Apprehension is GOOD !! (updated Aug 2009)

Being asian, my inclination is towards compacts. More with less. And that is what you get with the Elantra GT. I was down to 3 vehicles: 03 Civic 4D Sport, 03 Corolla S, and 03 Elantra GT. The Corolla S was dumped early, although the outside is a bit more hip, the inside still reeks conservative (soft ride, upright seating). So we were down to the test drives of the Civic and the Elantra GT.. I relied on my apprehension to feed my research.. Trust your research, be apprehensive, and let the Elantra test drive CONVINCE you...

EXTERIOR
You have to get the tall spoiler for the Elantra GT.. Then you have a pseudo mini Infinite G35.. The hood deflector also offsets the funny front if that euro grille isn't your thing.. But I do like the exterior, with the flowing lines, it all grows on you.. My fave are the redundant red marker lights at the back, great for visibility.. Also a key point not found in new cars nowadays, is the turn signal being yellow, and at the corners where they are most effective.. New cars lately have been moving the turn signals more to car centre, on the front and back (duh)..

INTERIOR
First thing I picked at on the Civic vs Elantra test drive was wind & road noise.. Man oh man, the Civic has a bassful wind roar !! The Elantra is more a whishing sound, but it disappears with the sunshade pulled over.. The Elantra is far more spacious than the outside leads you.. My 6'2" friend didn't even get his knees touched when I backed up the driver's seat all the way.. The front seats are heated!! The driver's seat is 3 way adjustable, plus has a lumbar adjustment ! You must get the Premium Package for the leather, and sunroof !! The indiglo console makes night driving something to look forward to.. There's storage spaces in all directions.. Here's the neato space multiplexer !! Aside from the fold down rear back rests, the rear seat cushions fold over.. Such that when everything in the passenger compartment is folded down, your hatch back now becomes a FULL FLATBED hatchback !! The 2 minor beefs are: back headrests, and weak rear speakers.. The backhead rests came off before I drove the car off the lot, and are STILL in my trunk.. They are blind spot boosters, but this applies to any car with back headrests.. The rear speakers are weak and sub-par, compared to the front 4 speakers.. But my car music is a joy again..

ENGINE/TRANNY
It's a QUIET 2.0L with 135hp.. Quiet must be from the special floating substructure and engine cradle that the engine sits on.. The auto shifts very smoothly, but highway uphill onramps will take a bit more effort.. HOWEVER, I anticipate getting a speeding ticket soon, this car doesn't give a hint you are going fast..

RIDE
The sports suspension registers bumps with a thunk.. But otherwise the motions are dampened very well.. Turning is very refined.. And my 2 buddies who are car slalom instructors, marvelled at how the Elantra handles better than the Civic.. They loved the controled suspension, and the predictable linear braking of the Elantra.. Please see the Comments link (below) for my reply to a braking question..

VALUE
Yes because of market mentality, you will suffer a devaluation when you drive this baby off the lot.. So what? Keep it and drive it till the wheels fall off.. You'll get a superb features vs dollar bargain.. PLUS, Hyundai is HUNGRY to eat into everyone else's market.. They will "do what it takes to EARN your business".. We started bargaining at Can$200 (US$ 150) above the dealer invoice, then we continued bargaining with the add-ons... You will not get this much bargaining room with Honda or Toyota.. AND after the sale, I have been a pain in the butt with the service/parts department, with too many particular technical questions.. But they returned my call within the hour.. Hyundai isn't a Honda or Civic by repute.. But remember when we all shed "It's a Sony" and discovered all the other consumer electronics that had caught up with Sony ??

MISC BACKGROUND
Hyundai is being seen by NAFTA as a serious threat.. Hyundai is the only auto company that can supply it's own steel and tools for auto manufacture.. Hyundai has invested a large amount into their R&D, this explains the quality and value turn around.. You tell me where all these R&D Japanese Yens are nowadays in Japan's deflated economy.. Conspiracy theorists will tell you there is a reason why Elantra GT has as high an insurance rate as a Civic, and it has nothing to do with comparable crash/theft rates !!

MINOR ATTENTIONS TO DETAIL..
The rear seatbelts have an extra tongue for storage position.. This way they don't lay around the cushions..
The car comes with an alarm and immobilizer !!
My mechanic marveled at the superb layout of the engine compartment and undercarriage.. He said this car would be a dream to service quick..
The hatch has an inner handle for closing.. This prevents scuffing the paint when shutting the hatch..
The trunk has edge protectors along the bottom, for when you shove that futon in..
The trip computer can calculate how much distance before you run empty, no more prayers to the gas gods..

CONCLUSION
Levi's is no longer jeans.. Sony is no longer audio-video.. Intel is no longer processors.. Superb compacts are no longer Honda or Toyota..
Honda or Toyota will have your mind in theory.. But research every car review site out there.. Read ALL the reviews on the Elantra, find the good points in the bad reviews.. Then take some hobby racers with you on the test drive, let the Elantra GT test drive convince you.. Then contain your excitement as you hammer out a superb bargain with the salesperson who will "work to earn your business".... Then pester the service department because they are more than glad to be of service !!
Be apprehensive, the Elantra GT is for SMART shoppers.. Not choose by default SHEEP !!

AFTER 5,000km's
I broke the car in HARD very HARD, just like knowledgable auto folks told me to do (read articles on the web for this- interesting).. And I did an early oil change too.. Anyway no probs yet on the car, even with that unorthodox break-in.. It's a good feeling seeing other Elantra GT drivers on the road, and marvelling at a fellow SMART shopper..

