2012 Hyundai Elantra

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SunnY S said:
Nobody said they were perfect. Just that the odds of having a reliable car with few problems is exponentially better than anything from Germany or Korea.

I've spoken to plenty of people over the years with 2, 3, 400k+ on their Hondas and Toyotas and have gushed about how reliable they are.
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Yeah, I do kind of agree with you Sunny. One person's experience really can't be an indicator to the whole line-up or year. But I really think that Honda has declined in quality and most specifically with their North American assembled vehicles. I liked the 6th gen Civic..but I've had a 7th and 8th gen and they just seem to be made more cheaply than previous generations. I've always told people to buy Toyota or Lexus. I had an '03 Highlander and that was probably the best vehicle I've owned..really a nicely engineered and assembled vehicle. Having said that, I wouldn't buy a Corolla..I'd buy a new gen Hyundai before that.
 
killerkeith said:
Drive a 2012 Ford Foucs before you pull the trigger on anything.
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I drove a new Focus..it was ok. Some things were odd and the cockpit feels kinda cramped and odd. And I hated the 6 speed auto..it's so totally slanted toward fuel economy it's like you're driving an 80's turbo vehicle..you have to wait 2 seconds for it to downshift. I think the manual might be a better pick with that car. Otherwise it was pretty nice..apart from the "intelligent" command centre..built by Microsoft..that kept needing to be rebooted.. :-)
 
Supporting korean unions.......horrible

on a more serious note, the difference in quality surveys is negligele.......
 
Focus is a good choice but only with the manual transmission.

Mazda 3 with the Skyactiv engine (and not any of the other choices!) is another good one.

Take a look at the Chevrolet Cruze, too.

If you can wait a little bit, the new Dodge Dart looks interesting, but there are no drive reports yet (too early) and unless you wait another while after that, you'll be buying a first-model-year car.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, American brand names are near the top of the list.
 
Brian P said:
For the first time in as long as I can remember, American brand names are near the top of the list.
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I rented a 2011 Malibu for the last week, 6sp manual..honestly, it was a pretty decent car. I went back to my Civic and was disappointed. The Malibu actually handles nearly as well..so much quieter..stereo was better..seats were good..bigger..all around, very impressed. Granted, different class of vehicle..but not that far apart on price.
 
Hyundai's fair well on paper when you compare the Hyundai spec sheets vs. the competition. If your an enthusiast and you drive them back to back, it is a totally different story. It is not for everyone, and certainly not for me.

I have seen some catastrophic failures on the Hyundai 2.0t engines, the carnage isn't pretty.

Hyundai was also recently threatened with legal action over the legitimacy of their EPA fuel econ figures for the Elantra - although Im not convinced that Hyundai did anything out of the ordinary, all of the manufacturers stretch the truth when it comes to rated fuel economy.

If I were in the market, anything other than the first model year Cruze and Focus would be my top picks.

On the Dodge Dart front, I have seen mules running around where I am almost everyday. Build quality looks so-so and the only engine that looks appealing is the Fiat Multi-Air. The tigershark engines are ok, with much reduced NVH characteristics. IMO they are still a step or two behind the competition.
 
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NP6000 said:
Hyundai's fair well on paper when you compare the Hyundai spec sheets vs. the competition. If your an enthusiast and you drive them back to back, it is a totally different story. It is not for everyone, and certainly not for me.
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Well said.

ON PAPER, they seem to be competitive. But, they are still a young company and their engineers are still a little green. What new technologies have they brought to the automotive market? Where's their technology laden halo car? What efforts have they put into high profile racing where their engineers can be put under pressure and hone their skills?

Hyundai is rushing out products. Their latest hybrid effort is dismal, to say the least.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-road-test-review
 
My wife has a '10 elantra "sport touring" wagon thing-a-majig. She's had no issues through 80k km, back and forth to work (Ajax to dvp/eglinton), fully loaded to the cottage. It's a good little car, good bang-for-the-buck - fun to drive with manual tranny.
 
invictus43 said:
I used to say that..but my 2007 Civic has had a cracked engine block, cracked and peeling hood paint, incorrect rear upper control arms, alternator (at 100,000kms..) and MAF sensor (60,000kms). Not to mention the factory alignment was out 4 degrees between left and right toe-in..
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and my 2002 has only had oil changes and a timing belt change at 200.000km
 
Here's another tip.

Some have mentioned the Dodge Dart. Run, don't walk, RUN from any Fiat sourced product. Their entry level car quality is atrocious.

On top of this, Dodge is adding a Hyundai tranny to the Dodge Dart, and is having problems calibrating it. With todays pressure-cooker-hurry-it-up-to-market atmosphere, you can bet this car will be rushed to market without being fully refined and properly tested.

