Hyundai Elantra 5-door

pedennison

My GT turns 1 on Friday, and I'm still a happy customer. I'm still waiting for stereo #4, but that's more due to the ineptitude of my dealer's service department than the anything else.

My car sits out in the sun most days (Southern California, so there's a lot of it), and I have noticed that the black painted portion of the front grill is fading a little. Anyone know of some good products to protect the grill without adding a ton of gloss?

jmcroteau

My 2001 Accent was stolen 3 weeks ago, so I have decided to go for a larger better equipped car. My past experience tells me Hyundai are good quality and fun to drive at a bargain price. So I am almost decided on the Elantra GT. But there is one question remaining. I do need lots of trunk space (family of four, camping all summer and x-c skiing all winter...) I look at the specs and Hyundai claims the GT trunk space, with rear seats up, is 28.28 cubic feet! The GLS has 12 cubic feet. I had both model parked side by side at the dealer and compared the trunks. My eyes are telling me that the GT trunk is not 2.5 times the size of the GLS. By way of comparison, the Mazda P5 looks bigger and is 19.8 cubic feet; Pontiac Vibe is 19.3; Toyota Matrix is 21.8. How does Hyundai gets to that figure? What in your estimate would the true trunk space? To me, it is more like 14 to 15 cubic feet.

donl68

jmcroteau: I just looked at the specs at the Hyundai site and it does not say whether the 28.28 cubic feet is with the back seats up or down. Edmunds.com's 'Spin Around Town' with the GT states that with the rear seats in use, the figure is 18.2 cubic ft. When the rear seats are not in use, they have 28.3 cubic feet.

I just got my GT on Saturday after a month of trying to find one with a 5-speed. I looked at all of the cars you mentioned and I just couldn't justify spending more money for less content.

jmcroteau

I got my measures from the Hyundai Auto Canada brochure which reads as follows:
Cargo area (SAE): 12 (GL/VE) 28.28 (GT). (Note: canadian 4 doors are offered as GL and VE, and measures converted from liters)

To me, it makes sense that the dimensions are for seats down: the P5 web site says "EPA Cargo Volume 24.4 cu. ft. (rear seats folded)".

However, I find it misleading from Hyundai to publish such specs. And if you go to Hyundai's other countries websites, where the GT is offered under different names, the cargo space varies greatly (for example, in France, the Elantra is only available in the 5 door hatchback version and is named ...GLS, with a cargo space of 14.6 cu.ft.).

nhyoung

Two weeks after I got my GT I installed a class II hitch on it, specifically for my bike rack. I also wired up a four wire harness just incase I ever want to tow.
There is no warrenty issue to worry about, infact, the owners manual states that you can safely two 1800 lbs without trailer brakes.
I have a soft ride bike rack that I highly recommend. However, I'm also looking for a rack for my tandem. Anyone have any suggestions.

Also, does anyone have a tulue roof rack installed yet?

landrace

I put a Thule rack on top of my GT about 4 months ago, it's worked great for hauling bike and canoe, often at the same time. Thule fit kit 101, same as old Mazda 323, but it is a good fit, very solid--much better than the cheesy Hyundai rack or factory P5, Vibe racks.
As far as trunk volume, I rarely have rear passengers, and so I often have the seats folded... blanket under seat-backs to avoid messing up leather though. This was a major selling point--P5 if you want seats flat, you need to remove them, Matrix/Vibe/Focus etc are all too small and short. My GT is long enough for me to sleep in the rear, or haul an extra set of boxes, and still flat enough to make it comfortable. I guess that this is less an advantage if you have 4 passengers, but I gotta say, they will be more comfortable in the roomier Elantra--Hyundai put less volume in trunk in favor of passenger volume.
My advice is buy the Thule rack and get a cargo box for camping, you'll have much more room inside and out, and still have a couple thousand left over to actually go on camping trips with.

th003g

I justy happen to have access to both style elantras and here are some measurements
GT
61 inches at widest point
39 inches at narrowest point
19 inches from floor to hatch cover
trunk opening is 35 inches at narrowest point
with seats folded flat floor is 61 inches long from inside edge of back of trunk to bottom of seat cushion when floded so it is vertical behing passenger.
flip down seat opening is also wider and taller than GLS.31 inches from floor to ceiling (at point where hatch opening begins...

