cars.com drives the 2009 Elantra Touring, they like it... but... Options

[sciphi]

It's nice enough. Agreed with their point on how there are comparable cars out there that do what it does differently for the same or cheaper.

Now if Kia would stop advertising their SUV's and start marketing cars I'd want to buy I'd be happy.

[BNystrom]

It seems that the Kia Spectra 5 is the closest thing to a replacement for the EGT available in the US. Looking at it on the Kia site. it's really obvious that it's the same car as the Elantra, with a sportier personality.

[sciphi]

I keep on forgetting that. Where's a dealer to take a look at one...

[flcerberus]

$18,000 I can't fathom that for that car when I got my GT hatch for $12,500 out the door. It's not nearly as nice looking, The interior isn't really that much nicer than the older model. I have driven a new Elantra and it doesn't handle as well as my GT. I can't see the touring coming close to it. It is way too bland and lacks the style and charachter of the older hatch. Hyundai sales have been way down on the new Elantra, makes you wonder if thay had a new GT what would be going on?

[cclngthr]

$18,000 I can't fathom that for that car when I got my GT hatch for $12,500 out the door. It's not nearly as nice looking, The interior isn't really that much nicer than the older model. I have driven a new Elantra and it doesn't handle as well as my GT. I can't see the touring coming close to it. It is way too bland and lacks the style and charachter of the older hatch. Hyundai sales have been way down on the new Elantra, makes you wonder if thay had a new GT what would be going on?

The HD is much softer than the GT. MUCH softer. That changes in 09 when the SE version gets a 20mm rear sway bar and stiffer springs.

[Rob]

My question is would you be willing to pay about $18K if it had a stiffer suspension and/or all-wheel drive?

[natesi]

Bottom line:
I don't care how good it drives -- the front is bland as hell and the back makes me go horridly limp. They should have brought over the hatch instead of the wagon, which I might have considered. Whoever brought over the wagon should be fired immediately.

And 18K? No way -- they are dreaming. You can get the newly redesigned Honda Fit Sport, loaded with everything but navigation and stability control for $16.2K (manual) or $17.1K (5 speed automatic). Yeah, a 5 speed auto -- not even available on the Touring. Plus it has paddle shifters (kinda cool, and again, not even available on the Touring), reportedly fantastic handling, a smooth (less buzzy) engine (although less hp), and a higher resale value... Not to mention looks WAY better looks...

And it has all the cool stuff the Hyundai will have: 6 air bags, USB interface, mp3 playback, audio input jack, tilt and telescoping wheel (not sure if Touring will telescope).

Throw in the kitchen sink, with navigation (doubt it will even an option on the Touring) and stability control and your at 18.1K (manual), or $19K (for 5-speed auto). Expensive? Ummm yeah, getting up there. But if a Touring is $18K, and the slightly smaller Fit has all the same stuff, minus stability control, for almost 1K less, why buy the ugly-ass Touring? ...unless your sold on the Hyundai warranty, or have to have something a bit larger.

I dunno; I guess I'd have to drive each and see. But on paper, for the price, the Fit somehow seems like a better value than the Hyundai -- and Hyundai is suppose to be THE value company. So I'm confused.

I'm not saying Honda is the shit, but Hyundai cannot sell at the same price point. Maybe some day, but not yet. Granted, the Touring is a different class of car, but buyers considering one will probably consider the other, unless they really need a little bit larger vehicle.

[WillPartHyundai]

So nobody on the forum ended up buying a new Touring?
I would be really curious how it handles, and if indeed is set up to have the same success as its European counterpart (i30)

[Dhalgren]

At least two people here did, including me.

It is clear from the reviews that the Touring's lack of acceleration off the line can be compensated somewhat with the 5-speed manual. And yes, at $19,600 - $20,500 (the range of delivered prices I've seen, including tax and destination), there are other cars (namely the Subaru Outback Sport and Mazda 3 Sport) that don't have a lack of power. But the Elantra Touring is a unique vehicle. It's long wheelbase places it in the old Mazda 6 Wagon / Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen class. That adds appeal to people who need extra rear passenger and/or cargo room.

The Touring has become a sales hit in Canada (where the rare Mitsubishi Lancer wagon was also a hit). The cash for clunkers program has drawn attention to the Touring (the first consumer to take advantage of the program traded-in her Ford Explorer for a Touring). The available heated seats and standard satellite radio are luxury features that might give the Touring an edge over the Mazda 3, which costs $5,000 more with those options added. It's also more attractive than either the xB or Matrix and that should help sales as well. This fall, we should see if strong Touring sales this summer were just a blip, or the beginning of a modest success for a European c-segment wagon.

[WillPartHyundai]

I thank you graciously for the insight.
Agreed that the rear could have been finished better, but personally I don't think that overall the car looks bad at all. From a brief glance at one back in February, the interior is nicely appointed and it looks like the upholstery materials make for an easier cleaning of the interior. I am sure they will improve on the shortcomings. Typically any first year car (no matter the brand) needs tweaking. Although it shares the same (or similar) platform with the European i30, I'm sure they had to customize it for the N American market and for the manufacturing lines they have here.

[MdElantra]

As one not interested in either comparing a Fit to a Touring, its only an option if your under 5 foot 6 and dont care about about interior room lets compare apples to apples. The Touring might not appeal to all but its better looking than the Fit in my opinion and beyond that much more car. Hell why am i even arguing with someone like Natsie to lazy or to embarassed to post a garage.

[natesi]

As one not interested in either comparing a Fit to a Touring, its only an option if your under 5 foot 6 and dont care about about interior room lets compare apples to apples. The Touring might not appeal to all but its better looking than the Fit in my opinion and beyond that much more car. Hell why am i even arguing with someone like Natsie to lazy or to embarassed to post a garage.

HAHA! I love you man. You're funny!

= )



Actually, this thread is kinda old -- I made that comment back in January. NOW I'm comparing the Touring to the Mazda3 5-door -- it's a much better comparison: http://www.elantraclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24003

As far a the garage goes, I had one, but it got wiped out after the board was updated. Not sure what one's garage has to do with validating (or invalidating) one's point of view though. Hell, I just started filling out my profile a few days ago! I don't want to rush into anything!