The Hyundai Dollars and Sense Promo and TV Spots featuring three popular financial gurus have an accompanying website which actually offers free honest advice on getting out of debt and making sound investments. Cool site. I don't know if Hyundai will keep it active after the sale is over, so visit when you can. (UPDATE: Hyundai took the site down, but the one below is still good...)
You know when you buy a new car, you are automatically on the lookout on who else has bought "your" car. I am no different. I even look at who's driving it...is it a senior citizen, a family guy, or a hot chick. (No hot chicks, yet)
From the time I bought the Elantra (August) to March, I would have been lucky to see an Elantra once a week. It bugged me slightly that I wasn't seeing more. It makes you doubt your purchase. What if this version of the Elantra turns out to be a dud? When I do spot one, part of me is excited that more people are discovering what a great little car it is. And you feel like you are part of some little club.
In April however I have been seeing more Elantras. Sometimes two in one day! It looks like the Consumer Reports award has brought the Elantra higher on new car buyers test drive list. Nice for Hyundai, but I am in no hurry to see a dozen of these everyday like I do with Civics and Corollas.
Driving experience: The acceleration/shifting pattern on this car has always been a little strange, especially if you tend to accelerate gradually. When you reach first shift point (point when the needle goes back down), the car seems to lose some pick-up there. This can be avoided if you gas it a little more to force that first shift to occur closer to 275 instead of 210. These last few days it seems like acceleration (when done gradually) is even more sloth-like than usual. The engine sound is kind of off.... I think. it's all very subtle. Don't know if it is a transmission issue or not.
Odometer: 5025 miles Avg. MPG: 24.6 Price for gas last paid: $3.76/gallon
Not much new to say performance wise. It is still a enjoyable car to drive. If Hyundai did their job right, I really don't expect much change in the next 15,000 miles.
I have one issue I have noticed regarding the Elantra's suspension. I already noted that it is slightly floaty on undulating asphalt and body roll is minimum in the corners. This is in keeping for a compact family sedan where comfort is more desirable.
New observations: 1. Potholes not taken under 30 are more pronounced than those taken at speed. That I guess is to be expected. Suspension should be optimized to respond to bigger "hits" encountered at higher speeds. 2. I drive on a side road along the train tracks that is pretty bumpy and broken. I have to go over a set of railroad tracks where the asphalt is very lumpy. I have to go over them at angle. It makes the car's suspension rock back and forth fairly annoyingly...maybe even slightly worse than the old Geo Prizm. I guess it is a weakness of this type of suspension.
I am still thoroughly amazed at how much more car I have gotten over the 1993 Geo Prizm LSI, which would have costed pretty close to $17,000 even back then. Cars in general are so much better equipped these days, yet prices don't seem to have gone up in relation to the upgrades.
Check out this list: 1. Five more air bags 2. Vanity light 3. Alarm 4. More powerful and sophisticated stereo 5. Fold-in heated side view mirrors 6. 28 more horsepower, bigger engine, CVVT 7. Bigger tires, bigger car 8. Disc brakes vs. drum brake 9. Alloy wheels vs. steel wheels 10. Leather steering wheel
Now for your entertainment pleasure, a new Elantra commercial not shown in the U.S. It quite cooler than the warm fuzzy one with the circus music, but over the top in some places.
