Which Hatchback?

doohickie · August 2005

Analyst? He's studying history and music (and leaning toward a minor in philosophy).

And my own "analytical skills" are really just because I'm mentally ready to buy but have to take care of some financial loose ends before I can. All the analysis gives me something to do while I pine for a new car.

I have verbal deal on selling my Aspire; we'll close it a week from Saturday after the kid gets his paycheck. Frankly I think I could have done better using the Aspire in a trade, but this kid could really use the car.

After that, it's just a question of striking the right deal. I plan on keeping options open on both the Elantra hatch and Spectra5 and seeing which dealer really wants to sell me a car.

iowaelantra · August 2005

At any rate, I wish your son the best of luck in his new academic career. Cedar Rapids definitely isn't Ft. Worth, but given time I think he will come to like this small city. If you spent any time here investigating the city, you are already aware that it takes no more than about 15 minutes to drive anywhere in town. University of Iowa at Iowa City is close and I'm sure kids from Coe meet up with and socialize with kids from U of I and also from Cornell College over in Mt. Vernon. I think maybe Coe and Cornell are in the same conference for sports, so maybe not so much socializing between schools. My daughter is a graduate of Central College in Pella, Iowa and is now teaching at a Catholic highschool here in Cedar Rapids. Central and Coe were definitely in the same sports conference.

I drove past the Kia dealer today and saw some Spectra5s sitting in the lot. I sure like the looks of them overall but think I like the Elantra front end a little better. It looks a little more sophisticated to me. The Spectra5 front end and grill remind me more of econoboxes, but a close up look might change my mind. Sure looking forward to a test drive but think I may hold off for a bit since gas prices today jumped to 2.89-2.99 a gallon. I don't have to drive much with my current situation so my little 91 Ford Escort wagon probably is going to do a lot of just sitting around. Still looking forward to hearing other's comments and comparos of the Spectra5 and Elantra GT hatch.

doohickie · August 2005

Hah! Along with the Aspire I'm selling, I also have an Escort Wagon (which my son was driving until he left for school)! On the other hand, I like the styling of the Spectra5 better than the Elantra, which looks a bit dated to me. I'm getting used to it, though. Oh, well... different strokes.

iowaelantra · September 2005

I think I'm going to have to wait until new shipments come in sometime later this fall. I drove through my Hyundai dealer's lot on Sunday and they had four maybe five Elantras left. One was the GT sedan that I drove. The rest were GLSes, and there were absolutely no hatchbacks on the lot. I then drove out to the Kia dealership. There only two Spectra5s parked out front. One was black the other was white. Neither had the options that I would like to have. They did have 7 or 8 Spectra Sedans, and I did see one that I liked quite well and had the options I wanted. However, I have it in my head that I want a hatchback of some sort. My daughter and her hubby have a Pontiac Vibe and I like that storage area in back along with the folding seats to make a really decent cargo area if needed. Not sure I would ever need that much room, but you never know. I would rather go on the assumption that I might need that room some day and never have to use it rather than the other way around. I guess I can sit back and wait until the new shipments arrive. My ability to buy a car is totally dependent on the outcome of my Social Security disability hearing. We think it will be positvie, but here in Iowa the wait for a decision is lengthy. I have a friend who had the judicial hearing in Omaha, NE and he got his decision back in about 30 days and started receiving his funds shortly after. My hearing was on April 20 of this year, and I'm still waiting for the decision. I heard that Iowa has 7,000 cases in backlog and that is why it is taking so long. Anyway, if the decision is favorable, I'll have to wait for new shipments to come in so I have more of a choice. Still need to test drive the Spectra5, but want to kind of wait a bit so I can drive the Elantra GT hatch as well and have a good comparison of the two fresh in my mind. If, by then, the decision is favorable and I have the funds available, I'll be able to start a really serious comparison of the two vs the "kind of" comparing and looking that I'm doing now.

doohickie · September 2005

Although it is dwindling, there is still a decent supply of Elantras and Spec5s here in Fort Worth. I may end up buying an Elantra with an unwanted sunroof, but I'm gonna try real hard to not pay for it. I noticed a whole truckload of new Spec5s at the local Kia dealer.

