Coming up in a week or so, we will have had this car for a year and we just topped 20,000 miles over the weekend. Here's some thoughts and impressions from 12 months and 20k miles of ownership.
Car Details:
2017 Elantra SE- 2.0L (MPI) 6-speed auto, Phantom Black- Grey cloth interior, Popular and Tech Packages
Options listed from the sticker:
We purchased this car for just over $14,200 OTD after comparing the Elantra to the Corolla and Civic after our 2014 Mazda3 was totalled by a drunk driver. We ended up with the Hyundai because: 1) Similarly equipped, the Civic and the Corolla were multiple thousands of dollars more expensive 2) I liked the fact that it was MPI and not DI 3) I preferred the 6 speed over the CVT 4) Both me and my wife preferred the interior of the Elantra over the Civic and Corolla interiors. I've never owned a Hyundai and was a bit leery due to the brand's previous (and still lingering) spotty reputation when it comes to reliability and quality. After a year though, I cannot be more impressed with this car. Now, that doesn't mean everything is perfect, but this has been an awesome first impression for someone new to the brand. Here's some of my thoughts on the exterior, interior, technology and powertrain as well as some issues/irritations I have found with it.
Exterior:
I'll be perfectly honest, I would've never considered the Elantra before their updated styling as I couldn't stand the 2011-2016 styling. However, we really liked the updated exterior styling of the Elantra and I still feel like it is going to age very well. It's not as sporty looking as the Civic, but I feel like it has a sophisticated look to it which I like. The rims are a little small at 15" (or so I think), but I'm not sure that I would just up a rim size and risk the otherwise soft ride that the car has. We will see, however. I'm still debating it.
Outside of that, there's not a whole lot to say about the exterior other than Hyundai nailed the redesign of the Elantra.
Interior:
This is where I've been most impressed. The cabin of the Elantra has a very simple and elegant design to it which I really like. That said, it's a Hyundai, so there's a plethora of plastic pieces that I obviously wish weren't plastic, but when you pay the price I did what more can you expect? As I have never owned a Hyundai before, and heard many stories of the interior falling apart due to poor quality, I was worried about the interior and the amount of plastic that could break over time. While it's only been a year, I am happy to report that nothing has broken or looks/feels any different from day one (knock on wood). The dual climate has been a godsend (my wife and I are polar opposites when it comes to comfortable temperatures) and the fact that we could get heated cloth seats was awesome as I've never been a huge fan of leather. There have been reports of creaking/rattling in the dashboard going over bumps, but I've yet to hear that and I've actually been very impressed with the lack of road noise inside the car. As some may remember, I sold Hondas while in college and that was the biggest complaint that I heard from customers who purchased a Civic (I somewhat disagree because I feel like the 2017 Civic was a HUGE improvement over he 2016 Civic). The seats are fairly comfortable, though the lack of lumbar support is disappointing (again- you get what you pay for). If I were to do it over again, the only thing I would change is pay a little more for power seats with lumbar support! The speakers leave something to be desired, but I've heard nothing but good things about the speakers in the Limited trim line. They're just fine for me as I really only listen to talk radio, but when I do turn on Pandora or whatever, you can definitely tell that the speaker system is a bit weak. As for room, I'm 6'4" 235lbs and I actually fit pretty well, as long as I'm in the front two seats! The back seat doesn't offer much headroom, but the front is great.
Technology:
This is the first car that I've had with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and I'll never go back to a life without it. Holy [censored], I love Android Auto. Especially recently moving to DFW from a small town in Oklahoma, the navigation feature (through my phone) has been a lifesaver for me and my wife. I also like the fact that you can stream Pandora, podcasts, etc from you phone. This does come at a cost- it doesn't have a CD player. The backup camera is very clear and easy to see through and the blind spot monitoring has been a great feature. Now, the blind spot monitoring does have some issues that I've noticed. It sometimes gets confused and beeps at me when I turn on my turn signal with a car on the opposite side of the direction I'm trying to turn. It's not every time, but enough to be noticeable. If it was really that irritating, I could turn it off, but I live with it. The cross traffic detection (when in reverse) is pretty handy, but I can only think of a handful of times where it caught something before I was able to see them. That said, I still look over my shoulders so I would expect to see them first.
Powertrain:
The 2.0L engine is somewhat uninspiring, as it's pretty slow, but it sounds much more refined than most engines in Hyundai's past. It's very quiet and very efficient. I don't have exact numbers, but our MPG in city driving is usually around the mid 30s and it's not uncommon at all to achieve well over 40 MPG on the highway. The 6 speed does it's job and that's about all you can say about it. It shifts smooth, but I've noticed that it likes to stay in lower gears on inclines, which I feel is sometimes unnecessary. The Sport mode makes the car feel a lot quicker, but I doubt there's much difference at all in actual acceleration. It just stays at higher RPMS with it on. The ECO mode is, well, I can't really say anything about it. I can't tell any difference at all between ECO mode and Normal mode, and I've tried hard to find a difference. With that being said, I still drive it in ECO because I feel like I'm missing out on something if I don't.
The 6 speed is a proven transmission though and has a pretty solid track record when it comes to longevity and reliability.
Some things that I wish I could change:
1) Lumbar support
2) Suspension- Wish they had independent suspension all around, but the back comes standard with a torsion beam rear suspension (Only the Sport has independent all around)
3) Headroom in the back
4) No jack points in the front or back?? (At least as far as I can tell) Makes doing ATF drain and fills pretty difficult without a lift since it has to be level. In fact, I'm still figuring out how to do it- let me know if you have any ideas!
