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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra
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Of course it is. Back in '85, I thought 70 hp was more than enough for my Civic S. But now we're in a horsepower war, so Honda puts 160hp into the new Civic Si, Ford puts 170 into the Focus SVT, Nissan puts 165 into the Sentra, and so on. To stay competitive, Hyundai may have to power-up its 4-banger or drop a V6 into the Elantra. They did it with the 2003 Tiburon, why not with a sports variant of the Elantra--GTS??
I do hope Honda & Nissan spur up with more of warranties that cover "real" life-span of their vehicles, and hopefully, CATCH UP Hyundai while it's union under strike.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2001/12/11/200112110062.asp
I just hope Honda to provide better warranties than current ones for Civic.
-Spiritz-
Honda (good)
1. Good Reputations
2. Build quality (slipping a little in later models)
3. Re-sale value
4. Good MPG
5. Broad trim level options, Ex, Lx,Dx, Hx etc.
Honda (Bad)
1. Price vs. Content
2. Warranty
3. No Road side Assistance
4. Dealer Arrogance
5. Cheaping certain parts of there vehicle. A. Moved away from double wishbone suspension, B. Rear drum brakes instead of 4 discs.
6. Their engines are slugs except for SI.
Hyundai (Bad)
1. Reputation (Improving)
2. Poor-Resale (This will improve with greater Rep.
3. Some trim packages are hard to find.
Hyundai (Good)
1. Build quality (The number one improved area for this car company.
2. Price vs. Content, Get more bang for your buck.
3. Warranty
4. Road side assistance
5. Ability to make deals with dealers on price of purchase. More leeway etc.
6. Most horse power for its class.
7. Good MPG.
8. Good safety features.
I have test driven many Hondas and Hyundai's and I ended up purchasing a Hyundai Elantra GLS for my wife and a GT for myself. I did allot of research and a lot of seat time in these cars before making my decision. I made the choice on what car would fit both are lifestyles. The Hyundai came up the winner for what we needed.
Wife’s Criteria
1. Must have automatic
2. Must have ABS. Traction control and 4 wheel disc brakes came with ABS package.
3. Must have Cruise Control
4. Must have comfortable seats and good ride.
5. Car must have good safety features. 1.ABS traction control, 4 disc brakes, side airbags and good crash protection.
6. Good MPG
7. Car must be dependable.
The Elantra GLS with option package 5 was purchased for my wife, for a daily commuter car in which she drives about 80 miles a day to work. This car excels at this job, it has great quiet ride with good horsepower to pass on the highway and added Pease of mind with ABS and traction control. This car has rock-solid build quality, everything is tight and in proper alignment. Gap tolerances are also very good. She has accrued over 10,000 miles in 4 months and there have been no problems with this car. We plan on keeping this car for a while so the Re-sale value doesn’t bother me since we will be driving this car for its life and the great warranty will help defer any cost if any problem occurs down the road. What I love about this car besides the Good build quality, content, and functionality is the little details Hyundai hasn’t missed while building this car. I love they put on top rated Michelin tires and not some cheap off-brand. This car has lots of room to, My parents got to ride in back while going to dinner with us and commented on how much room this car has compared to there friends new Camry, I haven’t ridden in the new Camry so I cant make that judgment but that was a good comment to get perceived or factual, I will have to check the specs on the new Camry.
My Criteria for my CAR
1. Must be stick
2. Must combine sport and functionality
3. Has to have good suspension and ride quality.
4. Must have 4-wheel disc breaks.
5. Must have Moon roof (I just love moon roofs)
I purchased the Hyundai Elantra GT and I love it fits my needs perfectly, I was looking at a Acura RSX type S and boy is that a sweet ride, it just didn’t have the back leg and head room of the Elantra and the warranty was not there, but the dealership was top-rate. I also contemplated paying for the insurance and premium gas and decided against it. My GT has leather, which wasn’t a top in my list but a nice feature to have especially at the price I paid for the car. The car has great build quality and is quiet on the highway. I wouldn’t have bought this car if I couldn’t get stick, this car was meant for stick and nothing else, a blast to drive. I also like the VDO dash. I think they could have improved on the shift gate a little, but not bad. This car has good cargo space as well. Those folks that are over 6ft should have no problem fitting into this car even with the moon roof in it. That was a problem when I test-drove the Civic EX, just not enough room in that car as far as headroom.
Hyundai vs. Honda the companies. My own reflections.
I think both companies are great but one is improving while the other is resting on there laurels.
