, later out of 10. OK I can multiply by 2.
Thanks Lee for the comment! I initially used a 5 point rating system but found it a challenge since I felt I needed more flexibility. I switched to a 10 point system as well as new categories with the review of the Buick Regal and have kept to the new format since.
I was driving an automatic when reviewing the Elantra. As for mileage, I don’t have my notes any longer but seem to recall hitting figures that were about 10 – 15% above the posted number from Hyundai.