GLS
trunk opening:
33 inches at narrowest
40 at trunk crease (top of trunk)
opening is 19 inches wide
39 inches wide at narrowest point
59 at widest point
trunk floor is 28.5 inches deep
trunk floor to trunk ceiling is 19.5 inches
so you can see hwo much more utility you will get out of GT hatch. I will have pics posted at clubphoto under email address th003g@hotmail.com if you wanna see for yourself...

and also Msn.com put out a guide to "sporty cars" agian the GT is snubbed... not eeven GLS makes it when the likes of Chevy cavalier, Honda CIvic, Nissan Sentra, Pontiac Sunfire, New beetle, and the old nemesis Pro5 are on the list... I wonder what carpoint classifies the elantra as...? i'm beginning to think that im driving the only Gt out there... which is certainly not true since i saw 3 more peopl with GT's today... the word is getting out to everyone except the press....

dant5

anyone upgrade the speakers yet in their GT ? Now that I have the car, i'm starting the shopping... hehehe. Are the fronts 5.25 ? I haven't really looked closely, so i'm just guessing. Rears ?

And, thanks everyone here for posting. This forum made my buying experience a lot easier. Now I can officially join the club

dant5

nevermind I found it, 6 3/4

bri70

With the rear seats down I transported three old Compaq Proliant servers. They are each about 18 inches high, about 24 inches across and weigh 80 pounds apiece. For good measure we threw in a couple of workstations. All in one trip. My co-worker was impressed.

I also transported a queen sized futon mattress which was folded in half. The trunk was still able to close. You can haul alot.

Good point landrace about having something under the rear seats to cushion the leather. While hauling the servers I did not. The seats were warped but lucky for me over time they look just fine now.

egocentric

When I measured the trunk space in my GT, I came up with about 21 cu.ft. with the seats up. I didn't bother measuring with the seats down, but 28 cu.ft. looks about right if you don't go all the way to the ceiling (i.e. only measure the height as no higher than the tallest point of the trunk proper).

I pulled out the measuring tape because my girlfriend argued that there was no way I had 8 more cu.ft. than her Jetta. After measuring, we found out she's right.. The trunk space (with seats up) is very comparable. I believe her Jetta was about 19 or 20 cu.ft.

dant5

Am I missing something ? I'm trying to figure out the paint code for rally red, looking in the driver's side door jam... there is a sticker that says a whole bunch about tire pressure, but nothing that I can clearly make out as a paint code. There is another sticker that says VIN and a long stream of numbers. Are hyundai paint codes in a two letter format such as "LS" etc. ?

wmoses

dant5 asks --

"Are hyundai paint codes in a two letter format such as "LS" etc.?"

Yes. That is the paint code.

edovid

I recently saw a magazine show on tv that indicated that the Altima, in crash tests, had a slow-firing air bag. Nissan immediately reworked them, resubmitted the car, and passed. Also, they will retrofit any of the 120,000 cars that had been sold, at no charge. Hyundai could learn a thing or two.

Two, Motor Trend magazine compared low-cost cars in the July issue. The Accent beat the Kia and the Echo; can you imagine how the GT would have beaten the Civic, Corolla, Focus and Lancer?
But that was a comparison they didn't choose to do, unfortunately.

skateman

Hi--
A few messages discuss the use of hitch racks for carrying bikes on the GT.
But has anyone tried a trunk rack? Does the glass on the hatch window handle the strap clips adequately?
I have used trunk racks on other hatchbacks with no problems, although the straps all clipped onto metal, not glass.
Thanks for any help here.

rlenihan

After reading about the Elantra, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, I am was unable to locate a 5-speed Elantra with ABS in my area (eastern Mass). I even had a dealer do a search for all of New England with no luck. I was wondering what the availability is in other parts of the country. Maybe the secret is out -- this does seem like a steal at the current MSRP.

wmoses

skateman asks --

"Does the glass on the hatch window handle the strap clips adequately?"

