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Looking at Hyundai - Elantra GT hatchback, Elantra Touring hatchback, or Tucson?


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I'm getting a new vehicle in May. My dh and I typically drive a car for 15 years and then get a new car. His pickup hit the 15-year mark 3.5 years ago and he got a Honda Fit. My van will hit the 15-year mark in April (and dh's car will be paid off then) and it really is on its last legs with $1000-2000 of repairs every year for the last 3 years.

 

My youngest is now 14yo. My oldest is in college now and my middle dd will be in college next year. I don't need an enormous vehicle like my full-sized van anymore.

 

I'm looking at Hyundai because they have an amazing warranty. I can't stand the headrests in most new cars because they shove your head forward, but the headrests in the Hyundais don't do that.

 

My requirements for a car are that it have seats that fold flat so you can use it to transport cargo (have kids to move in and out of dorms and campus apartments), get good gas mileage, and be close to but no bigger than my dd's 2003 Toyota Camry in length for ease in parking (Elantra hatchbacks and Tucsons are right about that size).

 

All three of the Hyundai's had pros and cons to them. I was curious what kind of experience WTMers have had with these three vehicles. I think I like the Elantra Touring the best of the three.

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We bought the 2011 Hyundai Sonata for my daughter and it was a true lemon. I think they give you the warranty and figure if you have too many problems you'll trade it, then the warranty is void.

 

Anyway, she had some brake light sensor replaced twice. When this part went bad the car is unable to go in reverse. The transmission would occasionally jump as if it was going to fall out between 30 and 40 mph. They never could fix it. The read tail light just fell out of the car. The front strut broke. We had it one yr.

 

Hyundai wouldn't work with us on a good trade or give us market value for the car so we traded it for a Toyota RAV4. No problems with that car at all after a yr.

 

Other dd has a 2012 Honda Civic. Love it!!! No problems either.

 

Look at the technical service bulletins. If you google Hyundai elantra technical service bulletins you will find a page that has all the potential problems for a specific car. This is what they send to the dealer service dept when they have issues with a specific part. The Sonata had 3 pages of problems. My limit for a potiential car is 6. My ex husband has a 2000 Toyota 4Runner, it has had 3 service bulletins ever.

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I'm not familiar with the Elantra, but I have a Sonata and my dd20 has an Accent. We both love our cars. They get good gas mileage and are extremely comfortable, even her small Accent. But we both bought our cars used so I didn't get the pleasure of picking out features. One thing that ticks me off is her car has an audio jack for her ipod but mine doesn't. Mine does have Sirious though. That's obviously minor. I'm usually the type of person who prefers a newish type car every few years, but I've had my Sonata for almost 3 years and I have no desire to replace it. It's an awesome car.

 

I've always been a Honda person. Until I had problems with my Odyssey, I never had any problems with them. They are good cars. But I love my Sonata more than any Honda I owned.

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I drive a Hyundai Elantra and I love it. It is peppy and easy to drive and I also liked the fit of the front seats and the headrests. We were looking for a smaller size car that could transport a full size cello and that factored into our selection as well.

When both of our vehicles bit the dust in 2011, we rented an Elantra for a couple of months. I really liked it. It was quick and easy to handle and park. I'd get the Tucson if you still need some transporting room.

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