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I figure a real car thief would look at that and think set-up before walking away!
That's funny... it does on my 05:
I'll have to double check on the seat and doors. My first reaction to your pics is "yes" same thing, but I'll check and let you know. Am back in good ole CR, Iowa. Actually, the car I bought wasn't totally brand new. It had never been titled but had been used as a loaner for people having their cars worked on. I'm sure it is already through the breakin period with 7K miles on it. Anyway, I filled up before I left Council Bluffs and when I arrived in Cedar Rapids (roughly 250 miles) my gas gage read half full. I think the Elantra has the same size tank as the Escort did. With the Escort, I would fill the tank til the gas was just about running over, and by the time I would get to Council Bluffs or vice versa the low gas light would be on and gage so low that I was sweating whether I would actually arrive at destination. To arrive home and still have half a tank left surprised the dickens out of me. I have half a notion to go fill it up tomorrow just so I can see what the actual milage was. On the way home I discovered that my Elantra has TWO trip meters. Discovered that strictly by accident. Will be interesting to sit down with the owner's manual and see if there are other surprises waiting for me. The Edmund's guys didn't like the sound systems in the Elantra very well. I have no complaints about the sound system. It suits my tastes very well. Well, anyway, I'm back home again and tomorrow I'm back to being nanny for the grandson, so probably will not get to drive much for the rest of the week. Will save money on gas, anyway, as it is now $2.19 here. It dropped down as low and $1.85 and then started climbing again. By the way, for you guys and gals that live in the more northern climates......we had lightning and thunder storms here last night (Jan.2). That doesn't happen very often and there is no snow on the ground. Have a good week all.
Coin box has rubber matting to keeps coins quiet
Rubber matting on console horizontal surfaces to keep things from sliding.
Elastic strap on the rear of the glove box to hold insurance papers.
Inner door handles are soft padded
etc.etc...
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Things you may not know:
GT steering is 3 turns lock to lock vs sedan 4 turns.
GT steering rack is half hard mounted to the car vs sedan soft mounted.
Now, if they would put that V-6 in the GT ....
Rubber matting on console horizontal surfaces to keep things from sliding.
Elastic strap on the rear of the glove box to hold insurance papers.
Inner door handles are soft padded"
These small detail items, and more, are also included on the 2006 Elantra GLS 4-door sedan.
I prefer the term hatchback myself, but I tend to use the term 5-door with respect to the Elantra because that is what Hyundai calls it.
Does the silver / black / champagne exterior color look good for the Hatchback?
I live in Madison, Alabama and there's only 1 Hyundai dealership here and they don't have a hatchback to go look at. So I really need your opinions.
I'm selling a 2001 Honda Accord 2 door which has been just fine, it's just that now I have 2 kids (ages 4 and 6) that I need to drive around and it's kind of a pain getting them in the 2 door.
Yes, I know it's a bunch of questions, but I appreciate any input.
Thanks,
Andy
With my '04 5-door automatic, I get upper 20s to low 30s in around-town driving and mid-to-upper 30s on the highway. But that is with a light foot and minding speed limits. My wife doesn't have as light a foot and gets 20-25% less than that. Winters reduce the mpg a bit, but winters in Minnesota are a lot colder than what you get.
Personally I really like the looks of the Elantra 5-door. There are very few fastback-type 4-door hatchbacks. It reminds some people of a Saab.
I think the car looks great in black, but it's a devil to keep clean and it tends to show scratches. I have a '01 Elantra in champagne and I like that color, but not on the sportier 5-door. I think silver is a good choice. It is a "cool" color (important down South), doesn't show dirt or scratches as much as a darker color, and it comes with a special two-tone cloth interior that is unique to the GLS 5-door with grey interiors.
You definitely want to find someone who has one of these and see and drive it before you buy. Maybe you could take a weekend trip to Birmingham and drive one?
I also think it's a little "Saabish". I drove the 4 door at the local dealership. Probably not much different than the hatchback, right? Yes, I though about the Civic as well, but the Hyundai warranty is much better and so is the price.
Thanks for the input,
Andy
* The 5-door has the same sport-tuned suspension and steering as the GT. Much different feel than the GLS or Limited sedans.
* As mentioned, the 5-door with "grey" interior has a special cloth not found on the sedan.
Gas mileage in general seems a little better for manuals than automatics. I've had the car since October and have tracked every gas tank. I've averaged about 25.5 mpg with a low of something like 22 and a high of 29.8. This is mixed city/highway. I was hoping for better. I've heard several people say that the mileage improves at 5000, 10,000 or even 12,000 miles of breakin. So I'm still optimistic.