Short answer -- no.

IMO nothing holds these straps and hooks adequately with say 5 bikes on it. With the lower brace point of these carriers being the pivot, when the car jounces over rough terrain on the road, the inertial pull on these straps would be well over the 100 lb or so the bikes would weigh.

If you check the back messages on this forum you will read of one person who shattered their rear glass using such a bike carrier.

ajenkins23

I got my 5-speed GT 2 weeks ago, after waiting about 10 weeks. It is true that the ABS option is impossible to find - I originally wanted that option but when my dealer got a 5-speed (the first in MA in months!) I decided to take it without the ABS. You can contact my dealer at www.prideautogroup.com - ask for Sam. They were good.
PS The GT is worth the wait!

lngtonge18

5 speeds are very hard to find in my area too. I looked in Tallahassee, Panama City, and Orlando. The Tally dealer only has 2 GTs, both autos. The Panama City dealer had 5 GTs, but only one was 5 speed, and it was the bright red that I don't like with no moonroof. The Orlando dealer had 6 GTs and only one was 5 speed (again the bright red sans moonroof). I'm pretty disgusted with the lack of 5 speed Elantras, both GLS and GT. By the way, that Carbon Blue is a pretty color (especially on the new Tib)!!!

donl68

In the Cleveland, OH area, it took about one month to find the 5 speed GT with pkg 11(everything). There were a few automatics around but there were no 5 speeds with pkg 11 in Cleveland or Toledo(1.5 hours away). They did find a black one in Youngstown(over 1 hour away) and there were some in Columbus(2 hrs away). I wanted silver but when faced with not finding one close by at all, I accepted the black one immediately. I had to do a lot of calling around to find my GT. It was worth the wait! Its true, the 5 speeds are very hard to find.

wmoses

I can't believe no one posted anything in 4 days. Is this board down?

For those needing to discuss the GT, I invite you to join my website's mailing list. For more details

http://www.gwebworks.com/elantra_gt

s618

How has everyones GT paint been holding up on ? I have a 99 GLS and it is hunter green and pretty bad with swirls and scratches ( from carwashes and a college parking lot!)I am deciding between the silver and carbon blue GT - someone told me the lighter color the harder to see scratches and the darker will look worse. Any advice from any of you would help!!

5port

I've had my Cobalt Blue 2001 GT for 8 months now and it is showing a lot of scratches. Some of them go away after a good waxing only to return when the wax is gone. I have more of a problem with chipping than scratching though. As a rule if you are picky about scratches go with a lighter color (pewter). I dont mind washing the car a lot (gives me an reason to clean the wheels). If you buy a lighter color you will be washing a lot less. Course that Colbalt Blue looks great after its waxed

desg

Dark colours always show up scratches - and dirt for that matter a lot more than light colours - but a dark colour when really cleaned up also tends to look better. A mid colour can sometimes offer a good compromise between these two. Silver and gold/silver colours usually mask imperfections and dirt the best - the champaigne colours hide it better in my opinion.

