Victoria, British Columbia - Last year, Hyundai took advantage of the Montreal International Auto Show to unveil the all-new 2009 Elantra Touring, a more family-oriented variant of their popular compact. Well, it took a little more than a year to officially welcome this model in North America due to its overly popular status in Europe (where it's called I30).
Don't be fooled into thinking the Elantra Touring is merely an extended version of the regular Elantra. The former is built on a totally different platform and uses components that have little in common with the latter. In fact, if it were not for the name, this newcomer might not even pass as an Elantra. Family styling From the get-go, Hyundai executives were clear on one thing: the 2009 Elantra Touring directly takes aim at the Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Dodge Caliber and the like. Of course, to a lesser extent, it also targets every other 5-door model in the entry-level segment. Here, in Victoria, the company decided to pit the Elantra Touring against the Matrix to illustrate how the Korean has the edge over the Japanese. For instance, the new Hyundai is wider and sits on a longer wheelbase than any rival. On the other hand, the roof was purposely made a bit lower in order to give the machine a sleeker, more aerodynamic profile while lowering the center of gravity in the process. The design of the new Elantra Touring is pretty unique and unlike anything else at Hyundai. The hood slopes forward, the sides are nicely sculpted and the rear section sports vertically-stacked taillights along the hatch. Clean and cute, the Touring has no reason to envy traditional segment leaders in terms of style and on-road presence.
Forum Reader Comments (4)
Friday, January 23, 2009 10:39 pm
First impression
Dear Longo...Interesting comment... but you should read better cause this is exactly what with do with our reviews... but never with what we call the first impressions.Hard to tell, out of a 200 km ride on a road you never use, what is the exact fuel consumption. And there is too much to say about the new car to really get into the kind of details you ask for.So this was a first impression (and read carefully, I do talk about the engine and the noise, the comfort, the powertrain and even the comfort of the suspensions, not to forget the cargo space; not bad for consumer's questions...), mostly to present the car and his main carateristics, with a few driving impressions as well.For the rest, well, just wait until we drive the car for a whole week, and use it like a regular consumer. Then, if you have more questions, i'll be more than happy to answer. Marc Bouchard
- blablacom
Thursday, June 04, 2009 12:16 am
Buyer beware
My brand new Elantra died the first time 11 Km outside the dealership after we first picked it up. The block heater was not properly connected. It died the second time when the Head Gasket went two weeks later due to a factory defect. We are currently without a car for at least three days while our less than two week old Elantra gets fixed because the engine is now warped. Great car!!!
- karin
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