Elantra Touring In Showrooms / Consumer Reports Still Hearts the Elantra

Odometer: 10970
MPG: 25.1

Took a look a Craig's List to see if the Elantra Touring has it the Bay Area yet. Saw one going for around 16,900 (lower than the $18495 published price, pic is from the actual ad. ) And they seem pretty desperate to make a sale. Had me wondering [not seriously :) ] how much I could get if I sold the sedan. With the low mileage and the added sun-roof my 2007 SE should attract a higher figure than the $12,500 and $13,000 I saw on GLS's with over 35,000 miles.

The Elantra was Consumer Reports Top Pick for Small Car for the second year in a row. Again value, safety features and reliability, not sexiness gave it the victory.
U.S. News & World Report, which gathers multiple reviews from the car press to create its ratings, still ranks the Elantra #5 out of 35 under affordable small cars.
And perhaps the generally warm reception of the press to Hyundai's Genesis sedan and coupe will boost its brand image in the coming months. Though Honda and Toyota have no competition really when it comes to the brand perception.

Been Seeing More New Elantras On The Road

Odometer: 5435
Avg. MPG: 25.2

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.

Consumer Reports' 10 Top Car Picks Announced

Odometer: 4530 miles
Avg MPG on current tank: 27.5

The 2008 Elantra got "Best Small Sedan" in Consumer Reports Top Picks survey. Though I like the car, that even surprised me. For the first time, Consumer Reports required its top 10 picks to have the anti-rollover technology, electronic stabililty control standard or an easily purchased option. That might have stacked the deck in the Elantra's favor, which has ESC standard on the SE model this year. (This was not even offered in 2007) The Santa Fe snagged the Best Mid-Size SUV. This is the first time Hyundai ever got any car in the Top Picks survey.

David Champion, the senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports said “If you look back in the early ’90s they were almost like the joke of the industry... They offer a very, very nice, competent car with all the bells and whistles for a very reasonable price, that’s going to be reliable as well.”

As for the popular family sedan category, the redesigned Honda Accord is the Top Pick for the sixth year in a row.

Here are Consumer Reports other Top Picks for 2008. For upscale sedan, the Infiniti G35. For luxury sedan, the Lexus LS 460L. For minivan, the Toyota Sienna. For small SUV, the Toyota RAV4. For green car, the Toyota Prius for the fifth year in a row. For top pick-up truck, the Chevy Silverado. And for fun to drive, once again the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Another Unscheduled Visit To The Dealer

Odometer: 2260 miles
Average MPG: 24.6
Average speed: 24mph

So far I've had to bring my car in to zap a computer program that was giving faulty speedometer/odometer readings (actually I felt my car didn't have this problem, but I did it anyway) and I had to replace a cracked "dead pedal".

Last week I found out my hood release was not working, so I brought it in today to have it looked at. It seems the cable had slipped off the lever. To be fair, this is not a defect. It seemed when they fixed the dead pedal, they needed to move the hood release lever out of the way. It seems that the mechanic did not install the hood release back properly.

They fixed it while I waited. Took about 15 minutes and I was free to go. Of course there was no charge. There wasn't even any paperwork.

The 2008 Consumer Reports car issue is out on the newstands. I did a quick skim at the Safeway. According to them the Elantra has shown above average reliability for the first year of a new model iteration. Good to know.

In CR's October 2007 issue, it outscored the Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, and Scion xB in testing of a group of four small sedans and wagons for the October issue. The Elantra now ranks sixth overall among the 14 small cars that CR has tested recently. The Elantra got 27 mpg in CR’s own fuel economy tests better than what I'm currently getting...dagnabit.

CR reports, "The redesigned Hyundai Elantra is well-rounded, roomier, and more fuel efficient, and has a more pleasant interior than many more expensive cars.