Road Test: 2009 Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai may be testing the waters with large luxurious sedans like the 2009 Genesis Sedan or sporty coupes such as the 2010 Genesis Coupe, but it hasn’t abandoned the recipe that got it to where it is today in the first place – small, affordable, fuel-efficient cars. One such model that soldiers on in Hyundai’s lineup is the Hyundai Elantra. New for 2009, the Hyundai Elantra is available as a wagon (the Elantra Touring), but we tested the proven Elantra sedan that has been a part of the automaker’s vehicle lineup since 1992. Fitting in between the Hyundai Accent and the Hyundai Sonata, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra ranked tenth on our list of new vehicles under $16,000 and was bigger in size than the nine cars that beat it in terms of price.

Competing against other compact sedans such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cobalt, the Hyundai Elantra sedan is the least expensive sedan in its segment even compared to its sister car, the Kia Spectra. With a starting price of $14,120, the base 2009 Elantra GLS comes well equipped for such a low price, but our test model was a mid-level Elantra SE that adds a few more luxury and convenience items and bumps the base MSRP to $17,820 with the automatic transmission. The 2009 Hyundai Elantra SE we drove for a week had an as-tested price of $18,590 thanks to floor mats and the requisite destination charge.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Exterior

Like previous Hyundai models, the styling of the 2009 Elantra is somewhere between the vanilla design of the Corolla and the futuristic look of the Civic. One aspect of the Elantra’s design that made it stand out was the stylish double-bump crease that ran the entire length of the car which helped give it more pronounced wheel arches for a sportier look. Another design element that helped give the Elantra SE a sharper look were the standard 16-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels, up from the base GLS’ steel wheels with hubcaps. Up front, the scalloped headlights frame the small, chrome grille and fog lights were standard on the SE trim level. To tie in the design of the front, the rear of the car also features scalloped taillights with a small strip of chrome gracing the decklid to mirror the front grille.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Interior

While most economy cars are designed to get passengers from point A to point B, modern cars are starting to exhibit a more enjoyable and welcoming atmosphere, and the Elantra is definitely in this group. The tall roofline and large greenhouse help give the Elantra an open, airy feeling inside which makes the car feel much larger than it actually is. Leather seating is available on both the Elantra SE and Touring, but our test car came with soft cloth buckets up front and a three-passenger bench in the rear. Rear seat passengers receive ample impressive headroom due to the oval-shaped roofline, and legroom is equally spacious for average-sized occupants (taller passengers may want to grab the keys or call shotgun). The cargo area offers generous space allowing up to 14.2 cubic feet of cargo, but taller items are limited despite the 60/40 split folding rear seat. Not only is the pass-through hole small, but the seats also don’t fold completely flat and limit sizeable cargo.

As much as the Elantra SE offered in terms of standard exterior equipment, we were surprised at how much came standard inside the car. Equipment such as a manual tilting and telescoping steering column, leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant stereo controls and a six-speaker sound system with AM/FM/Sirius satellite radio as well as offering a standard aux jack and a iPod friendly USB port. The single slot CD player is also MP3 compatible.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Performance & Handling

Under the hood, all Elantra models use a 2.0-liter DOHC inline-4 paired to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. Although the manual gearbox might add a little excitement to this compact sedan, the automatic transmission option results in a gain of 1 mile per gallon in city driving giving it EPA fuel economy estimates of 25 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. In terms of handling, the Elantra’s four-wheel independent suspension does all it can to provide a smooth ride by absorbing most of the impurities of the road. Hyundai obviously spent plenty of time designing the fourth-generation Elantra as noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels are surprisingly low for such a value-priced car. Of course, like all new Hyundai models, the 2009 Elantra is an even sweeter deal thanks to a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Safety

The current Elantra bodystyle has received generally good safety ratings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) giving it a five-star rating for frontal-impact protection and four-star ratings for both side- and rear-impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the latest Elantra a Good (highest) rating for frontal-offset impact protection, a Marginal (second lowest) rating for side-impact protection and an Acceptable (second highest) rating for rear-impact protection. Helping maximize the safety of the 2009 Elantra, Hyundai equipped the sedan with a host of standard safety features including six passenger airbags, active front head restraints, electronic stability control, traction control and four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS).

Summary

The 2009 Hyundai Elantra proves that styling and comfort don’t have to come with a high price tag. Hyundai’s compact sedan is aimed at anyone looking for an attractive, affordable and fuel-efficient vehicle whether it is first-time drivers or empty-nesters. Any car offering as much as the 2009 Elantra does in terms of styling and fuel economy that also has a total MSRP under $20,000 handsomely equipped, should be at the top of most new car buyers’ lists.