A Chrysler product with Fiat genes, and a Hyundai tranny? Can you say recipe for quality disaster?

http://blog.caranddriver.com/hyundai-to-supply-six-speed-automatic-transmission-for-dodge-dart/
 
FWIW we just picked up an 2012 Elantra Limited about 2 weeks ago. Here's a little blurb I wrote up on another forum about my shopping experience:

We also tested the Ford Focus SEL auto; loved the road feel, handling is very sporty and really hugs the road well, the new tech is awesome, overall styling is very nice, also very quiet ride. Interior & trunk space is non-existant, one would have difficulty fitting a couple of golf bags in the trunk, although the back seat would be perfect for that since you wouldn't want to put a full size adult back there. I actually think the Veloster has more interior space than the Focus, not sure what the #'s say but it feels like it does. In fact I think that's a better car to car comparo and I would have a hard time picking between those 2, only because the Veloster acceleration felt gutless and was much noisier than the Focus, this would really be a toss up for me. We did take the Veloster out for a spin and as much as I like the idea of it, it's not for us.


We also took out the Suby Impreza auto. Overall impression...MOM! That's my upside down version of WOW! Very bad steering wheel vibration during anything over about 90 km/h, felt like a low base type sound vibrating in my hands. The CVT felt like a cheap facsimile of the real thing, it was loud and still went through gearing during brisk acceleration like a normal tranny would, what exactly is the point of this? It was the loudest as far as road noise entering the cabin at any speed. The seats were pretty comfortable and it had a good amount of leg room both front and back. We were very excited to take one out but I ended up cutting the test drive short after all that and we quickly sped off the lot in our own car as soon as we got back. I am truly stunned at how disappointed we both were with it. I had driven a Subaru about 20 years ago and it was one of the best handling cars I have driven even to this day.


We also test drove a Sonata GL auto, this is where it gets difficult. Loved the ride, very very comfortable but it does not feel like a boat that I would associate that kind of a comfort feeling with. I test drove a Camry a couple of years ago and it was very comfortable but it felt like it really disconnected you from the road, the handling was so muted. The Sonata is very responsive, love the slow speed steering assistance, it feels like it's cutting through soft butter, very similar in the Elantra btw. The seats were very comfortable and I had to take the Elantra for another spin right after the Sonata because I wasn't sure if they were more comfortable than the Elantra or not. Final verdict was yes they were but barely.


Acceleration in the Sonata was really good and the engine didn't sound like it wanted to explode when pushed, gear shifts felt smooth and barely noticeable. The interior look was very nice, I love the instrument cluster with the seemingly floating gear indicator, very sharp! The centre stack was really nice, easy to use everything and 2 GINORMOUS storage pockets just ahead of the shift knob. Considering we were driving a base Sonata I was very very impressed. Strangely upgrading to the auto tranny adds some features like the heated front seats, don't get me wrong this is not a complaint.

In the end we settled on the limited version and after 2 weeks here's what I think. Still super impressed with how quiet the ride is at any speed. I now find the power a little lacking, I think this is mostly due to having 235 pound-feet of torque on the TDI, I loved the torque. It seemed to love going about its business in really low RPM's. The Elantra seems to work much harder at getting to speed in a hurry, if your just puttering along it's pretty good but if you step on it, it seems to lack any real motivation. The Sonata was much better in this department and ultimately if we were willing to drop down in some of the options and spend even more on fuel every month, we could have gone the Sonata route. As a complete package, I don't think Hyundai has anything else that is as nice at the Elantra, I love both the exterior and interior looks. I don't mind the trade off of having less power for better fuel efficiency, after all if I want speed, I take 2 wheels not 4.

As for fuel economy, so far we're averaging 7.89 L/100km but that's on 4 tank fulls and each tank seems to be getting better and better. This is based on about 75/25 highway/city driving using an app on my iPhone, although the car cpu seems to be pretty close. I'm sure the mileage will improve as it gets broken in better. We are actually heading down to Florida in a couple of weeks so that will give me a good idea of some best case mileages.

Sorry for the long winded post. But so far we are pretty happy with the choice in cars.
 
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My parents made the switch from acura and honda to hyundai. They got the genesis coupe and the tucsun, both have had a few weird issues, just random rattling and knocks. But Hyundai has been very good with resolving all these issues with no charges. And the warranty on them is very good. Build quality seems comparable to my Acura, and they are fun to drive.
 
A few posts up, there were some comments about the downsides of certain models. Here is the thing; there is huge pressure on EVERY manufacturer to get things to market fast. Modern cars are so complex that some hiccups are inevitable.

Hyundai/Kia ... much better than they've been in the past, but from what I've been hearing, they still have a ways to go on ride/handling/steering. All of the engines and transmissions are new within the last couple of years, i.e. unproven.

Dodge Dart ... Complete question mark. Vehicle is not in production yet. The Fiat influence is a question mark. The use of a Hyundai automatic transmission is a question mark (so buy the manual). There's an upcoming ZF-sourced 9-speed (!) automatic transmission. I'd stay away from anything automatic-transmission-related with these.

Ford Focus (and Fiesta) ... stay away from the automatic transmission! This is a dual-clutch automatic similar to VW/Audi DSG transmissions. But VW has this mostly figured out (my dad has one, and it works well). Ford appears not to have figured it out yet.

