Test drive of a 2016 Elantra GT

stever

My wife and I are shopping for a hatch to replace our minivan. We've looked at "big" SUVs and crossovers, including the CR-V, CX-5 and Tucson. We've looked at small hatches, including the Fit, HR-V and CX-3. Somewhere in that mix fits the Encore and Soul, with some flirtation with a Prius V.

Our tester, an automatic, had the Tech package (nav and ventilated front seats) and 17" wheels and, like 90% of most other new car out there, a black interior. The ventilated seats didn't penetrate my blue jeans; my wife was in shorts and the seats felt good to her. The AC could have blasted out a little bit more but mostly kept up (95° F out). The cooled glove box could be handy in our weather since we usually keep water in the car all the time "just in case".

The hatch area was nice. The seats worked a bit like our old Outback; if you just flop the seats down the floor isn't flat but works for quick hauling. For a flat floor, you can pop off the headrests and flip the seat bottoms up against the back of the front seats. That's handy, and if you go on the road, just leave the headrests at home. 51 cubes in the back is pretty good for a small hatch. The standard in this size rig is the HR-V.

Nice blue color on our tester.

The panoramic roof was impressive. Still a bit hot to use it down here in the desert Southwest, but it would be fine for ~9 months out of the year. Has a thick looking sunshade. We aren't tall so didn't notice any headroom issues. One nice feature is that you can still put a roof rack on this car even with the pano roof (unlike, say, the Soul). With the low height, I could see putting bikes or canoes up top. A hitch bike rack is another option.

The console didn't bother my knees - I often find that an issue - not a fan of tight "cockpits". The tester had a power driver's seat with lumbar but no lumbar on the passenger side, nor can you raise or lower the passenger side. We like a higher seating position and both seats were adequate for us, and the visibility was good.

There were lots of bells and whistles including keyless entry and climate control. One USB, two power ports up front and one in the back. Compact spare. Wifi hotspot seems a bit useless, since it only works when you are parked. The safety features are lacking. Other than the Genesis, it appears that only the '16 Tucson is available with all the lane change and auto braking stuff. The rear view camera was standard, only one view and the lines didn't move when you turned the steering wheel (the 3 view mode of the HR-V leads in this feature too). The camera itself is hidden under the rear badge where it should stay cleaner. And there's another power flap to break.

A lot of features can be controlled by your smart phone, like locking it remotely. Too bad I don't have a smart phone. The nav chip wasn't installed so we weren't able to play with that.

Drove nicely. Even though this hatch is noted for its HP (and correspondingly so-so mpg), I was expecting a little more oomph. Very few miles on the tester so I assume that transmission learning would help the responsiveness. Tried it Sport mode, which adjusts the steering effort, but the drive was too short to tell much about it.

I'd prefer the 16" wheels but the sales manager said swapping them out on a lower trim wouldn't really work, money wise, for them. The dealer was pretty agressive on price though (plus there's a big $2,500 incentive this month) so who knows if they'd work with me if push came to shove.

Nice little hatch that doesn't much look like a station wagon. It's going to stay on our "maybe" list. That list is currently pared down to the Encore and Soul and the GT.

Anyone shopping these or own one? Please post your impressions. Thanks!

Michaell

I've got a 2013 E-GT. mine has the 1.8L 148 hp engine, so even more pokey than the car @stever tested.

Mine is the "base" model so no rear view camera, sunroof or ventilated seats. It does have XM, Bluetooth, heated seats, cruise and the variable steering input (normal, comfort or sport). Automatic with Manu-matic.

I just crossed 32,000 miles on it and found it to be a competent little car. I work from home but do a little pizza delivery on the side, so 90% of my driving is in town. I'm averaging 27MPG, which is right on the EPA number for the city.

I wanted a hatch so tested all the usual suspects - Mazda 3, VW Golf and the Ford Focus. The GT was the only one I felt comfort getting in and out of without banging my head. The value for the money sealed the deal.