Of course if you want an 05, we could probably arrange to buy one here in Texas and I could drive it up to Cedar Rapids.....

zoomzoomitis · September 2005

Plenty of Elantra's here in the DC Metro area as well doohickie. As of today's websites: Fairfax Hyundai - 91 Elantras (27 hatchback versions)...(their website claims to be the "largest Hyundai dealership in the US" blah, blah, blah), Fitzgerald Auto Group (good size dealer) - 31 Elantras, and of course my local yocal dealer listing 24 to date. Now for the Spectra's, seems these Spec5's (I'm definitely shoppin' for a hatchback as well - FUNCTIONAL!), quite the rare bird at the moment.

Any idea folks when these '06 models will be showing up on the lots? How's about the latest on rebates? Any clues on an increase? That shot down from $1750 to $1250 this past summer(?) was in the WRONG direction IMO. :mad:

iowaelantra · September 2005

When I was out the other day, I drove through the lot of the dealer who handles the Mazda line, along with several others. He didn't have a single 3 on the lot and had one 6 station wagon and 3 of the 6 sedans. Guess they really try to keep their inventories low around here. But then, the dealer that handles the Hyundais is really a Ford dealer who also carries Mitsubishi, BMW, and a couple of other brands. The Mazda dealer is really a Pontiac dealer at that location but owns another location that handles Chevys, so he has more than one iron in the fire. The dealer who handles the Kias is really a Buick and Pontiac dealer who carries the Kias, but he has a separate building for his Kia operations right next door to his Buick shop. It seems no dealership in this part of the country handles one brand and one brand only of car. I'm guessing since Ford and GM badges are the mainstay of their businesses they don't really push the Hyundai, Mazda, and Kia badges very hard. I wonder if that is going to make it harder to deal with them? I would think that a dealer who handles one brand only and has a large inventory of that brand would be willing to offer better deals than a dealer who handles the brand almost as a sideline. Guess I'll find out when the time comes to actually purchase one.

doohickie · September 2005

I stopped by the local Kia dealer tonight after they were closed. It seemd there were 20-30 Spectra5s on the lot. I went to the dealer's website and found they are carrying 121 Spectras in inventory, 44 of which are Spec5s with AT and no sunroof- just what I'm looking for (although they will need to add cruise). So now can I wait them out and buy toward the end of the year, or do I buy now while my enthusiasm is running high?

doohickie · September 2005

I forgot to mention they had the 06 Rios on the lot as well. Looks bigger than the old one, but still smaller than the Spectra. Unfortunately they only had sedans as far as I saw.

doohickie · October 2005

Picked up my Elantra GLS 5-door on Friday. I vowed I wouldn't get a red car again, but that was the best color they had in stock (and I had to drive 40 miles to get that).

Love the car so far. You can tell lots of thought has gone into it- lots of little cubbies, etc. I put in a Pioneer head unit in the dash and a Pioneer wired CD changer in the rear cargo area. In doing so, I was able to see the car below the surface and am impressed by all the little things that were done to reduce noise, from foam padding to prevent itchy noises to sound deadener on the body panels to all the screwss being torque VERY tight. It's got better pickup than I thought when I test drove it; I think you have to learn it (or it learns you).

First tank of gas got 29.4 mpg in mixed city/hwy driving. I can live with that, although I see others are getting better... so maybe after breakin it will rise just a bit.

doohickie · November 2005

A month and 2000 miles on, here is the report on my Elantra:

Likes:
- Roomy. Back seat is definitely secondary seating space but works fine for shorter trips (or longer trips with shorter people!) Out of all the cars I looked at, I think the Elantra was about the roomiest, except for maybe the Scion xB(utt-Ugly).
- Driver's Seat. Dual height adjusters & lumbar support along with a basically firm seat makes it comfy for long rides.
- Headlights. Strange thing to cite, I know, but I love the way Hyundai has mechanized the headlights. I like DRLs, but only if they light up the marker lights as well. With the Elantra, you can leave the headlight switch on all the time and the car automatically shuts them off when you get out. I like that.
- Online support. There is an active group of Elantra owners on Edmunds.com, plus I've found several other forums that cater to Elantras. Also, Hyundai allows everyone access to their technical information online for free, with a free registration. You get not only shop manuals, wiring diagrams and troubleshooting guides, but can also view Hyundai dealer sales and shop training presentations. Hyundai, as far as I've seen, is the only company that does this.