Otherwise, this has been a great car and at such a good price, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this car again. Hyundai has made a lot of improvements over the years and it shows in the updated Elantra. However, I feel like the worries regarding the brand will continue for a while longer (as it should) after their issues with the 2.4L Gamma engine fiasco. All this said, we will see if it continues to hold up as well as it has so far going forward!
Car Details:
2017 Elantra SE- 2.0L (MPI) 6-speed auto, Phantom Black- Grey cloth interior, Popular and Tech Packages
Options listed from the sticker:
We purchased this car for just over $14,200 OTD after comparing the Elantra to the Corolla and Civic after our 2014 Mazda3 was totalled by a drunk driver. We ended up with the Hyundai because: 1) Similarly equipped, the Civic and the Corolla were multiple thousands of dollars more expensive 2) I liked the fact that it was MPI and not DI 3) I preferred the 6 speed over the CVT 4) Both me and my wife preferred the interior of the Elantra over the Civic and Corolla interiors. I've never owned a Hyundai and was a bit leery due to the brand's previous (and still lingering) spotty reputation when it comes to reliability and quality. After a year though, I cannot be more impressed with this car. Now, that doesn't mean everything is perfect, but this has been an awesome first impression for someone new to the brand. Here's some of my thoughts on the exterior, interior, technology and powertrain as well as some issues/irritations I have found with it.
Exterior:
I'll be perfectly honest, I would've never considered the Elantra before their updated styling as I couldn't stand the 2011-2016 styling. However, we really liked the updated exterior styling of the Elantra and I still feel like it is going to age very well. It's not as sporty looking as the Civic, but I feel like it has a sophisticated look to it which I like. The rims are a little small at 15" (or so I think), but I'm not sure that I would just up a rim size and risk the otherwise soft ride that the car has. We will see, however. I'm still debating it.
Interior:
This is where I've been most impressed. The cabin of the Elantra has a very simple and elegant design to it which I really like. That said, it's a Hyundai, so there's a plethora of plastic pieces that I obviously wish weren't plastic, but when you pay the price I did what more can you expect? As I have never owned a Hyundai before, and heard many stories of the interior falling apart due to poor quality, I was worried about the interior and the amount of plastic that could break over time. While it's only been a year, I am happy to report that nothing has broken or looks/feels any different from day one (knock on wood). The dual climate has been a godsend (my wife and I are polar opposites when it comes to comfortable temperatures) and the fact that we could get heated cloth seats was awesome as I've never been a huge fan of leather. There have been reports of creaking/rattling in the dashboard going over bumps, but I've yet to hear that and I've actually been very impressed with the lack of road noise inside the car. As some may remember, I sold Hondas while in college and that was the biggest complaint that I heard from customers who purchased a Civic (I somewhat disagree because I feel like the 2017 Civic was a HUGE improvement over he 2016 Civic). The seats are fairly comfortable, though the lack of lumbar support is disappointing (again- you get what you pay for). If I were to do it over again, the only thing I would change is pay a little more for power seats with lumbar support! The speakers leave something to be desired, but I've heard nothing but good things about the speakers in the Limited trim line. They're just fine for me as I really only listen to talk radio, but when I do turn on Pandora or whatever, you can definitely tell that the speaker system is a bit weak. As for room, I'm 6'4" 235lbs and I actually fit pretty well, as long as I'm in the front two seats! The back seat doesn't offer much headroom, but the front is great.
Technology:
This is the first car that I've had with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and I'll never go back to a life without it. Holy [censored], I love Android Auto. Especially recently moving to DFW from a small town in Oklahoma, the navigation feature (through my phone) has been a lifesaver for me and my wife. I also like the fact that you can stream Pandora, podcasts, etc from you phone. This does come at a cost- it doesn't have a CD player. The backup camera is very clear and easy to see through and the blind spot monitoring has been a great feature. Now, the blind spot monitoring does have some issues that I've noticed. It sometimes gets confused and beeps at me when I turn on my turn signal with a car on the opposite side of the direction I'm trying to turn. It's not every time, but enough to be noticeable. If it was really that irritating, I could turn it off, but I live with it. The cross traffic detection (when in reverse) is pretty handy, but I can only think of a handful of times where it caught something before I was able to see them. That said, I still look over my shoulders so I would expect to see them first.
Powertrain:
The 2.0L engine is somewhat uninspiring, as it's pretty slow, but it sounds much more refined than most engines in Hyundai's past. It's very quiet and very efficient. I don't have exact numbers, but our MPG in city driving is usually around the mid 30s and it's not uncommon at all to achieve well over 40 MPG on the highway. The 6 speed does it's job and that's about all you can say about it. It shifts smooth, but I've noticed that it likes to stay in lower gears on inclines, which I feel is sometimes unnecessary. The Sport mode makes the car feel a lot quicker, but I doubt there's much difference at all in actual acceleration. It just stays at higher RPMS with it on. The ECO mode is, well, I can't really say anything about it. I can't tell any difference at all between ECO mode and Normal mode, and I've tried hard to find a difference. With that being said, I still drive it in ECO because I feel like I'm missing out on something if I don't.
Some things that I wish I could change:
1) Lumbar support
2) Suspension- Wish they had independent suspension all around, but the back comes standard with a torsion beam rear suspension (Only the Sport has independent all around)
3) Headroom in the back
4) No jack points in the front or back?? (At least as far as I can tell) Makes doing ATF drain and fills pretty difficult without a lift since it has to be level. In fact, I'm still figuring out how to do it- let me know if you have any ideas!
Otherwise, this has been a great car and at such a good price, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this car again. Hyundai has made a lot of improvements over the years and it shows in the updated Elantra. However, I feel like the worries regarding the brand will continue for a while longer (as it should) after their issues with the 2.4L Gamma engine fiasco. All this said, we will see if it continues to hold up as well as it has so far going forward!