Greetings from Santa Monica, California! On Wednesday I'll be driving the two newest vehicles in Hyundai's lineup: The 2007 Elantra and the 2007 Tiburon.
The Elantra compact sedan (photo at right) is all new for 2007. The car is slightly larger than its predecessor; in fact, Hyundai says it has more interior space than both the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. Like the recently-introduced Accent, the Elantra will get a full complement of safety gear including side curtain airbags and antilock brakes.
The Tiburon (left) is not all-new, but it does get a significant facelift that brings its styling in line with the more mainstream Japanese performance coupes. I've always thought of the Tiburon as an underrated performance car; perhaps the new look (the old car looked like an early-90s Toyota Supra with a heroin problem) will help the Tib earn at least some of the respect it deserves. And if the looks don't convince buyers, perhaps the price will: Hyundai says the V6-powered Tiburon GT will cost less than a four-cylinder Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. As always, I'll post my driving impressions of both the Elantra and the Tiburon after I've had some seat time.
Yesterday's blog post about buying American brought forth a lot of well-thought-out comments about buying American vs. buying Japanese or European. But what about buying Korean? Click the "comments" link and share your thoughts. -- Aaron Gold
Photos © Hyundai
We bought a Hyundai Sonata a year and eight months ago and haven’t been happier. This car has style (was asked if it was a Jaguar) and more room than a lot of cars in its price range. Highway mileage is very good and city mileage is adequate (similar to the Saturn we traded in when we got the Sonata.) I used to be a die-hard GM person; now I’ll go with Hyundai as long as they keep their standards up.
I drove a Kia Rio as a rental car for a month. I think it had 105 HP. It was pitiful in every way. I know it is a bottom of the line car, but it was the worst new car I have ever driven. Korean cars are not on my radar at all. Period.
Clark,
You can’t fairly compare a Kia Rio to anything above a little red wagon. The new Hyundais have style, are very dependable, have great warranties, and are great deals for the money. Saying you’ll never look at a Hyundai because the Rio was crappy is like saying you’ll never look at Dodge because you didn’t like the new Aveo, which is a ompletely unfair and unreasonable conclusion.
The Tiburon is exactly what I think is wrong with cars today. They make it look like everything else on the road. How many of us can tell a Toyota from a Honda from a Ford from a GM from 1/4 mile away (a few select models excepted).
For Korean made, it really depends on the car. Hyundai made great strides by using the 100K warranty to get customers in the door after the Excel debacle. But does a Daewoo (aka Chevy Aveo) or Kia hold that same level of quality? Not from what I have seen.
That is also a point to make about US brand cars. If they really want people to get back into GM/Ford cars, they need to improve the warranty so people will risk a break down that may or may never happen. Right now, people have more confidence in Toyota/Honda/Nissan. Mostly due to 1970s/1980s US brand problems that have gone away.
Bottom line, Hyundai did the right thing by using the long warranty and improving quality. The other Korean autos need to follow suit as they are head and shoulders below Hyundai.
Aaron, if you’re reviewing the cars, you should preface the review with your strong bias towards Hyundais fine products.
I rented a Sonata and an Accord recently for a couple of months while waiting for a car I purchased to be shipped. The Accord which is due for a redesign is a far better automobile. I’ve also driven a Camry and Malibu recently and place these too ahead of the Sonata. I will admit that the Sonata is a great car…for a Hyundai. The car does look great. The engine is actually not bad. The transmission is OK if a bit slow. The seats are entirely unsupportive. It pitches and rolls with anything but the most sedate driving. It drones on the highway. It’s gas mileage is not that good and not near the EPA estimate. Above all, it does not have realistic cupholders. Also, it should be noted that all the money you save up front to suffer the Hyundai ownership experience will be paid back in spades with depreciation.
BTW, the Aveo is a Chevrolet built by Daihatsu in Korea. I think the only relationship Dodge has with Korea is a joint venture with Hyundai to build 4 cylinder engines.
