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Comments
The car is excellent. The clutch and gears are wonderful. I've missed 5th a couple of times, but mostly because I'm still used to my old 5 speed.
The power is VERY lacking up to about 2500 RPM. After that point, you can really feel the power kick in. While I'm still taking it easy on the car, I've passed on 2 lane highways easily without having to drop to 4th gear.
I've mostly done highway driving since getting my GT, but I'm up to just under 31 MPG. I'm hoping that will go up another 4-5 after the break in.
The car is _solid_. I'm having to get used to shutting the door hard enough. Everything feels solid and nice, not "cheap".
While the ride is definitely stiff (I've got the sport tuned suspension), it's not uncomfortable. Each corner I take builds my appreciation of the cars handling abilities.
The ONLY problem with buying this car is the resale value. Unless Hyundai makes a big turn-around in popularity starting w/ the 2002 model year, it will be difficult to get decent money back if/when selling your GT. I plan on keeping my GT for a long time, but would feel better if its depreciation wasn't so bad.
My dealings with the dealer were mixed. He gave me an acceptable "haggle free" price right up front ($14960+TTL for a 5-speed w/ sunroof + ABS/Traction Control). Unfortunately, it took over 3 hours for me to get out of the dealership when I went to sign papers, even though the price was already set. They were missing the floor mats which were supposed to come with the car (they had to order the mats and ship them to me). I also purchased the window etching (for an insurance discount), but had to actually push them to etch the darned windows! They told me "it's been registered, and that's what counts". NUTS! So, while I got a good price, I can not recommend Wiesner in Conroe, TX. They just weren't "together".
I wonder if the GT has now become a highly sought-after car?
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadtest/02elantra_gt.htm
This coincides with the start of Hyundai's marketing push for the GT here in Canada; this past week we've started seeing the first Canadian TV commercials for it (one in English, the other in French).
The Protege was our second choice but we went with the GT instead because we liked the cargo room (this was a little before the Pro5 began showing up). The ZX3 is interesting, but we wanted four doors. Would have waited and given the ZX5 a shot but I saw one at the NY Auto Show in April and it looked like it was put together with Elmer's Glue by Mrs. Crenshaw's fourth grade art class. Ugh. We have one Ford already...I think that's enough.
Let us know if you change your mind about the GT. It's really a great car. Have you tried other dealers in your area?
after weighing the pro's and con's we decided to get the GT, I insisted on the blue while he wanted pewter. got car for 13,900 including 1k for trade. Love it, roomy and looks almost exactly like a saab nine-three hatch in profile...
Highly recommend this car..over sentra and Protege5
-audible warning for emergency brake on
-better coat hook clip for hanging a suit
-rear hatch handle, though nice on the inside, might make more sense on the outside.
As you can see, this is nit-picking. Had a silver Pro-5 pull up along side me at a stoplight in Jersey over the weekend. Compared notes for a few secs and concurred these were both winners.
I don't know where you are in AZ, but if you're willing to drive a little farther, University Hyundai here in Provo has a ton of GTs, and all are actually at sticker - no bogus markups. They didn't even have the Cal. emissions charge. I bought my Santa Fe from them and they were really good to work with - I got it for quite a bit below sticker. Last time I checked they had a good selection, too - blue, red, pewter and black, 5-spd and Auto, some with pkg. 2/7. I don't think anyone in UT knows about the GT yet, so you could probably get them to move quite a bit on price.
-Jason
Erik
On the left side toward the middle of the page, there's an option to "build your own". After you choose your state, click on the GT. You can view the packages and colors and get an MSRP. You can do the same with Edmunds, and it will also give you the Invoice.
I go by the reviews and after a lot of recommendations from this board I was convinced to buy elantra GT. I am actually breaking the bubble with my office colleagues since I will be the first one to buy a Korean car. I really feel Hyundai has come a long way and I am a person who always judge a product with price/performance.
I thank everyone on this board who has been providing great helpful information. I will keep updating about my new baby time to time.
Regards.
nuance
There is one out there (maybe two): Saturn SL2, which starts under $15k (no-haggle pricing) and has good reliability and mpg (27/38 for 5-spd); and Suzuki Esteem, which starts around $14k list with a little lower mpg. Suzukis are dependable also. But if I were you, I'd go for the GT, even if it's not a true wagon. It will be no more money than the Saturn, especially after you add some options to the Saturn, and a lot more fun to drive.