That being said all paintwork will benefit from being kept clean and well polished.

backy

I second the vote for champagne as a good color to hide scratches. My '01 GLS is champagne and still looks like new after two Minnesota winters (meaning a lot of commerical car washes). One thing that helps a lot is to use only brushless car washes, since the brushes in commercial car washes cause fine scratches in my experience.

zigrat

Hi,
I bought my GT in January and have put 2500 miles on it so far. It is great except for one thing: sucky gas milage. I still get only between 20-22 MPG average between city and highway driving (thats what the meter says and I confirmed it by putting in 10 gallons and seeing how far it got me..) Is this normal? It seems rather poor to me. Other than that I love the car (except i wish I had gotten a stick instead of the auto).

wmoses

zigrat says --

"It is great except for one thing: sucky gas milage. I still get only between 20-22 MPG average between city and highway driving"

Does this include winter driving? Have you reset the trip computer or does its averaging include winter numbers?

I get about 28 mpg in mixed city and highway driving in my 5-speed GT. Summer S/C use would probably cost me a slight drop in fuel economy. I live in Houston.

edovid

The best way to determine your mileage is from fill-up to fill-up & divide gallons into miles; if you only put in 10 gallons, you don't know exactly when you've used them all.

desg

I actually record how many kilometers I do between each fill the $ amount of petrol I put in and the price per litre, then I calculate it out exactly, from fill to fill I get varying figures as would expect with different journey patterns and it seems almost impossible to fill the elantra tank easily but over time I get a very good average.

To make it easier I just knocked together a simple spreadsheet that I just plug in total milage, dollars spent, and cents/litre and it works out the rest.

uz2bphast

I have 2600 km on my 5 sp gt. I get around 550 kms per tankful or about 9.3 l/100 kms mainly city driving.

wmoses

uz2bphast said --

"I get around 550 kms per tankful or about 9.3 l/100 kms mainly city driving"

That is around 30.4 miles/UKgal or 25.3 miles/USgal

dustbail

I need some info or suggestions I am trying to decide between going with either "Fram SureDRAIN Valve" or "Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve" Naturally, Im steered towards the Fram because they only want $14.95 and the Fumoto is a bit more $22.95 and they offer the option of a "Nipple" for $3 more...Fumoto claims Engine Oil Drain Valve has been tested and granted "Genuine Parts" status by 6 major motor vehicle manufacturers in Japan, including Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu. Well the Koreans where not included on the list, I need to get some feedback on which would be best for my Elantra GT.
Thanks

5port

dustbail:

    If you look back a few weeks we have gone thru this on Edmunds. Most of us have gone with the Fumoto drain valve and are very happy with it. Not to worry about clearance as the valve mounts on the side of the oil pan. The quality of the Fumoto is top notch. One hazard is that when you open the Fumtoto valve the oil squirts out sideways quite a distance. You can either open it slowly or order the valve with a nipple so you can connect a hose. Go to the "Garage" section of this webb page to see and read about the installation of the Fumoto valve.

    <http://www.gwebworks.com/elantra_gt>

rwr1708

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile...I've been too busy having fun with my GT.

From what everyone is saying, I seem to be an exception to the rule about finding a 5-speed GT w/ #11. Yes, they were pretty scarce when I got mine, but I managed to get the only black 5-speed GT in western PA. I only had three color choices in this area for this car, one black, one pewter, or one chianti red. I guess I just lucked out.

As for mileage, I have regularly seen around 31mpg highway, and 28 (driving like my grandpa), or 26 (driving like I normally do) in the city.

bri70

Are there any NYC people here with an Elantra GT? I have been getting 15 to 16 mpg in Manhattan, Queens etc. I was told by the dealer that when they talk about city mileage they were not talking about Manhattan city blocks where stop and go is much more frequent. My BS meter went up but I don't know for sure and did not argue.

They do not have a problem checking the car but I figure I would ask first before spending the $75 an hour to find out he was right.

Thanx in advance.

vocus

The more you stop and go, the more gas you are going to use. Your dealer is right about that part. If the low mileage continues, I would still take the car to have it checked out at its 5K service, just to be safe.

csandste

Get the car out in the country to see how it does.

dustbail

Anyone try putting a K&N airfilter in their GT? If so any change in performance?

landrace

Just when I thought the secret was safe...
Yesterday, saw 3 different pewter GT's, 2 red GT's, and my black GT, all in a 10 mile radius... a couple still had the dealer plates. And no, wasn't drinking and seeing double. Still have a couple finals to go! Saw maybe 3-4 GLS's. Guess the Hyundais are catching on.

wmoses

I have a K & N filter in my 5-speed GT.