Ibognar, I am a korean car expert. Daihatsu is not aveo. Chevy aveo is a rebadged Korean car that is called the Daewoo Kalos in Korea. I don’t know what sonata you drove but the new 2006 sonata has been getting rave reviews, clearly it is an awesome car regardless of weather it’s a hyundai or not.
Sorry, my bad. Daewoo, not Daihatsu.
Drove an ‘06 Sonata. Roughly 6000 miles on the odo.
I’m not a Korean car expert. I consider myself to be a generally well rounded car guy. I tend to judge cars on their merit rather than heritage. All cars, even crap cars, have loyal bases. Would you believe the Ford Tempo has a club devoted to it?
I was lured into buying an ‘06 Hyundai Elantra by the low price, quality survey results, and long warranty. I have 10,000 miles on the car and wish I would have bought a Corolla.
The muffler went bad after 6K miles and had to be replaced. The drivers seat squeaks every time I move. The clutch squeaks every time I push it in. The radio reception is the worst I’ve ever experienced. And, I’m averaging only 30 MPG while driving almost exclusively highway miles.
I’m just recently getting to the point where I’d consider a Korean car. They’re starting to look really good (like the Hyundai Sonata) and they have a great warranty. Next time I’m in the market for a car, I’ll definitely consider them. I’m afraid this is more bad news for the American car companies. Next will be cars coming from China…
Hey Joe, As I was reading your comment, I was thinking you are a bad driver. If you are not, I appologize that I critisize you just by reading a comment. However, I’m saying this because I have totally the opposite story.
I’m dring Tiburon SE V6, 6 speed.
It’s been for one year and 8 months, and I have not had any problems so far. I have intake in my car as well, and I sometimes do race with others in the high way. No problem at all..dude.
I’m very satisfied so far; free oil change for 2 and a half years, discounts they did for me, free inspection for 3 years, 10 years or 100,000 miles warranty. My car doesn’t have any problems. I’ve recommanded other people get Hyundai’s car and they did. Of course, they dont’ have any problems.
Additionally, I know this woman who has driven Old sonata for long time, had no problems.
Bought a 2002 Elantra based on price and looks. But one drive and I knew I was hooked for life. The bad: They are not big on cancelling outside noise (especially on the hiway). The good: Performance,handling, and gas mileage. The average: quality and space. Looks are subjective but I like the front end of the Elantra with it’s elegant small grill. Dependable? Only changed oil and headlight bulb in two years.
While I feel very comfortable pulling up to the valet station, this is a car that can do 0 – 60 in first gear and can easily hit 80-90 mph in the length of an on-ramp. Don’t let the price fool you. Think affordable Boxster, light and powerful. I get 33 mph driving sanely on the highway and 28 around town.
What would be better? A six-speed manual transmission with a blown or boosted beta engine. In otherwords, can they make an affordable Audi A4 2.0T?
I feel bad for those who had/have bad ownership experiences. I don’t think that is the norm, and those, who like me bought a Hyundai not knowing what to expect, have spoke very passionately about their vehicles.
I have noticed more hyundai elantras showing up (and placing hi or winning) at drifting competitions, 4 cyl racing, etc. Thanks for reading this.
I bought a 2007 Hyundai Elantra prepared for the compromise I thought I was making, but what a surprise! This little car is almost as fun to drive as the ‘93 Plymouth Laser Turbo I used to own (well, maybe not quite as quick from 0-60), but it’s still a remarkable value for the 15 grand I paid (the Laser back in ‘93 was 16.5K). And the Elantra has a heckuva lot more interior space, let me tell ya.
I bought 06 Elantra 1 year ago and am very happy with all except fuel mileage small car ride and small car drive but best I get is 30 MPG average Auto Trans. I have friends that have a Sonata that gets better, but for the money It’s a Great car I am thinking of getting the 07 or Toyota Prius if Gas price stays up.