I just purchased a 5-spd. GT in Houston, TX (Charlie Thomas Hyundai) pkg 6 (moonroof), (with window tinting, mud-flaps, and mats thrown in) for $14,395. I am *very* happy with my purchase. Test-drove and fell in love with VW Golf, but was turned-off by the price and long list of problems that seem to be popping up on it. This feels very similar to the Golf behind the wheel, has much more sex appeal, and MUCH more reasonable price... All feels very solid, well-built, and high-quality. Absolutely could NOT be happier!! BTW, "Kurt" at Charlie Thomas was no BS, very easy to work with...
UC Blue, Carbon (GT only) (Available After 10/01)
RB Red, Chianti (Available After 10/01)
VX Red, Rally (GT only) (Available After 10/01)
It looks like Cardinal Red, Cranberry and Cobalt blue are going away. Does anyone know what these new colors look like? I checked out the Hyundai USA web site and their international site but haven't seen any samples. I'd be interested in seeing the blue, especially. If anyone has any information, let me know!
-Jason
I have had my Pewter 5-speed for a little over a month now. I have now logged about 3200 miles on it and have really had no major complaints, besides a clicking I get sometimes from the front left wheel area when taking sharp turns - dealer still couldn't figure it out and said he didn;t hear it when he test drove it (IF he actually test drove it).
Other than that, the car has been great! And I actually like the "comfort suspension" that I got with mine - it's nice on long cruises!
I drove it to work today. Every one here was attracted by the hatch back style and also the blue color. I think I made a great purchase.
After seven hours in the car I'll be thanking the Hyundai marketing person who decided the CD player should be standard! Suggested CDs for long trips: Imperial Teen "What is Not to Love?"; Lilys "Better Can't make Your Life Better"; Dandy Warhols "13 Tales of Urban Bohemia".
Happy Motoring!
Interesting musical tastes, by the way.
There is also a review of the Protege5.
The interior seemed well laid-out, and the leather, while not as nice as some cars I've been in, didn't seem cheap.
I had a couple of concerns, however. The test drive route only spent about 1 mi. on a freeway, so by about the time that I was up to speed at 75, I had to prepare to exit. While acceleration up the onramp was adequate judged on its own, it didn't compare to similar drives I took in a WRX Wagon and a Jetta VR6 earlier in the day. My real concern is that the automatic transmission seemed to be hunting around for the best gear to be in once I let up off the gas at about 70 mph to work my way through traffic. By the time that I had merged into traffic, I had to stay behind a slow (68 mph) car to make the next exit. So, I didn't really get an opportunity to test how well it operated at a constant speed, something that I'll try to remedy on my next test drive. Also, this was happening at just under 7,000 ft elevation. I'll be making monthly, 800 mile round trips through the Rockies (and along side them), nearly all of it posted at 75 mph. Has anyone else noticed this sort of performance out of an automatic operating at altitude?
My second concern deals with the brakes. I pseudo-panic stopped at an intersection and wound up a few feet beyond the far line of the crosswalk, when I was expecting to be able to let up and coast to the stop line. The brakes didn't seem to engage that much until I really pressed down on the pedal. I'm sure that I could get used to this, but I'm looking for some reassurance that the brakes on the GT are up for pairing w/ an automatic. I'm sure that my driving a WRX and Jetta, both with fast-acting brakes, made the difference all that much more noticeable.
All in all, the GT seems like a great little car, especially considering the price. As far as I'm concerned, it's still in the running with cars much more expensive.
I've driven the Elanta GLS with auto through hilly areas and was very impressed with the tran's ability to hold a lower gear. Maybe you should consider a manual if you don't like autos. But don't expect to rocket up the Rockies anyway. This is a $15k car, not a $50k car.
Test drive a 5-speed (if that is an option for you) and judge for yourself.
Good luck!
I have out 250 miles on my blue GT auto pkg 6. I love this car so far. Alas I just discovered my sunroof does not work any more. Fortunately it is in closed position.