The car has the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty (60,000 full warranty), but I've heard that there are lots of exclusions and that some dealers try to use technicalities to get out of doing warranty work. My best advice is to keep meticulous maintenance records, use OEM oil filters (there is a Technical Service Bulletin saying that some aftermarket filters can contribute to engine knock), and make sure if you get an auto tranny fluid change, you use the Hyundai-specified fluid (garden-variety Dexron or Mercon can cause damage to the AT).
As far as performance, the car has more than enough get-up-and-go for around the town.
I'm going to address some questions by others, so bear with me. First of all....I'm located in the central part of eastern Iowa. Today the temperature hit 52. Not at all bad for a Jan. 12 in Iowa. People out in parks playing with the kids, wearing light jackets. Unbelievable, isn't it?
Got my first complete fill to check the mileage. The first half of my tank was interstate driving and the last half was city/town driving. Cedar Rapids is 120,000 approx. in population, so our traffic here moves along at a fairly good clip. We don't have the gridlock type driving that some of you in larger cities might experience or the very slow city driving. My first tank computed at 31.4 mpg. I'm very pleased. For those of you who didn't read my earlier messages, I bought a 2005 GLS hatchback with 7,000 miles on it. I'm the first owner, previously it had been used by the dealer as a loaner. So, I'm figuring the initial breakin period was completed. My second tank is going to be pretty much city driving, so it will be interesting to see how it does.
For the reader in Alabama, I agree, take a trip and find a dealer who has the hatchback in inventory. I love mine to death. It handles well, it rides well, the sound system is fine for me but others might have some complaints. I love the hatchback and am soooooooo glad I didn't get a sedan. Just last weekend I took my youngest and married daughter out to look for a computer desk. She is going back to college and needed to have a computer upstairs so she could do school work and keep and eye on her two hoodlums at the same time. LOL. We found a desk all boxed up and low and behold, we flipped the back seats down and the box slid in neat as could be. Take the extra effort to locate a hatchback and take it out for a drive. I think you will love it.
BTW.....was in Iowa City, Ia the other day and spotted a Saab hatchback. Couldn't believe the similarity. Just about had an accident doing a triple take. LOL. Just kidding.
Someone was asking about color. Mine is the Sterling silver. I didn't think I was going to like it that well, but it's growing on me more and more. I initally thought I wanted black or the Tidalwave blue. I'm kind of glad the car I ended up with is the Sterling.
Happy driving to all.
Now that I've got the long message out of the way, I have a shorter one with a question. I'd like some suggestions as to how everyone takes care of the outside of their Elantras. Any specific recommendations as far as car wash product and waxes or polishes are concerned???? Should I steer clear of the commercial car washes and just hand wash or what?????
Doohickie......how is your son doing? Is he adjusting to the small city life here in Cedar Rapids? Must be quite a change for him. If he is the 6'5 son, did Coe recruit him for basketball? Go Hawkeyes, Go Cyclones, Go Panthers.
I use a detergent specially formulated for car washing (many options there). I have used Meguiar's wax/polish products for the past many years and like them, especially the Gold Class wax that leaves a really nice shine and is easy to apply. But I think the main thing is to wax the car often enough to make sure it is still protected, i.e. when water no longer beads up. For me that is 3-4 times a year, or more often if it's a nice day and I have nothing to do and I want my Elantras to look sharp.
When I was talking to the sales guy at the dealership, when I asked if he had a 2006 Elantra GT I could sit in, he said that the model had ceased production early, since with the Premium package it was at the same price as a Sonata and most people went that route instead. Of course, I tried sitting in a Sonata also and had the same legroom problem, so no loss to me, but thought y'all might be interested.
With the current incentives for 2006 & 2005, the Elantra 5-door is looking like it could be our best choice. We have also considered the Kia Spectra 5 and the Scion xB, but we didn't like the comparatively loud xB engine and hard seats (the rest of it was pretty nifty, tho!), and the Spectra can't match Elantra's incentives. We tried the Suzuki Aerio SX for the AWD option, but didn't like its high emissions, loud engine, and low hatch cargo height with the shade cover in place. Right now, the Elantra seems to be winning by a nose; if it weren't for the final price difference because of incentives, however, the Spectra might be the leader instead.
But then I read that a major Elantra re-design is due for 2007, including engine changes as well as interior. Does it make better sense to put off the whole decision until we can compare the new model? Is the price likely to go much higher? Do we know enough about the new model to make a judgment either way?
I almost put this question in the 2007 thread, but I wanted to hear from owners of the 2006 & 2005.
TIA for any insights!
Abbie
I think the 07 Elantra will be a great car as well, but the hatch version may not be released at the same time as the sedan, as is the practice with Hyundai/Kia, so you may have to wait for your hatch.
In your price range you can get a fully loaded 06 Elantra. I don't see any reason to wait.
We're hoping we can get an '05, which will drop the price with incentives even further. From what I've read, there were no significant (to us) changes between '05 and '06. Fingers crossed!
