Touring Paint confusion Options

[buraian]

In the absence of crash test data for the 2011 Elantra sedan, I'm getting ready to purchase my Touring. However, I'm seeing some color options on local dealers' websites that are not listed as options on Hyundai USA's site. Specifically, Regatta Blue Pearl, Carbon Gray Mist, and Quicksilver. What gives?

Cheers,
-Brian*

[Alex2013GT]

Hmm its possible either the dealer has the wrong color listed or maybe they are 2010 color options? Is the vehicle listed a 2010 Touring or a 2011 Touring?

If you're looking for comparison colors the carbon gray mist would probably be similar to titanium gray metallic and quiksilver would be close to shimmering silver. Carbon Gray is what they used to call their "dark" gray color. I think the Regatta blue pearl was a dark blue and in some light might have had a slight purplish hue to it (if its the color I'm thinking of). Good luck with your search

[buraian]

I believe they were all 2011s. But the carbon gray mist and quicksilver were 2010 colors, so that may just be a case of confusion on the dealers' part. (Some of them can't even get the type of transmission right, so attention to detail isn't their strong suit.) Guess I'll just have to go see for myself.

Cheers,
-Brian*

[Bobzilla]

Wait... so you're not buying the new Elantra because some made up crash test that isn't exactly accurate isn't out yet? Am I reading that right? Wow... I guess people WILL believe anythign they read.

[buraian]

Wait... so you're not buying the new Elantra because some made up crash test that isn't exactly accurate isn't out yet? Am I reading that right? Wow... I guess people WILL believe anythign they read.

If you know of a better way for a dumb consumer like myself to evaluate the safety of the vehicle I'll be driving my family in, I'd love to hear it. Should I just take Hyundai's word for it? Seriously, I'd really like to know.

Cheers,
-Brian*

[Bobzilla]

OK... let's do a little background info here. THese same "professionals" labeled the XD's as Poor. The same cars that we've been watching for years (almost 9 now) getting smashed to hell and back allowing the drivers and occupants to walk away. Shoot, Aaron totaled 2 in a row. They also had different results for the same cars (SPectra/Elantra) when they were being made on the same lines. Same car, little different in exterior shape, but same chassis/running gear/safety equipment. One was good, one was poor.

So, their results are inconclusive at best. Misleading at worst. They make their money telling people what car to buy based on "safety"... don'tthink there isn't more going on behind the scenes (read: money exchanging hands). They're no different than their counter parts at Consumer REports and their falsified info.

Just about ANY car built in the last 10 years is going to be a "safe" car. The Federal crash ratings have been higher than MANY countries for years. Remember when there were no airbags? No crumple zones. No pretensioning belts? Yep... we survived those quite well. This new breed is about as safe as you're going to get in a 3k lb missle.

[buraian]

Bob, are you referring to the IIHS or the NHTSA? I'm interested in hearing the evidence that either of these organizations is taking pay for ratings. But we're getting off topic. Why don't we take it to my other thread on the MD/UD forum?

Cheers,
-Brian*

[Beaver]

Getting back to colours, perhaps your dealer (or salesperson) hasn't educated themselves on the new colour options. I know when I bought mine they had no idea what "Atlantic Blue" was. I had to get them to go on Hyundai Canada's website.

[natesi]

I don't fully trust anything my government publishes, starting with the food pyramid.

And IIHS is funded by for-profit insurance companies -- you can google that -- no secret there.

On the other hand, I don't think there's a grand conspiracy in crash data and I do find fault with Bob's reasoning. The Kia Spectra and the Elantra can crumple differently. The basic platform is the same but tweaks can obviously be made to the chassis (or other safety systems). Even different years of the Elantra get different scores.

Chassis wise, look no further than the Forte which received different ratings based on manufacture dates. 2010 models made after Oct 2009 received "good" ratings for side impact, while models before that received only "acceptable". SAME car, SAME platform -- minor tweaks to the chassis result in different scores.

TWO THINGS, I think one should keep in mind:
1--These crash tests are done in a laboratory, which can only give an indication of how the car *might* fare in the real world. The chance that YOUR crash will mimic the laboratory setup is probably about zero.
2--I'm SURE auto manufactures design the cars to pass the **laboratory** tests, for better or worse....

[Dhalgren]

First of all, the Elantra Touring is an outstanding choice! Thanks in advance for supporting the most exciting, unknown wagon in the USA!

The irony in the safety discussion is that I bought my Touring in May 2009, when there was no NHTSA data for the car (but there was data for the MD sedan, of course). I had to go to to UK and Australian sites to see how the i30 wagon handled crashes in the lab. Seeing that the i30 handled about as well as a VW or Skoda family car with zero passenger compartment intrusion or excessive rollover risk, I was happy with what I saw.

But I've also learned to trust Hyundai in the 2 years since becoming a Hyundai owner. We can be consifent that the new MD will test at least as well as the FD. Hyundai has a vastly improved reputation to protect. Subaru right now is the gold standard (with all of its models rated 5-stars front and side). But Hyundai right now is on average at least as safe as Ford, the top-rated US manufacturer.

This post has been edited by Dhalgren: Mar 14 2011, 02:24 PM