I may not be able to take it to the dealer until day after tomorrow. Any feedback on this. I still like the car very much. Does it show hyundai quality or does it happen in other cars too?
Regards.
Statistically the Elantra isn't going to be a Corolla. On the other hand it's in the same general range (JD Power) as the Civic. Think Civics don't have problems? Look at the Civic postings under maintenance and repair.
I was looking for a 5 door hatchback but had to buy early when my 87 Nova bit the big one. It was between an Elantra and a Focus SX3. No 5 speed GTs were in stock when I was forced to buy and the SX5 isn't out yet. I chose the Elantra because postings to these threads indicated that it had better quality than the Focus. I'm very happy that I made that choice, even though the Focus is probably a better car on the skid pad.
Thanks for the feedback. I think the fuse has blown up becuase all i hear is a click sound when I press the buttons. I will still take it to the dealer since I took the car only last week. Will update on this.
Reg. the car, I think it is a great car for that money. I almost bought a sonata last year but since I did not get that 0.9 APR from hyundai I skipped it. Now since I just wanted a commuter car I was thinking of buying the elantra and then they came up with GT and that was choice right away. I hope this is not a majow problem and I hoping to put lotof miles on this new baby.
Regards.
Also sat in a new 02 Sonata LX. This one will be a hot seller. Loaded it came to 20,500 list.
6,100 miles on the GT and all is well.
Speaking of '02's. Look at the postings under Kia (especially the Sephia). You read that all cars (sedan and hatch) are going to be called the Spectra, that the Elantra platform is going to replace both cars (I'd read this, but not until the next platform), that squared off (like an Optima) sedans have been seen driving around, etc. I've never read any of this in any official site and when I put 2002 Spectra into Google, I got quotes on the existing car.
IMHO having a second dealer source for this platform would be a good thing, although I'm not sure whether I want Hyundai and Kia to become like Dodge and Chrysler/Plymouth, i.e. the same cars with slightly different trim throughout the entire product range.
Note that the 2002 GT will have the sportier, "GT suspension." Many (not all) of the 2001 GTs were equipped with the "comfort suspension" that is similar to that of the Elantra GLS sedan. I hear that the GT suspension is firmer and more responsive. I'm not sure if there will be an option between the two, but my guess is that the earlier 2001 GTs came with the comfort suspension because it was easily borrowed from the existing 2001 GLS sedan and that the 2002 GTs will likely ALL have the true GT suspension. This may be the reason that Hyundai went with the 2001 designation for their first-generation GT. Of course, this is mostly speculation on my part.
I'll bet there will be some other minor changes as well, but probably not much difference overall.
***Nearly every company do the same. However, some manufactures do afraid of when they introduce the redesign model then it is hard for them to sell the current/older model. So the best reason to solve the problem better is that which dealers out-sell the number of the car then they will get the new redesign model quicker (this is also occur on none-redesign model as well)***
Traction Control comes with the ABS option package (2/7). There is also a disable button on the dashboard (just to the left of the hazard lights button). The disable resets whenever the car is turned off.
I have not had much of an opportunity to test the Traction Control yet, but according to the manual it is a simple application of the brakes when it senses the wheels spinning.
My observations about the car:
-- very quiet at highway speed, unless there are crosswinds, then you can hear whistling around the A-pillars.
-- the driver's seat is the most comfortable I've ever sat in for a car in this price range. 6-hour stints behind the wheel were no sweat.
-- the A/C doesn't sap much power on highway trips and cools the car VERY effectively.
-- the space between the front seats makes it easy to grab stuff like maps, bags, etc. off the back seats while you drive. Cupholders and storage spaces were great.
Gripes:
-- the turn signal relay is too loud
-- my fuel guage now only reads 5/6 full even when the tank has just been topped off. If I leave the electricity on when I fill up, this isn't as much of a problem.
-- dark interior heats up fast on sunny days.
We got a lot of stares driving o Canada's Route 40 and Route 20. People there seemed interested in the GT (Hyundai is running a great French/English GT "boogie" ad on TSN in Canada). The GT also had a nice size for the narrow streets in Old Quebec City, too.
The favored car in urban Canada seems to be the Toyota Echo, but I saw many Hyundai, Toyota and Suzuki vehicles while there.