AFTER CAR CONTROL SCHOOL @ 8,000km's
I took the car to a Car Control School about a month ago.. This is a driver's school where they put your car in extreme situations (hard braking, hard turning, skids etc) so that you are trained in the physics of your car and are better prepared in actual emergency situations.. WELL WELL WELL suffice to say, I wanted to push this car hard in these extreme control situations to see what my money and faith in Hyundai has got.. WELL WELL WELL the car passed resoundingly.. Details below:

ABS BRAKES
The instructor gave us a specific excercise in sudden obstacle avoidance under hard braking and turning.. Part of the excercise was to find out WHEN the ABS kicked in, and WHAT KIND of ABS my vehicle had.. It turns out the Elantra GT has the GOOD kind of 4 channel ABS.. The kind that you CAN slam the brakes on AND try to steer with while the brake is slammed.. WHY ?? The Elantra's ABS computer is SMART ENOUGH to be able to know when to GIVE BACK some of the braking traction to steering traction, so that you have both steering control and stopping power.. On my friend's 02 Sunfire, he had the CHEAP ABS, so he had to ease off on the brakes (using his discretion) when he needed to steer.. Because the CHEAP ABS on the Sunfire just clicks away the ABS w/o a SMART computer deciding how much traction is needed for steering and/or braking !!! This unwritten but field tested feature of the Elantra GT could be a life saver in an extreme braking situation..

SUSPENSION
I drove the car like a madman on the auto slalom.. Yes I hit a few cones until I got to know the vehicle's turning capabilities.. Anyway it handled the cones well, with the body roll being comfy even during reciprocating turns !!

SKIDDING
It is HARD to get this car to skid.. I was on the skid pad (going around at high speed in a large circle) and it took a ludicrous speed before I was losing traction on the ground.. This is a complete compliment to the suspension and well selected Michelin tires that come stock with the car.. My friend (who is one of the instructors), pointed out that the Traction Control light didn't even kick in yet !!

AFTER 10,000km's
Still mostly pleased but some MINOR qualms show up..

STONE CHIPS, a few flea sized ones are there.. But prolly because I drive 60km's each way to work on a highway.. My hood deflector saves the hood, but the fenders have the chips.. SO it's time I got some ChipGuard film installed on the fenders..

LOW CEILING I barely miss the ceiling in my NEW driving position.. I'm now more upright and ready for emergency maneuvers, per the instructions from Car Control school.. Anyway, I blame this (low ceiling) on the sunroof, my upright position, and my 6 ft frame..

So after 10,000km's and pushing the car at EXTREME Car Control conditions, what's the story ?? Toyota Corolla ? HAH!! If you wanna buy a fridge on wheels!! 2001-03 Honda Civic ? HAH!! If you wanna buy a Honda wanting to be a Corolla (re: wishbone suspension is now strut) !!
Go test drive the Elantra GT and realize how WELL DUPED you've been by the new Corolla and Civic, they're just pretenders to their predecessor's throne.. While the 03 Elantra GT is no pretender, nor a dupe..

AFTER 1 YEAR and 50,000 km !!!!!!
Yep 1 year anniv has passed and I've blown through the mileage like a bat outta hell.. No probs with the car.. In fact the only prob was rattling in the rear speaker grill but this was related to my upgrade of the stereo system and all 6 speakers.. The stereo shop was easily able to rectify the stereo upgrade induced rattling.. Oh yeah, I asked the shop to put in some accoustic insulation on the front doors.. Apparently the car ALREADY comes with this !!

I've spent 1 solid Canadian winter with the car in the Ontario snow belt, with winter tires as well.. No probs.. A heavy snowstorm in the sloping roads of Montreal weren't a prob (no uphill sliding), because the traction control was regulating my grip on the climb.... I love the heated leather seats, because they heat up quicker than the A/C heater while the car is warming up.. The stock tires and ABS are a danger in snow though, coz traction is lost easily when braking.. So I recommend buying 4 winter tires, and keeping the great Michellin tires for the summer where they are quiet and excel !!

The Mazda 3's are out and they're good.. The only edge these have over the Elantra GT is a bolder design, slightly more powerful engine, and telescopic steering.. Otherwise the 03 Elantra GT is very comparable to the 04 Protege 3 hatchback.. In fact the 03 Elantra GT has more cargo space and a larger cabin than the Protege 3 sedan or hatchback !!

I drive like a maniac, trust me.. I participate in auto slaloms with the Elantra GT.. And the car constantly wows me for the dollar I paid for it..

I'm about to bring the car into the dealership for my 50,000km service, change of sparkplugs etc.. And I love the value I got for the car..

Here's a web page where Elantra GT owners and enthusiasts gather.. Poke around to get more good reviews http://www.elantragtclub.com

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!! AS OF AUG 2009 and 200,000 km !!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The car is performing good, but certain components are getting replaced due to wear, duh at this stage.. They all started acting up at 190,000 km.. Needed a new rad to replace the old one with a pin hole.. Replaced the brake rotors and pads, usual wear and tear.. Replaced the front and rear struts with Tiburon GT struts, for improved performance and "it's about time".. BUT the core of the car is still fine, heating/cooling are good, transmission and engine are fine.. Interior is still good, and only rattles in spring when we go from freezing to above freezing temps.. The driver's seat has a small amount of leather peeling / stretch due to extensive usage and summer heat, but it's bearable and can be patched with special polymers..

I still intend to keep the car, and see what it's lifespan is.. I want to boast how FAR Hyundai's lifespan has become, so long as I don't need a new tranny or engine..