Pros: Longest warranty in the market, no major recalls
Cons: Overcoming old reputation for "junkiness"
The Bottom Line: With no major recalls in the last 5 years, Hyundai makes a great car for the lower price range. An excellent, long warranty beats nearly everyone else. Extremely reliable.
I bought this car as an Xmas present for my wife. We already own a '99 Accent and had no complaints except that it was getting small as the kids grow.
We originally bought the Accent because of we could take the dealer to the cleaners due to a competitor's ad. Because we enjoyed the Accent so much, my wife didn't really look at other brands when she started looking for a new car.
Hyundai, and Kia now, have the longest warranty in the market, as far as I know. It's a 10-year, 100k miles powertrain and 5-year bumper-to-bumper. The warranty used to be transferable to family members, but it was recently discontinued.
The only major gripe I have w/ it is that it's an automatic. I really prefer standard transmissions because I feel I have better control. But auto is great in cities.
The car has the same engine as the Hyundai Tiburon, at least the '04 model, so you don't lose any performance (except the usual lag in automatics). Mileage is right around 33 mpg. We took it from Seattle to L.A. the week after we bought it and had no problems during the trip. It didn't require a "break-in" period. It comes w/ roadside assistance, but you'll probably never need it. The chairs are very comfortable and the driver's side has a lumbar support lever. Dual front and side airbags are standard.
Handling is fine w/ an adequate turning radius. One test I like to do is see how much a car "shimmies" on the highway by gently tugging the wheel back and forth. The Elantra just glides from side to side w/ no sign of instablility. Bumps are also not a serious issue.
Road and engine noise is minimal and the sound system is above average for a stock system. Ours came w/ a radio and tape deck but we have a MiniDisc player w/ car adapter and noticed no lack of sound quality.
Air conditioning is fine but there's no "max a/c" setting (don't really know what it's for anyways so that doesn't bother me). I prefer the installed rotary knobs to sliders; they're less prone to sticking and breaking. The heater is great since it doesn't take very long to heat up (maybe 15 minutes on a cold morning).
The dealer's service is great. Anytime there's a message from Hyundai, we're notified. Because of the warranty, everytime we take it to the dealer for an oil change, the mechanics give it a "once-over" and replace/fix any problem parts they find at no charge.
Overall, this is one of the best cars I've owned. I really love the 10-year warranty, especially since nearly every car I've owned has a major powertrain problem in about 7 years. The price is right, especially if you can get dealers to compete.
UpdateThe seats are some of the most comfortable I've sat in, car-wise. On our week long trip to CA, I never heard a complaint from my family about the seats. There's enough room to move around and stretch out, and there's enough spacing in the back seat that the kids couldn't smack each other easily :-). The only complaint about the seats is that the head rest couldn't be adjusted enough to not hurt my neck when lying down; putting a small pillow in the joint helps though. There's also enough room in the back for an adult. The seat movement lever (front to back) is full length, making it easier to move the seat if you're outside the car. The seats do hold you well in turns yet don't feel confining. I never really feel "tired" when driving for long distances.
The driver's seat has good "range-of-motion", meaning short people don't have to be against the steering wheel to drive. My wife had about 3 inches of room in our Accent, but the Elantra gives her about 6 inches from the wheel. Visibility is good all-around; the dashboard doesn't extend forever like some other cars and you can tell exactly where your front bumper is when parking.
The headlights can be used for daytime running; they will turn off when the car is turned off and the driver's door opened. For an automatic, the gear changes are fairly smooth with no sudden jumps, even when stomping on the gas. Braking is adequate; I don't have ABS but even when stopping suddenly (say, on the freeway), there's not much skidding. The brakes don't feel mushy nor are they particularly sensitive.
Storage room is fine for this size car; I still feel the Jetta has a larger trunk, but that's based purely on a quick visual inspection. I don't like the 60/40 split rear seat. The split doesn't allow for any creative use of the trunk/seat because of a small "wall" around the hole going from the trunk to the back seat. It actually ends up feeling like a 30/15 split, if you consider actual usage size. But inside the car, there's plenty of space for junk, including cargo nets on the back of the front seats, map pockets on both front doors, several small slots and drawers on the dash, and the back window ledge.
The vanity mirrors on the sunshades aren't lighted, but there are bright map lights just above the rear-view mirror. The rear-view mirror has day/night settings, but the outside mirrors don't have the anti-glare coating on some of the higher priced cars. I don't recall for certain (since I rarely use it) but I think the outside mirrors are heated when the defrost fan is on.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Automatic, AM/FM tape deck, front/side airbags
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