Is the MD a downgrade from the XD?, Time to get a new car... Options

[mlumz]

My dad owns the new MD Elantra and I've had my 05 Elantra GT since it was new. I didn't do much suspension mods until way later (as in the past few years) and have noticed the improvement. On the MD, I do like the upgrades as in looks and interior, etc. I think with the suspension upgrades it will handle well over stock. But my car is showing it's age so driving a new car is kind of nice. But I do feel the MD isn't as powerful as I would like but I'm comparing my manual XD2 to my dad's automatic MD so it's a bit difficulty to compare.

As everyone has said, Kia has become the sportier Hyundai.

[Bobzilla]

When we were out looking a year and a half ago, I was suprised and how different the MD was compared to the Elantra Touring (still running the Beta/5-spd). I couldn't get over how.... "old" the Beta felt in the ET over the Nu in the new GT. It was night and day different. IMO, there's nothing wrong with the new Elantra, I just prefer the bigger engine in my Forte.

[roydjt]

As a former XD owner, if I was looking for the current equivalent, I'd be looking Kia like Yves said. The Forte is the direct descendant in many ways, and the hatchback version would be a good replacement for an XD hatch.

-Roy

[natesi]

Thanks Guys,

For some reason I'm more of a Hyundai guy than a Kia guy, myself.

Regardless, the Forte has the same rear torsion beam suspension as the Elantra, right?
Question 1: So, it's going to have the same problems and limitations as the Elantra, yes?

Although looks wise, the new Forte doesn't do it for me, I wouldn't rule it out -- and I *did* give the Forte5 a very close look at the autoshow. I'd go for the direct injection 2.0 -- I think that would be enough power and the price is right too. At the autoshow, I noticed the Forte5 implemented the folding rear seat way better than Hyundai did with the GT (where you're suppose to lift up the rear seat bottom to fold down the backs fo the rear seats -- what a pain in the ass).

Question 2: Does anyone know if the Forte5 is based on the Forte chassis, or the Elantra GT chassis? I'm having a hard time finding crash tests for it on the IIHS website for the Forte5 (or Elantra GT, for that matter). If the platform is different for these cars they should have separate tests. I wonder if this was an oversight by IIHS.

[Red Elantra GT]

Hey-The rear seats can be tilted forward without moving the seat cushions out of the way if you don't need a flat load area. It's quite easy once the head restraints are pulled out of the seat backs. I've used it a few times when folded flat. The car holds a lot of "stuff" utilizing that feature.

[natesi]

Howdy dudes,

The XD is gone, but I picked up a MD.

I was looking for a good buy on used elantras when this 2013 car came up in my search. Except this car was NEW, at a used price -- a GLS with preferred package (heated seats, 16 inch rims, etc) for $16,480. In hindsight, I don't believe I got the deal of the century, but I think I did OK.

Long story short, it was a new 2013 left over. They were using it as a loaner for people who had cars in the shop, so it had 1000 miles on it. I figured for the price they wanted, there had to be a catch, and this was still certainly better than a used car. So I went for it. I also did NOT want a 2014, so this worked out well. While there are some nicer things the 2014 has, I don't like some of the styling changes they've made.

Anyway, the power was fine (accelerates easier than my XD, probably due to gearing) and on the long test drive I didn't notice the suspension issue so many people complain about. However, I did start to notice it a few days later. It's not as bad as I thought it would be though. I'll just do the shock upgrade and maybe the stabilizer bar.

Full review on my thoughts coming soon, but... I am struggling with the seat (head rest too far forward). Will make a separate post on that.

Also, my XD sold super fast; had multiple people interested. Foolishly, I sold super fast to my mechanic, without doing much research (I just threw out a number and he bought it). So I let it go for only 2K. But I'm pretty sure I could have got 3K for it, fairly easily, as there were no real problems with it and it looked great. The Elantras going for 2K in my area are completely thrashed, have body damage, and salvage titles. Plus I just put new struts and shocks on it, and new rims and tires about a year and a half ago, when I did the big brake upgrade. Anything close to the condition my car was in, was going for 3K, at least. Anyway, my stupid mistake -- which cost me dearly! But 2K is certainly better than the $499 the dealer was going to give me -- at least I didn't go for that!

= )

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[RPW00Mirage]

its an auto though

i find manuals so scarce... either that or they are way less produced :/

[slowgls]

Lookin good!!

[Alex2013GT]

She looks great! I will enjoy hearing about your thoughts once you've put some miles on the new Elantra. I know I really enjoy my GT.

[natesi]

Update: To answer the question, "Is the MD and downgrade from the XD" -- the answer is "most certainly YES" -- if you enjoy driving, that is.

* The brakes are the biggest problem, by far. I still cannot stop smoothly. I've tried turning the rotors and replacing the pads -- none of which has helped that much. There's way too much boost and they are too grabby at slow speeds.
* The suspension is the second biggest problem. The back likes to squirm around when driving over bumps, which is "normal" for this car. I was under the assumption that the KYB shocks fix this, but it does not -- just makes the problem less noticeable. I also had the car checked by an independent alignment shop and it is optimally aligned already.
* I thought I would get use to the poor visibility, but I can't (front and rear).
* No steering feel -- feels like a video game. The Limited trim offers a little better feel, due to larger rims. But I'm not going to keep the car, so I won't be upgrading the wheels.
* Seats are worse (too wide and bolsters offer little support)(No lumbar support in manual seats)(Head restraint pushes head too far forward, which gives me a stiff neck)
* Very vulnerable to cross winds (can make road trips and freeway trips frustrating)
* Gas mileage is horrible in rural driving (average 22-24; car is rated at 28 and that's in the city -- rural should be even better, and it is not). Although it's pretty good on the freeway. My 2002 got way better gas mileage in town (about 27-29, this time of year).
* Transmission shifts are slow, especially after they re-flashed the ECU after a trip to the dealership
* I already have more paint chips on the front bumper than my previous 12 year old Elantra had when I sold it
* There's a hazy defect in windshield which Hyundai refuses to fix
* The engine retards the timing between shifts (presumably to put less strain in the tranny), which makes moderate to heavy acceleration runs a tad frustrating and slow. The gated shiftier is a gimmic too -- the old way of just putting the car in D2 or D3 worked much better.
* ABS is very sensitive at times; can kick in when stopping at a light with a washboard road. Although this has only happened a couple times -- I'm generally pretty mellow on the brakes (don't like them warping).

My previous car was a 2002 Elantra, which was better than the 2013 in all the areas above, although the new MD Elantra does have a much stiffer chassis (which is very noticeable) and much better crash test scores.

I'm frustrated every time I get in this thing, but I guess I only have myself to blame. I thought I would get use to some of these nuances, but I cannot. The price of the car was good, but it wasn't worth the sacrifices. I'll pay for my dumb decision when I trade this car in, since I won't be keeping it. I hope to dump it after I recover from surgery.

So, anyway, if your XD is in good shape, I'd keep it. A lot of the newer cars have moved to simpler suspension designs and electric steering -- both of which are less communicative if you like to know what the wheels are doing.