Price: $25,055 as tested ($22,600 for a base
Sport, plus $1,200 for Tech Package, and a few hundred for floor mats, spoiler,
and bumper protector).
Conventional wisdom: Edmunds.com likes
the "generous features for the money; large trunk; quiet and well-built
cabin; long warranty coverage," but not the "limited headroom; so-so
acceleration with the 1.8-liter engine; somewhat stiff ride quality."
Marketer's pitch: "Best value
from price to pump."
Reality: It's not a rocket, but the Sport
finally does punch up the Elantra
a bit.
First glance: I had the Hyundai Elantra during the
same week I hosted a BMW 2 Series at the Sturgis Auto Proving Grounds in
beautiful Chester County. I thought the Elantra would be like a date
a friend fixed me up with in college: I'd never want to take it out.
In the
past, I've found Elantras boring and Camry-like, with vague handling and
unimpressive performance. But my first ride in the Elantra Sport proved me wrong.
It's no 228i, but it doesn't cost 38 grand, either.
What's new: The 2015 Elantra carries over
the same design as the previous model, first brought to us in 2011. But tweaks
have made the sedan better than in previous years.
Up to speed: The Elantra Sport's 2.0-liter
four-cylinder creates 173 horsepower, almost as much as a 1998 Pontiac
Transport I had years back. That means the little sedan gets itself up to speed
in fairly short order.
This is
an upgrade over the standard 1.8-liter engine. I found that engine in a 2013 GT
hatchback model to be sluggish and not much fun, and the fuel economy in the
1.8 didn't make up for its fun-sapping ways.
On the road: Hyundai has also taken some
of the wave out of the Elantra's suspension. The car maintains its composure on
winding roads and tight corners, and the steering is light but offers a fair
amount of feedback.
Shifty: The six-speed ShiftTronic automatic works
well both in automatic and manual modes, although the gearshift feels a little
more vague than I like.
Play some tunes: Hyundai has improved the
controls in its upgraded stereo system. The center dial is not as intuitive as
the left knob/right knob setup that's making a comeback on many vehicles, but
the buttons outside the touch screen offer ample functionality.
The
sound, despite the premium-audio price tag of $1,200 (which did add navigation
as well) featured bass, treble, and midrange controls but still didn't quite
measure up. There seemed to be either too much bass or else the sound was too
tinny.
I've
also observed a problem specific to Hyundais and Kias in which the
CD players skip the opening notes of songs, but it happened just once in the Elantra Sport
I tested.
Driver comfort: The leather seats
were fresh from the factory - just 700 miles on the test car - and so they felt
fairly firm. The seat backs curve a little too distinctly for my taste, and
lumbar support, while adjustable, can't be turned off enough.
Friends and stuff: Rear-seat
passengers will find the accommodations less than ideal. Headroom, foot room,
and knee room were snug for a guy like me (5-foot-10) sitting behind a guy like
me. The center seat sits up a notch higher and is crowded by the front console.
That
console, however, offers a minivan-size storage capacity, with room for what
appear to be unlimited CDs and other detritus.
Keeping warm or cool: The overdesigned
interior lines create unusually shaped vents that don't allow for much change
in airflow direction.
Controls
for the fan and temperature were fairly simple, with a dial for fan speed and
buttons for all the rest of it.
Fuel economy: I observed 28
m.p.g. in the usual Mr. Driver's Seat mix of highway and suburban driving.
Where it's built: Ulsan, South Korea.
How it's built: Consumer Reports
deems its predicted reliability to be above average, and it gets a recommended
rating from the magazine's testers.
In the end: The Elantra keeps headed in the
right direction, although for $25,000 the competition must be considered
closely.
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