After looking at a number of vehicles several months ago, i settled on the Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-door sedan. Why? Good question! I looked at the number of standard features, and no other manufacturer could come close. The best warranty in the business... 5 year/60k mi bumper-to-bumper, 5 year/60k mi rust-thru, and 10 yr/100k mi power train (engine & transmission). The model I have is a 2000 5-speed, and I must say, it has get-up-and-go when I want it. It rides smoothly at higher speeds, and is surprisingly quiet, given it's size. The engine compartment is well thought out, a'la Saturn, and I can only think of 2 things I'm not overly happy about: the power locks are only activated by the driver's door, which to me is kinda strange... if you unlock the passenger side door, then all the locks should open. Not with this car. The only other complaint is that the arm rest is too low for me (I'm over 6 feet tall). A nice surprise was the driver's seat had not only adjustable lumbar support, but upper back as well! I was able to pump up the thigh area, lumbar and upper back areas to mold to my particular fit, and I have made several long trips in this car, with a minimum of rest stops (in one case, none at all... a 200+ mile trip one way), with little discomfort at the journey's end.
I most certainly would recommend this car as one to look into if you're in the market for a new car! Also, the mileage has been surprisingly good, giving me a consistant 22-24 MPG city, and a solid 34MPG on the highway.