Abbie
On Monday we got about 10" of heavy wet snow--which compacted on the roads, making many of them skating rinks. I told my DW, "Don't go out this morning, it's really bad out here!" So she proceeded to go to the post office, about 1/2 mile from our home. On her way back, she took a sharp curve too fast and slid very hard into the curb. The right front alloy wheel on our GT was shredded, with a big chunk of the rim peeled away at a 90-degree angle. Miraculously, the tire remained inflated. So she drove home and called me later to tell me she had a little accident and damaged the "wheel cover." I tried to explain to her what an alloy wheel is and asked my oldest son to look at it and tell me what it looked like, but he wasn't too clear.
When I got home, I was shocked at what I saw, figured the alloy wheel was toast, and called the nearest Hyundai dealer to see if they had one in stock. They did, just one! My lucky day! So I drove over there and noticed that I had to hold the wheel at a 60-degree angle in order to make it steer straight. Not good. I limped into the dealership and asked them to check it out.
Next day I learned that a control rod needed to be replaced and also the tire, total work of about $900 with the alloy wheel. They also told me that they didn't have an alignment rack :surprise: and that an alignment was needed to determine what other damage there was. :confuse: So I decided that I didn't want to put just one new tire on a 2-year-old car, and that I could buy four new tires with a lifetime replacement warranty at a local tire shop for about the same money as two of the Michelins ($140 each). So I told the shop to replace the control arm and toss the alloy in the back, drove over to get the four tires replaced (Kelly H-rated tires, about $330 including lifetime rotation/balancing/repair/replacement), and headed over to a shop that could do the alignment.
Today I found out that a strut and other components need replacing, about $600 worth. So I cried uncle and called my insurance ($500 collision deductible). The parts aren't available in town, so it will be a few days before I get the car back. Another big storm is coming tonight, so my DW will have no car to drive tomorrow.
At least I got four new tires out of the whole mess, which are quieter and will last longer than the Michelins, plus I'll never have to pay for another rotation or balancing.
If its any consolation she's not the only one. My friend did this same thing in a snow storm with his Suzuki Esteem and ended up with about the same size bill. Its amazing how much damage you can do by just sliding into a curb.
This lesson reminds me of my first new car in the 80's. I just HAD to check the oil level at +10 degrees F. When I pulled the hood release it came off in my hand. My first thought was "why couldnt I just wait till it was warmer".
Three wrecks in less than 24hours. ouch.
(Did he want the job--in Houston?)
Most fuel efficient cars. Elantra is number 10. Not too shabby for such a low cost vehicle. Might have to wax it tomorrow. lol
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworst.shtml
More Power: Are you looking for more power from your wheels? Whether you have a stock or aftermarket intake system, the Turbonator will add up to 35 horsepower to your vehicle.*
Better Gas Mileage: The Turbonator allows your engine to burn fuel more fully and efficiently, resulting in MPG gains as high as 31%*. It pays for itself in no time.
I think Popular Mechanics did an expose on these things and said the turbanator was so poorly made they were afraid pieces would be sucked into the engine. And even then, they saw no improvement with it installed.
Update: Yep, it was Popular Mechanics August '05. They tried two of the vortex units from two different manufacturers. The turbonator looked good, it was the other one that looked like it would come apart. At best, there was no change. At worst, they lost 20% power on a dyno. Great article, covers all sorts of gizmos.
Think it through; if a Tucson got 40mpg while a Rav4 got 30 or a CRV got 28, and it could out perform either of the later, and pass emission tests like 2nd grade math, who would be selling the most small SUV's in North America???
I thought the classification of the Bentley and Aston-Martin as compact & subcompact was quaint.
Would you recommend it? What are things I should watch out for?
How's it handle? How's the storage space in it? I'm also looking at a Spectra5 - has anyone done any comparisons with that?
Thanks.
It has a sport-tuned suspension compared to the Elantra sedan, so it takes curves a little flatter. But it's no sports sedan/hatch. Interior room is very good for a small car. It is EPA rated as mid-sized car, and there is good room in back for two adults. The rear seat folds flat so there's a lot of storage space, and the load floor is relatively long compared to some other hatches (unlike most hatches, the Elantra 5-door is the same length as the sedan).
So go take it for a drive. Try out the Spectra5 also, which is similar in some ways to the Elantra (same engine) but it's a wagon style so it has a taller load floor, albeit shorter. But IMO the Elantra is a better value, e.g. GLS 5-door fully loaded with ABS/traction control, automatic, and moonroof is under $16,700, which is less than the Spectra5 (which has bigger, alloy wheels though). The other thing I like about the Elantra vs. Spectra5 is the Elantra's driver's seat is more adjustable, i.e. seat height has two knobs for adjustment vs. a single lever.