Hyundai- This Company has improved the quality of there product 100 fold, look at there cars 5-10 years ago, they don’t compare to the cars they are building today. I believe the cars they build are approaching or exceeding the build quality of Toyota and Honda both. They continue to exceed in build quality from 2000, to 2002 models. For instance the Elantra went from 4 engine counter weights to eight and added hydraulic dampers to the engine as well as adding more sound damping material to their vehicles. They didn’t have to do this but they did because as we all no 4 cylinder engines can get pretty tinny at high rpms, the added improvements will help alleviate engine vibration and noise from entering driver’s space. They did this because the customers where complaining about engine vibration and noise, and implemented it within a year, that’s what I call having your ear to the customer. They have also come out with a great warranty and roadside assistance, this tells me they stand by their product. The last comment I want to make about the company is there sales, no pressure fairly good dealerships and easy to bargain with at least in my case. Sales have shown this to be true, up on the average of 40% a month for the past year. Honda sales have gone down by 28 to 30% the past year, but they are still a juggernaught.
Honda.
The cars are great, but unffortuenly I hate dealing with arrogant dealers and they don’t cut you any breaks with there models. They are lacking price content quota, they are putting less into their cars and charging more than ever this is also a problem with Toyotas as well. I still love the build quality but this has been slipping in the later models, I wish they would have kept the new civic on par with the 96-99 models, now those are a great cars with outstanding handling characteristics. They offer a poor warranty and offer no roadside assistance, unlike their sister Acura. There new designs seem bland except for the new 2002 Si which is coming out. I see Nissan and Mazda coming out with better and new model re-designs. Example Nissan Altima and coming soon the new Maxima.
I am sorry this post is so long. I love Honda I just feel they are going in the wrong direction, they need to get back to the old days, that is why I chose Hyundai over them.
i'm having a hard-time choosing between the two. please give me comparisons of 2002 honda civic lx and 2002 hyundai elantra gls. tnx!
Here is a capsule comparison:
Pros for Civic LX:
Fuel economy, low emissions, excellent crash test scores (both NHTSA and IIHS offset), reliability (only average per Consumer Reports but a bit better than Elantra), high resale value, slick 5-speed (slight edge, Elantra's is pretty good too), handling, no hump in rear seat, micron air filtration, engine immobilizer.
Pros for Elantra GLS:
More power (140 vs 115 hp), costs thousands less with comparable equipment, smoother ride, quiet (especially automatic), excellent NHTSA crash scores and IIHS bumper scores (but poor IIHS offset score), warranty coverage (5/60 b-to-b and 10/100 powertrain vs. Civic's 3/36), standard side airbags, height-adjustable driver's seat, center console with padded armrest, available ABS with traction control, available factory moonroof (can get either ABS or moonroof, but not both), available factory keyless entry w/alarm, available factory CD/6-speaker upgrade, 15" wheels, heated mirrors, auto-off headlights, rear cupholders.
Personal opinion: if high mpg or resale value is most important to you (i.e. you'll probably sell it in less than 4 years) and you like how the Civic drives, get the Civic. Otherwise save a lot of money and get the Elantra. If you prefer a car with crisp handling, look at the Protege and Focus too.
GLS Pro: Build quality, roomier, more stylish (subjective), more nooks + crannies (big gulp holder in door, sunglass holder, dual level armrest, padded storage areas in dash and console, standard power everything, and I think moonroof and ABS can be had together.
Pro GT: (in addition to GLS,) alloys,indiglo gauges, standard cd w/6 spkrs, hella more cargo capacity,leather,fogs, and did i metion the suspension? for the price of a dx with auto Civic which I think has no style at all...
The core problem with Civics, is Honda wants to nickle and dime for everything.
Yes, I did give the Civic a pro for handling, albeit a slight one. I also would not rank the build quality of the Elantra over that of the Civic, although I think they are pretty close. As far as room, the Civic is pretty roomy too, especially in the back because there is no center hump.
But the real value is with the GT--as you pointed out, all that content for the price of a Civic DX with automatic. And if you compare actual sale prices, the GT will cost about the same as the base DX, which is about as stripped as you can get for a car these days. No comparison in value.
maybe its just me but the interior quality of a civic does not appeal to me at all... if you say build quality is better than gt I grudgingly give it to you but for some reason the gt interior feels more substantial and better material finish an quality to me...
just like how the new altima compares to the new maxima... step into an altima and you see exactly where they cut costs... hard plastic dash, misaligned platic gaps with unfinished edges and many adjoining pieces with rough edges on the door panel, low quality and thin feeling clost seats with crappy leather upholstry....
then you step into the max and you see the difference a few grand makes in a car the same size... plastics with a little give (softness) switchgear thats lit...finished edges and uniform gaps... door panels exude quality and solidity...supple upholstry.... adjustments up the yin-yang...
only difference in the elantra civic comparo... you dont have to pay more to get more....
again... i really hate new Honda's ... i will only buy old ones from early nineties when they still had nice features as standard... (before decontenting began).... that is if i ever do buy honda...