Dislikes:
- I had to upgrade the stereo almost immediately, but I knew that when I bought a car with AM-FM cassette. I put in a Pioneer head unit (and a Pioneer 6-disc changer in the luggage area) and it's fine now.
- Body roll. All that headroom comes at a cost and in the case of the Elantra, it's body roll. The car feels great for most handling situations but rolled more than I like in sharp turns. This I remedied by changing out the 13 mm standard sway bar and putting in a 19 mm Hyundai OEM sway bar from the 03 Tiburon, which provides twice the stiffness of the original one. It's no sports car, but it's adequate now.
- Mileage. I've heard that mileage improves after a few thousand miles. On my first tank of gas I got a surprising 29 mpg in mixed driving. Since then, I've been averaging more like mid-20s and on a recent freeway trip got 29 again. I hope to bust into the 30+ mpg range eventually, but so far I'm a little disappointed. With gas prices going down, though, that doesn't hurt so much.

All in all, very satisfied with the car. Would buy again. For the 2007 model year, I've heard the Elantra hatch goes away, which is a shame. It's a great hatchback.

backy · November 2005

Where did you hear the Elantra hatch goes away for '07? There were some spy photos of the '07 Elantra hatch on the '07 Elantra discussion here.

doohickie · November 2005

The "spy photos" of the Elantra 5-door have filenames that say Spectra or Kia or something, and don't resemble more recent pics I've seen. I could be wrong; Hyundai is being pretty tight-lipped. I hope I'm wrong, but even if it looks like the Spectra5, now that I have the current body style, I think it would be a pity to move away from it and toward a wagon-like design.

backy · November 2005

I agree, I'd like to see the fastback style retained. It's been a good seller for Hyundai so I hope they have a 5-door in '07--even though I'm quite sure I won't be able to buy one, or want to buy one, when I buy my next car before fall '06.

harrychezt · December 2005

fastback. 7/100K warranty. 3yr/36K roadside assistance. The warranty is a transferable one, meaning if you sell the car, the next owner gets the remaining left over warranty, if there's any left, that is(and more $$$ back for trade-in).
MotorWeek had a 1 year Long Term tester and give it above avg. But, just like edmunds, MPG is not so great( 31hwy, supposedly) and the car is a little slow with an automatic, 10-11 seconds to 60.

I have test driven one, and if they fix this slow 0-60(I do a lot of hwy merging, and would be nervous, to be honest) and MPG... I'd buy one yesterday.

if you do 50/50 or more city driving.... great car, leather, loaded like a Hyundai, or even more so, for less cash than an Elantra GT even.

As for reliability: In-laws have had(still have one) Trackers.. manual and automatic(Suzuki's) 92 and a 97.
95 was traded in in 2001 and had 213,000 Trouble Free miles.
the 97 has 80,000, still going. no major defects.
Just these things are very unsophisticated compared to today's Grand Vitara, etc...
Reliability? Excellent.

If you already made your purchase, hope it works out well for you in the long run.

doohickie · December 2005

If you scroll back through the thread, you'll see I *did* try the Reno. Drive-wise, room-wise, and feature-wise, I absolutely loved it. The Suzuki longevity you cite, though, does not apply. The Reno is NOT made by Suzuki, it is made by the formerly-bankrupt-and-brought-back-from-the-dead-by-GM Daewoo of South Korea. The Reno is sold in Canada as a Chevy Optra and in China as a Buick Excelle.