Toyota ... The Corolla has been around for a few years. They're well-proven, but I find them dismally boring and cheap-feeling. Power steering is ridiculously over-boosted. Although the car will probably last for 10 years ... I'd go out of my mind in the process. No thanks.

Honda ... The 2012 Civic has been roundly criticized for its cheapened interior and lack of involvement in the driving experience (overassisted power steering and too-soft suspension). But people keep buying them anyways - it may be people who haven't been shopping around. Apparently this car is going to get a make-over for model year 2013 - a year earlier than planned. Honda has not figured out how to do hybrids. They've got a lineup of new direct-injection engines in the works (good) but they're going to be using CVT for their automatic transmissions (strong fail probability).

Mazda ... the Skyactiv powertrains are promising. Have they fixed the rust problems yet?

GM ... Cruze seems pretty good. Haven't heard of major problems. The Volt fire situation was an overreaction. The only reason these issues made the news AT ALL is that this car is different from the others, so it made the news. Meanwhile, car fires caused by other models went unreported. There is no statistical evidence that Volts are involved in any more car fires than any other model. Volt is way too expensive, though. Ford has a new model called C-max which is probably going to kick it to the curb ...

Subaru ... interesting report from someone above on the new Impreza. Auto transmission is a new CVT. Strong fail possibility right there.

VW ... personal bias here, I have a 2006 Jetta TDI which has been good (and has 361,000 km on it). But I won't buy the 2009+ TDI. They've been having major problems with the high-pressure fuel pump, and certain cold-weather conditions have been causing intercoolers to freeze up. The Passat TDI fixes the intercooler-freezing situation by using an air-to-water intercooler. I don't like the bland styling of the current (2011+) Jetta and Passat, nor the de-contenting and cheapening that came along with it. There's a new VW Golf coming next year, with new engines, and I know already that they'll be using an air-to-water intercooler, so that issue will be fixed - and VW has already stated that the Golf won't be cheapened.
 
Brian P said:
A few posts up, there were some comments about the downsides of certain models. Here is the thing; there is huge pressure on EVERY manufacturer to get things to market fast. Modern cars are so complex that some hiccups are inevitable.

Hyundai/Kia ... much better than they've been in the past, but from what I've been hearing, they still have a ways to go on ride/handling/steering. All of the engines and transmissions are new within the last couple of years, i.e. unproven.

Dodge Dart ... Complete question mark. Vehicle is not in production yet. The Fiat influence is a question mark. The use of a Hyundai automatic transmission is a question mark (so buy the manual). There's an upcoming ZF-sourced 9-speed (!) automatic transmission. I'd stay away from anything automatic-transmission-related with these.

Ford Focus (and Fiesta) ... stay away from the automatic transmission! This is a dual-clutch automatic similar to VW/Audi DSG transmissions. But VW has this mostly figured out (my dad has one, and it works well). Ford appears not to have figured it out yet.

Toyota ... The Corolla has been around for a few years. They're well-proven, but I find them dismally boring and cheap-feeling. Power steering is ridiculously over-boosted. Although the car will probably last for 10 years ... I'd go out of my mind in the process. No thanks.

Honda ... The 2012 Civic has been roundly criticized for its cheapened interior and lack of involvement in the driving experience (overassisted power steering and too-soft suspension). But people keep buying them anyways - it may be people who haven't been shopping around. Apparently this car is going to get a make-over for model year 2013 - a year earlier than planned. Honda has not figured out how to do hybrids. They've got a lineup of new direct-injection engines in the works (good) but they're going to be using CVT for their automatic transmissions (strong fail probability).

Mazda ... the Skyactiv powertrains are promising. Have they fixed the rust problems yet?

GM ... Cruze seems pretty good. Haven't heard of major problems. The Volt fire situation was an overreaction. The only reason these issues made the news AT ALL is that this car is different from the others, so it made the news. Meanwhile, car fires caused by other models went unreported. There is no statistical evidence that Volts are involved in any more car fires than any other model. Volt is way too expensive, though. Ford has a new model called C-max which is probably going to kick it to the curb ...

Subaru ... interesting report from someone above on the new Impreza. Auto transmission is a new CVT. Strong fail possibility right there.

VW ... personal bias here, I have a 2006 Jetta TDI which has been good (and has 361,000 km on it). But I won't buy the 2009+ TDI. They've been having major problems with the high-pressure fuel pump, and certain cold-weather conditions have been causing intercoolers to freeze up. The Passat TDI fixes the intercooler-freezing situation by using an air-to-water intercooler. I don't like the bland styling of the current (2011+) Jetta and Passat, nor the de-contenting and cheapening that came along with it. There's a new VW Golf coming next year, with new engines, and I know already that they'll be using an air-to-water intercooler, so that issue will be fixed - and VW has already stated that the Golf won't be cheapened.
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True, Mazdas has been known to rust. So do Hondas, their engine is known to outlast their body
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