After a year and just about to roll 15K, I can tell you that I am VERY pleased with the Elantra.
elantra has more power.. more room... power windows with indiv.. illuminated switches... (nice to have in the dark) standard side air bags.. GT has 4 disc brakes... heated mirrors on both elantras... better stereo standard... (protege stereo is really bad as told by many owners I know)....leather standard on GT, more seat adjustments for driver, more compliant ride...test drive both for yourself and make decision based on your priorities...
i did and came out with both GT and GLS (for my sister)
And when was that? Lately CR has been singing a different tune. They have given the Santa Fe and Elantra positive reviews in their road tests--as you should know since you follow CR. If you want to use outdated quotes from CR to justify your decision not to buy a Hyundai, well, that's your business. It's unfortunate you had a bad experience with the dealer in Denton, but they're not all like that. Why not check out some of the other dealers in the DFW Metroplex? You could try a post in the Santa Fe forum to ask about good dealers in the area.
Yes 20exc, Hyundai is up and coming -- dealer dufuses are neither trained nor employed by Hyundai USA. Everyone has a story about one Honda or Toyota dealer that stinks. Your story reminds us to shop for a better dealer. Keep the Santa Fe under consideration; it will still be money well spent.
so hyundai owners be proud and show your support vote with your wallets and get the word out!!!!
Most Honda buyers would never consider a Hyundai, however, no matter what the difference in perceived value. To the great majority of Honda owners Korean IS Korean. These people will have to die off just like the old codgers who cling to their Oldsmobiles and Mercurys and who would never consider a Japanese car.
The purpose of a company is not to produce the best product for the price but to make the most money. The more Honda decontents, the more popular it becomes. A car that was WAY ahead of the curve in the late eighties is WAY behind now. Boring or not, however, you can't dispute marketing success.
So whats the point in all this? Too many consumers get caught up in the whole honda myth and they cannot see beyond the scope. There are other vehicles on the market which are better and more bang for the money. Why would anyone want to buy a boring dull style honda civic when one can buy a sporty stylish elantra for thousands less.
It woul dhave smoked the Protege by 4-5 points on handling alone.
(Maybe not styling.....I am not nuts about it's exterior styling, mainly the Saab hatch).
Re Elantra being "stylish"--well, it is for me, for an econobox anyway. Also for C/D, which gave it a "10" for styling.
Are you saying C/D does NOT want to sell the same number of mags (or more) each year? Because they <i>do pick the same cars as best year after year. How many times has the Accord been on their 10Best list? How many times have they chosen the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series as 10Bests and tops in comparos? How many times have they picked the Protege and MP3 as the best small car? There's more but I think that's enough to make the point. I'm not quite sure I know what your point was, unless you were trying to say that the Elantra topped the Civic in this latest comparo only because the editors of C/D have no integrity, i.e., they all said, "Gee, we need to keep our subscriptions up, and one way to do that is to trash the Civic and tell everyone that the Elantra is a better car."
Re the Civic's strong resale value, I think it is due to two factors: 1) Honda's traditionally strong reliability, and 2) the quality of previous Civic generations. The Civic has built its reputation on those two pillars over the last 20+ years, and it takes awhile to erode a long-standing reputation. Witness Hyundai: many people are still convinced that Hyundai's cars are crap, based on the poor-quality cars they sold here in the '80s. So it will take some time for the slide in the quality of the Civic to affect Civic's resale value. If Honda takes corrective action quickly enough, maybe there won't be any slide at all. And they have been working at it--look at the significant tweaks to the Civic in '02 and '03--unheard of in the past for the 2nd and 3rd model years of a Honda with a 5-year generational lifespan.
Carrie ~2002 Honda Civic EX sedan in Eternal Blue Pearl.
As in all sweeping generalities, there is some truth there, but not much. If you compare the NHTSA and IIHS crash test results for Hondas vs. Hyundais in the same vehicle category, you'll see that the Hyundais stack up very well to Honda, except for one test on one model: the IIHS frontal offset test on the Elantra. Although the Elantra demonstrated a solid safety cage, there were two problems contributing to the its poor showing on that test: a late-deploying driver's front airbag and a driver's seat that moved too far forward. Hyundai's story on the airbag is that they can't duplicate the IIHS' result (late deployment), so they don't know what to fix or even if there is anything to fix. They haven't found any problem with the parts; the Elantra uses the same airbag sensors as does the Sonata, which had a "Good" result. They have made a change to the seat mounts and have applied it to new Elantras in Korea and may do it in North America soon.
Hope you are enjoying your new Civic EX in Eternal Blue Pearl.