Korean cars in an of themselves are not an issue for me (I ended up with one), but the Daewoos have dragged Suzuki's reliability ratings down. Suzuki could have softened the news by saying something about developing new relationships and stuff, but they squarely pointed the finger at Daewoo and blamed them for the problems. This is not a good foundation for a long-term relationship. Daewoo went belly-up once, and if Suzuki dropped their cars they would be orphans again.

Also, the transferrable warranty is not as important to me as the 5-year, 60,000 mile full warranty on the Hyundai (as opposed to 3-year, 36,000 mile full warranty on Suzukis), since I plan on keeping the car for a long time. In my life I've only sold one car with less than 100k on the odometer, and that was a 90,000 mile Plymouth Sundance with a cracked head that I bought used. I plan on keeping this car a while.

And one last knock against the Reno: I climbed under both the Reno and the Elantra before buying, and the Elantra is just better built, plain & simple.

backy · December 2005

I agree with you there. I drove a Reno recently (actually wanted to drive an Aerio) and I thought the Reno was behind the Elantra in ride quality, NVH, and responsiveness. It wasn't a bad car and for commuting use I'm sure it would be fine, but for about the same money as an Elantra GLS 5-door I'd take the Elantra. That car would cost me a little over $13k + TTL (with all the discounts/rebates I qualify for) fully loaded with automatic, ABS/traction control, and moonroof. I don't think I could touch a comparable Reno for that price.

The Aerio SX is more compelling to me than the Reno, because at least it has more interior room than the Elantra, it's made by Suzuki in Japan, and its interior has an upscale look. But to me it's not worth the extra money it would cost over the Elantra.

doohickie · December 2005

The neatest thing about the Aerio SX was the storage it had below the rear floor:

So when I bought my Elantra, I looked into doing something similar, and came up with this storage tray for under the floor, with two removeable plastic bins:

backy · December 2005

Very nice! Have you thought about painting the wood black or dark grey for a more integrated look?

doohickie · December 2005

Yeah, that's my plan. I'm trying to find one of those gallons of paint that nobody wants at a home improvement store that's an appropriate color; ideally dark gray. I found one just as I was starting the project but didn't pick it up at the time and now I'm shooting myself over it. But I'll get some paint eventually. A couple more shots: there are three pieces- the central tray which you can see in the last pic, and a section on either side of that. They have to be separate pieces to fit through the hatch opening. So here is what the corners look like:

hayman · December 2005

I've looked and drove all three of these cars a few weeks ago. Its been very tough deciding on what kind of ecomical compact car to purchase as there is so much on the market. I looked at pretty much all brands but I've always came back to these three.

Outside looks I like the Matrix hands down. It's a bit bigger then the other two but the inside of the Suzuki seems to be just as good. The focus doesn't have as much rear hatch room though.

Driving the Focus seems to shift and drive the best. The Matrix has lots of cabin noise compared to the the other two.

My hang up on the Matrix/Vibe is price for what you get. If I was to price out a Matrix with all the options the Aerio SX has it would be $4-5K more! The Suzuki comes standard with ABS and side air bags along with much more.

The focus my wife doesn't care for too much plus she say's there is so many of them on the street!

So I guess we're down to the Matrix or Aerio unless something changes.

I have read several reviews on the Matrix most loved them but a common complaint was road noise, rattles, squeaks, and general "cheap" interior. I drove a couple used Matrix/Vibes and I was not impressed with the rattles & noise. Did they improve on these things in 2006?? Or will a 2006 sound and feel the same in a couple years too??

As for the Suzuki well they are not as popular but the reviews I have read have been positive for the most part.
I like the interior and dash layout on the Suzuki. Plus it seems to have a better heater then Matrix. At least on the cold night we test drove the 3 cars. I live in a climate with cold winters where it can get down to 30 below!

Fuel mileage is important and the Matrix is on top. But then it does have the smallest hp under the hood. Also I think alot has to do with the driver.

So I'm "wanting" the Toyota Matrix but can't help but thinking the Suzuki is the better car and better buy.