No change in fuel efficiency. Car revs easier since it breathes easier, and there is a slight improvement in acceleration and performance in general.

th003g

i live in LI and my gas mileage according to the computer has averaged 19.9mpg for the last 8 fill ups. i drive my car 8 miles every day (suburban roads, 4 lights and 3 stop signs) I do have a leadfoot, and I rarely venture out onto the highway, maybe once or twice a month with my car.

dbwells

I too have noticed a constant increase in Elantras, and Hyundais in general. Oh well, I guess the more the merrier.

(p.s. Landrace, I'm pretty sure ubiquity has the opposite meaning as you intended. Perhaps we should say 'Ubiquity begins,' though it is still a ways off)

Also, just to give my input, I have about 28mpg in the first 850 miles, mixed driving, with a fairly light foot. 15-16 seems too low to me, unless you make only very short trips. My milage seems worst whenever the trip is so short that the car doesn't even hardly warm up.

DW

uz2bphast

from webster's dictionary

Main Entry: ubiq·ui·ty

Function: noun
Etymology: Latin ubique everywhere, from ubi where + -que, enclitic generalizing particle; akin to Latin quis who and to Latin -que and -- more at WHO, SESQUI-
Date: 1597
: presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously : OMNIPRESENCE

th003g

already.... he says he want to buy a SUV for snow in rochester.... little does he know that the roads in rochester, ny are either clear as a whistle or totally unpassible in winter (and thus a state of emergency applied which bars anybody from driving other than emergency vehicles) I know because I lived there for 4 years, through the 36 inch snowfall and other such storms. there are more geo metro's there than any other place i've been to that has snow, everyone owns a compact or subcompact....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1835374535

backy

would be cheaper than trading in the GT for an SUV. A lot more fun, too.

bri70

I'm curious what he will ulimately get for it. He did a nice job waxing the car. Heck his seats are in better shape than mine and I have the same number of miles he does.

bri70

Those mpg's sound about right for me on suburban roads. I also have a heavy foot but now the computer states I'm averaging 13.5 mpgs in Manhattan! The problem is on a trip to Indianapolis I was doing over 31 mpg's so I do not really have an argument to make. I suspect that the car is fine and I just have to drive more leisurely. But if the mpgs don't pick up or continue to drop I'll bite the bullet and take it in for good.

csandste

The E-Bay guy paid more than MSRP for his car? I paid way below the Edmunds price for my GLS. LOL.

th003g

is a different story than GT... GT is a newer model and thus is usually discounted less than other models... hell i remember when the dealer would not budge on the price...
my problem with gas mileage stems from the fact that I compensate for the GT's slow takeoff by gunning it... and the revs regularly get over 5k before the auto shifts... paybacks a b*tch..heheh

gt_fan

...the GT has graced the pages of Car and Driver. Unfortunately, it's not the review many of us have been anticipating. CD has a monthly feature called "Last Page" (coincidentally on the last page of the magazine) that contains "Substandard insights, vicious dog bites, fundamental smear jobs, the odd confession, assorted dogmas." The theme of this months Last Page is "Duct Tape and the Automobile", a tongue-in-cheek look at useful things to do to your car with duct tape. Among three other zany ideas, the front of a GT is shown with a huge Rolls Royce type hood ornament taped to it's hood. The text reads "Rental Car Upgrade. Here's a way for shoestring travelers to give an impression of affluence. Bring your own opulent ornament and D-T it to the hood of that bargain sedan. Instant Class!" Oh the indignities a Hyundai owner must endure. Someone needs to point out to them that the GT isn't even technically a sedan!