2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring four-month review

I bought my 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring in June 2011. As of the time of this review, I’ve had the car for about 4 months, and I have put about 5,000 kms on the odometer. I thought this would be a good time to post my thoughts on the car.

Look and feel

Exterior

One of the reasons I decided to purchase the Touring was the way it looks. While it’s not as snazzy as its sister Elantra sedan, I really like it. I particularly like the paint color I chose, Atlantic Blue, which has a really nice metallic look.

My rating: 4.5/5

Interior

Ergonomics

Everything is well laid out inside the Touring. From the driver’s seat, it’s easy to reach the radio and climate controls. The Touring also has quite a few compartments for storing things like sunglasses, CD’s, cellphone chargers, etc.

My rating: 4.5/5

Seat materials & carpets

In Canada, the only available colour for seat coverings and carpets is black. While they look nice, I find that the carpets REALLY show any dirt and the type of carpets seems to grab on to the dirt. Even when I vacuum the car, I find the carpets never really look
fully cleaned.

For the seats, I find they show the dirt as well, although not as much as the carpets.

My rating: 3.5/5

Plastic

Again, in Canada the only available colour is black. It looks nice, buy any dirt really shows. I have young kids, so they often have greasy or dirty fingers. I find that any marks really show a lot. Also, the material of the plastic on the doors lends itself
to dirt getting trapped in the grooves.

So, while I can’t complain too much because it does look really nice, I would rather Hyundai offered a selection of colours and perhaps made a different choice in their
door materials.

My rating: 4/5

Engine

Power

I haven’t really pushed the car since I’ve had it, but I’m comfortable in saying that the engine power is quite adequate for the size of the car. Acceleration from a full stop is
decent, and acceleration onto the highway is quite good. If you’re buying one
of these cars, don’t expect the Touring to be a rocket, but I think most
drivers will be more than satisfied with the engine power.

Responsiveness

In terms of engine responsiveness, I have had an issue with my car since I got
it. From a full stop, mine hesitates for a split second when I press the
accelerator. Not much, but just enough to notice. I’ll be getting the dealer to
check this issue out at my first maintenance appointment.

Noise

With the Elantra Touring, you get what you’d expect to get from a smallish car. Yes, there’s some engine and road noise, but not that much really.

My one complaint about engine noise is that mine has a bit of a rattle when at idle. Again, I’ll be getting the dealer to check that out at the first appointment.

My rating: 4/5

Fuel economy

I’ve been tracking the fuel economy for the car since I bought it. Most of the driving we do is probably typical for most people; part highway and part city. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed with the fuel economy I’m getting:

	Litres	Kms		L/100km
Tank 1	41.711	437.3		9.54
Tank 2	37.439	415.3		9.01
Tank 3	41.04	416.1		9.86
Tank 4	40.666	435		9.35
Tank 5	42.518	437.2		9.73
Tank 6	44.533	494.8		9.00
Tank 7	44.745	457		9.79
Tank 8	38.747	428.1		9.05
Tank 9	45.86	473.2		9.69
Tank 10	38.422	410.2		9.37
Tank 11	43.108	453.2		9.51

Average: 9.45 L/100km

For our American friends, that converts to: 24.89 MPG

Why am I disappointed? Hyundai’s site claims that the Elantra Touring, with an automatic transmission like mine, will get 6.5 l/100km highway and 8.7 l/100km city. My average is at least 10% above the city-only estimate. As I said, disappointing.

My rating: 3/5

Overall recommendation

I like the car, and would buy it again. My only real complaint is the fuel economy, which I thought would be better.