Anyone else been down this road before looking for a hatchback??

doohickie · December 2005

Another advantage of the Aerio if you live in a northern climate is that you can get all-wheel drive as an option. It is probably the least expensive awd car you can get.

I'm not crazy about the exterier styling of the Aerio SX: the back end looks a little odd and the profile a little out of proportion, but the interior is great, with a top-notch stereo that includes 6-disc changer and a subwoofer! The rear seating area looks a little awkward with a very upgright seat, but it seems comfortable enough.

carthell · December 2005

"The rear seating area looks a little awkward with a very upgright seat, but it seems comfortable enough."

The rear of the seats can recline. There are latches on the extreme top right and -left side of the seat backs that can be pulled up to adjust the seat backs.

pocono35 · December 2005

Please comment on the Elantra or use another forum. Thanks!

backy · December 2005

Wrong--this is a discussion to talk about all kinds of hatchbacks, including the Elantra.

See the list at the top of your screen.

doohickie · December 2005

Really? The seats can recline? Hmmmm.... it looked like they were latched to hard points at the top and didn't look reclinable. I've seen reviews on the Aerio SX that commented on the upright position of the seats also. Like I said, they look at little odd, but when you sit in them, they feel fine... even upright.

randydriver · December 2005

Has any one saw the new larger wheels you can get on the New Aveo and what to they think of the changes they did to the interior,,,,fabric changes and new satin metal looking accents on the dash.

carthell · December 2005

"Really? The seats can recline? Hmmmm.... it looked like they were latched to hard points at the top and didn't look reclinable."

The amount of play is maybe 1"-3" (approx.), just enough (for me) to feel comfortable back there.

hayman · January 2006

I passed on the Aerio and ordered a Vibe.

Test drove the Aerio and Vibe back to back on the same route this time and found the Aerio's ride no better then the Vibe other than a bit more power.

Took along a friend also and he noticed a few things I missed.

Suzuki has thrown a bunch of options into this car to make it an attractive little car to buy.

I still think its a "good value" if you like the looks of it and it suits your needs.

Another issue was they are bringing out an all new SX in the summer so this one might be discontinued.

doohickie · January 2006

I wanted to like the looks of the Aerio, but I just couldn't make myself do it.

aeriohawaii1 · January 2006

So how much did the Vibe cost?
My Aerio was $14K.
In Hawaii a Vibe with ABS, side airbags, fog lites, mag wheels and a cd changer is avaiable Only on a fully loaded version for about $22K.
I did not think that the Vibe was worth paying Over 50% more for it.

running_up_101 · March 2006

Hello, all --

I'll be graduating college in a couple months, and have always wanted to buy a new vehicle within 12-24 mos. after graduation that is all of the following: (a) under $14K OTD, (b) a hatchback [loved my '88 Accord], (c) a manual, (d) produced by a Japanese or Korean manufacturer, (e) something I'll keep as my primary car for at least 7-10 years, and (f) noticably peppier [esp. on freeway] than my 102-HP '92 Civic. Needless to say, I've been dreaming of the Elantra for some time now -- the GLS hatch, with that warantee, engine, and price, are *exactly* what I want. That said, I had to catch myself this morning as I got to the end of Edmunds' 3/09 American Fit preview and was stunned by the $13K MSRP figure. I can't believe Honda, with the market weight they have, would price it that low, but they just might. If that's the case, should I consider it on the same level that I'm heart-stuck on the Elantra? The article insinuates that the Fit's 109 HP rating actually feels beefier behind the wheel -- if that's the case, and if the standard features come close to Hyundai's, I might have to start paying more attention to Fit articles. (FYI: I've already written off the Spec5 for $$ reasons.) Thoughts?

backy · March 2006

Well, I own two Elantras, including a '04 GT 5-door, and I am going to look very closely at the Fit for my next long-term car (i.e., drive it for about 6 years and turn it over to my daughter for another 5-6 years). I haven't driven it yet, and we don't know yet how it will fare in crash tests (Honda has been doing well there lately though, and the Elantra is not stellar there on the side impacts). But I really like its versatility. There are some IFs, though:

* The Fit driver's seat doesn't have a seat-height adjustment. I have sat in a couple of Fits and found the driver's seat to be tolerable, but not really comfortable for me. Not like the Elantra, with its 8-way driver's seat and lumbar adjustment.

