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Hyundai's new Elantra Touring is a truly unique vehicle -- a cross between a compact sedan and a mid-size wagon. Originally designed for sale in Europe, the Elantra Touring is now making its way here to the States -- and your author is thinking seriously about buying one. Is the Hyundai Elantra Touring the road-going Swiss Army Knife I've been looking for? Read on. $18,495 base, $20,415 as tested, EPA fuel economy estimates 23 MPG city, 30-31 MPG highway.
First Glance: One size fits all
Larger photos: Front - rear - all photos
The Elantra Touring is of particular interest to me because I've been thinking about buying one to replace our aging Honda Accord wagon. My wife and I like cars that are small and sporty, but we need a back seat big enough for our rapidly-growing kids (my older one is well on his way to 6 feet plus) and a cargo bay that's big (for my wife's massage table) and easy to load (for her dodgy back). That rules out small hatchbacks like the Mazda3 and Subaru Impreza. We've been spoiled by the reliability of three Hondas, and we want something that we can run past 150,000 miles without costing a ton of money to keep up. And it has to have heated seats... blame my wife's dodgy back again.
So I've had my eye on the Elantra Touring every since I got to take a quick spin in one a few months back. Though it's related to the Elantra sedan, the Elantra Touring was actually developed for Europe, where it's sold as the i30 Estate. Here in the States, there's nothing quite like the Elantra Touring -- it feels like a compact up front, a mid-size sedan in the middle, and a small wagon out back. Size-wise it fits our needs, and it's within our price range -- $18,495 for starters, which includes A/C, CD stereo, cruise control, and power everything. Heated seats come as part of an option package, bundled with bigger wheels (link goes to photo) and a sunroof (the Premium Sport Package) for $1,500. You can also get an automatic transmission for $800, but we'd probably take a pass on that. So far, so good...
In the Driver's Seat: Strong on space, weak on ambiance
The Elantra Touring's interior proportions work as well in practice as they do in theory. The kids and dog had plenty of room in the back seat, and Robin's massage table fit into the cargo bay without the need to fold down the back seats. In fact, I was able to pack the Elantra Touring with everything we needed for a five-day vacation -- two suitcases, knocked-down dog kennel, favorite stuffed animals and blankets, and my ever-present backpack -- it all fit with room to spare.
Versatile it is, but luxurious it isn't. The Elantra Touring's interior looks like Hyundai bought the materials on sale -- cheap, shiny black plastic on the dash, thin fabric on the seats, and a notable lack of sound insulation. Driving the Elantra Touring brought me back to my college days -- not in the I-have-no-obligations-no-responsibilities-and-I-live-in-a-co-ed-dorm-surrounded-by-beautiful-open-minded-women sense, but in the I-have-no-money-and-can't-afford-a-decent-car sense.
Ah, co-ed dorms...
Er, sorry. Anyway, the dash isn't the only culprit -- the cargo bay is lined with some sort of weapons-grade felt that scuffs and scars easily. My car had only a few thousand miles on the clock, and it already looked like it had participated in the Berlin airlift. How would it hold up to ten years of the constant loading and unloading of massage stuff, dog stuff, horse stuff and kid stuff that our Accord wagon handles so well?
On the Road: Civicesque
The Elantra Touring shares its 138 horsepower two-liter engine with the Elantra sedan. Our tester had a five-speed stick-shift, and my wife Robin described it as "powerful enough to keep me happy" -- no small compliment from a lead-foot like her. But I know from experience with the Elantra sedan that the optional automatic -- an old-tech four-speed unit -- puts a bit of a damper on mid-range acceleration.
Fully loaded for our vacation, the Elantra Touring had no problem keeping pace on the highway. Its EPA fuel economy ratings of 23 MPG city and 31 MPG highway aren't very promising, but I did better in town -- around 27 MPG. On the highway, our test car managed just over 30 MPG -- more than acceptable considering we had five on board and an almost-full cargo bay.
The Elantra Touring's fun-to-drive factor wasn't as high as I expected, although to be fair, I may have been expecting too much -- it is, after all, based on a European-market car. The Elantra Touring definitely has Euro-skills; it grips the road well, the steering is very precise, the suspension keeps its composure no matter what you throw at it, and it comes with electronic stability control as standard. The ride is firm, but not uncomfortable, although the engine is very noisy. It's more fun to drive than the Toyota Corolla/Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe, but I was hoping for the excitement of the Mazda3 or even Hyundai's own Accent SE, and the Elantra Touring isn't quite there. It reminded me a lot of the Honda Civic -- very agile, just not very involving.
Journey's End: Second thoughts
When the Elantra Touring arrived, I thought I had found my next new car. But after a week of testing, I'm having second thoughts. Size-wise, the Elantra Touring is perfect -- it has enough back seat and cargo space, and it's smaller and easier to park than our Accord. It's better to drive, even if it's not quite the sports car I was hoping for. I like the mix of power and fuel economy. And it has heated seats. But the noisy engine and low-rent dash give it a cheap-car persona that's a real turn-off. I think the Elantra Touring is a good value for what you get, but I don't want to shell out $20,000 and feel like I'm driving a $12,000 car. And I have my doubts that the materials lining the Elantra Touring's cargo bay can hold up to the rigors of life with the Gold family.
Unfortunately, the Elantra Touring has few good rivals. The VW Jetta SportWagen is the next best thing. It offers features the Hyundai doesn’t, like leather seats and navigation, but I'm concerned about long-term reliability. The Subaru Outback is my number two choice, but we'd have to pay about $3,000 more to get the features we want. The dark horse is the Toyota Venza -- it's spot-on for interior space and it has a big four cylinder engine that returns reasonable fuel economy. But its $27k starting price is more than I'd like to pay, and my wife has an aversion to SUVs.
So we're back at square one: The Hyundal Elantra Touring is the best car for our needs.
Hmm.
Maybe we can squeeze a couple more years out of the Accord. -- Aaron Gold