* No cruise control on the base Fit. This is not a deal-breaker for me, as I don't use cruise that often, but it really comes in handy, especially since my right leg is not comfortable when on the gas pedal.

* Ride. I have read some reports that the Fit has a firm ride, which is typical for Honda. I really like how the Elantra rides on the pot-holed streets of my town. So I'll have to see if the ride is acceptable.

* Features. The Elantra has traction control and moonroof available, the Fit does not. I can live w/o a moonroof but I've found traction control useful in Minnesnowta. OTOH, the Fit has side curtain airbags standard.

I am not concerned about power on the Fit. IMO 109 hp is more than enough power on a 2400 pound car, especially with a stick shift. And Honda makes great stick shifts.

Reliability on the Fit should be outstanding, since the car has been in production for several years and is made in Japan. However, the reliability of my two Elantras has been very good, and the car has been in production for over five years, so that is not a concern either way.

Price-wise, I am figuring that when I go to buy a car later this year (at the earliest), I will find some close-out deals on the '06 Elantras, with the all-new '07 Elantra on the way. So I am guessing I would be able to pick up a fully-loaded Elantra GLS 5-door with automatic, ABS, and moonroof (list just under $16.7k) for around $12k, assuming around $3000 in rebates (and I have a $250 coupon for my next car at a Hyundai dealer). A base Fit stick shift would probably cost about $13.5-14k. I don't expect any discounts on the Fit, as volume will be low and demand will be high (at least I think it will). But if I really like how the Fit drives, and if it gets better crash test scores than the Elantra, I would pay the extra for the Fit.

FWIW, I would get a stick on the Fit vs. automatic because of the small engine and because Honda makes such great sticks. Since the auto tranny is covered for 10 years on the Elantra, I would go that route there.

doohickie · March 2006

If you're comparing to a Fit, the Hyundai equivalent would be the Accent, all-new for 2006. The hatchback should be available later this year. I'm not advocating the Accent, though... my point is that at the price point you're talking about, the Elantra is a much larger car for the money than the Fit, I'm pretty sure. The Elantra is nearly a midsize.

joe97 · March 2006

2007 Accent 3dr is actually coming this spring (should be in showroom within the next few weeks, around the same time as Fit, Versa, Yaris, I believe).

I am digging the 3 door Accent. Just a little over $10K, and a looker too

SE trim looks even more attractive, and possibly sportiest of all other hatchbacks mentioned (Versa, Fit, Yaris) - sport-tuned, 16" wheels, light weight (lighest I believe, around 2,300 lbs).

Yep, and the Elantra is a midsize, per EPA

hangaralf1 · March 2006

something else you might want to consider is how much aftermarket is available for these cars? elantra's been around a while so there might be more available, however SEMA looked pretty interested in the Fit.

doohickie · March 2006

Yep, and the Elantra is a midsize, per EPA

I realize that, but in terms of sales, it is generally considered a compact (and the Accent and Fit are subcompacts).

tsgeisel · April 2006

The deals on the Elantra GLS just aren't coming here (and I haven't yet worn-down the one dealer I found who has an '05 loaded GT), so the Fit is a very tempting choice.

Basically, I can't find much more willingness to go lower than just the base rebate (and I don't qualify for the big loyalty rebate), while the Fit will probably be as familiar as my current '96 Civic.

I tell the dealer that all I really want is an automatic, but the reality is that I also want 5 doors. "As God as my witness, I'm never having a trunk again."

doohickie · April 2006

A couple thoughts on a new hatchback:

1. If you're looking for an Elantra GLS hatch, you might have to have a dealer do a search for one. The hatch is not nearly as popular as the sedan, and hatches, especially for 06, are mostly GTs. You might be able to find a steal on an 05 hatch if you can find it. The 05 and 06 are pretty much identical, except they stopped the GT sedan and added the Limited Sedan, which doesn't affect a hatch buyer.

2. Think about ways to get a "fleet sales" in. If you work for a large-ish employer, see if the dealer will give you a fleet sales deal. If you don't work for a big company, ask if they can give you a fleet deal based on your church, your credit union, your spelunking club, anything. Generally, a fleet sales deal is going to be something like invoice + $200 or something like that. You can see invoices here on Edmunds I think. Also, look up the Edmunds True Market Value for the car. That's another bargaining chip to use. Those tips apply for any model, not just the Elantra.

tsgeisel · April 2006

I've found a dealership that claims to have GLS hatches in - the only problem is that they're an hour away. Which wouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'm not trading in my current car. But that's a minor detail.

The other issue is that I *did* find a place with an '05 GT, but I'm having a lot of trouble stealing it at my price. How much under invoice should an '05 car go for, anyway?

doohickie · April 2006

I bought my Elantra an hour from home too. I had to drive back out with a friend so he could drive my old car home.

By the way, I've had some warranty work done at a different dealer and they didn't give me any grief about bringing in a car that wasn't sold there. FYI.

wazzup999 · April 2006

The Ford Focus only comes with three doors in a hatch-back and four doors in a sedan. the VW golf comes with also the three door hatch-back and has no sedan version that I have seen yet.the hyundai elantra GT I don't know much about so I don't want to even try to help with that...I don't know much about any hyundai's except the tiburon GT V6.

backy · April 2006

The sedan version of the Golf/Rabbit is called the Jetta.

vermonter16 · April 2006

Has anyone had an update on the new hatch by Hyundai? I would hope that it would be out soon but can't seem to find any information. Also, does anyone know what kind of gas mileage it might get? I was going to just look at the yaris (looking for commuter car) because I love the looks and gas mileage so much...(they haven't really hit our area yet). But for the possible value you get with the Hyundai plus my husband might actually be able to fit...I want to consider it too. We might need this car in the next few weeks if my husband gets another job and we have to drive seperately...

backy · April 2006

The 2007 Accent hatchback should be here in a few weeks--target is "spring 2006", but my local dealer doesn't know anything yet. What I recommend you do is tell your dealer you are very interested in the car and ask them to call you as soon as they know when they will be coming in.

doohickie · April 2006

The word on the internet is that *if* there is a hatch version of the Elantra, it will be a 2008 model year release.

The Ford Focus only comes with three doors in a hatch-back and four doors in a sedan.

Go to Ford's Focus website and you will see the Focus comes as a 3-door hatch (ZX3), 4-door sedan (ZX4), 5-door hatch (ZX5), and a wagon (ZXW).

Before buying my Elantra, I *almost* bought a Focus. Had a verbal agreement with the salesman; the only reason I got out of there without signing anything is because I didn't have my trade with me. On the way home, I decided to compare apples-to-apples and drove the Elantra hatch. It was so much quieter than the Focus I bought the Elantra, even though the Focus was almost $1000 less.

lightfootfl · April 2006

Some things are worth more than dollars.

lopan1 · April 2006

Moving to Vancouver from overseas in a few weeks and need to get a car sorted ASAP. The main criteria I have are AWD, Turbocharged and under 30K, but the closer to 25K the better. What does everyone think? Is this combination impossible? So far have considered

Subaru
WRX Sti
WRX Sedan
Legacy

Audi
A4

VW
GTI

Honda
Civi Si

Mazda
Mazdaspeed 6
Mazda 3

I know that all of the above rides do not adhere to all the criteria, but these are what I have been coming back to again and again. I have not had any time behind the wheel in ANY of these cars, so I am just going off of reviews from the Auto press. Any suggestions or feedback?

krzyss · April 2006

USD or CAD?

Krzys

lopan1 · April 2006

Sorry, USD. Good 'ol greenbacks!

Which Hatchback?

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