2008 Hyundai Elantra Review
January 30, 2008 by Matt Brogan
Perhaps a tad light on road feel, Elantra’s steering is nonetheless direct enough not to pose any real concerns and on the upside makes parking a breeze. The turning circle of 10.3 metres sees swinging in to those tight spots relatively easy, though reverse parking sensors would have been a welcomed inclusion as the high rear end makes determining your remaining room a little tricky.
Braking is effective enough for a car this size, though the steel wheels and plastic covers do retain a little heat on repeated hard application, making for occasional sponginess after a hard and windy downhill run. The ABS is suitably calibrated to allow enough free play on gravel roads and the pedal feel, whilst not brilliant, is on par with category rivals such as SX4 or Corolla.
Fuel Economy is claimed at 7.8 litres / 100km combined average which wasn’t too far off the mark once tallied up at the end of the week (my overall consumption came in at 8.9l / 100km combined). The lack of a trip computer means a little mental arithmetic is required to keep tabs on your fuel bills, but really if driven lightly the car sips fuel and better results could easily be achieved.
So I guess by now you’re thinking, the review seems good, the car sounds nice enough for an average small sedan, what’s with the three and a half wheel rating? One word – safety.
The Elantra scored a three star ANCAP rating and ESP is a cost option, in my books this means losing points. It may seem a little harsh on summation but I feel safety should be paramount.
Whilst three stars is not a terrible result, and a lot of technicalities forced the judge’s hand on this one (pedestrian safety, optional ESP), other manufacturers, and indeed Hyundai themselves, have done a lot better for the money (i30, Corolla, Civic).
In the end, it is a good little car and an ANCAP rating isn’t the end of the world. What you get for the money and the car’s drivability should help tilt the scales.
CarAdvice overall rating: 
How does it drive:
How does it look:
How does it go:
Engine: 1975cc four-cylinder petrol
Power: 105kW
Torque: 186Nm
Top speed: N/A
Safety: ABS, Dual Front, Side and Curtain Airbags (ESP optional).
0-100km/h: N/A
ANCAP rating: 3 Stars
Turning circle: 10.3 metres
Fuel tank: 53 litres
Fuel consumption : 7.8 litres / 100km (combined)
Fuel type: Unleaded (regular)
Towing Capacity: 1,200kg (braked)
Door handles look to low! Specially the rear doors!
I heard the seats are supposed to be very uncomfortable.
Would any body consider this over an epica?
Three star ANCAP…………..thats not good!
Hey can anybody tell me the ANCAP score for a captiva?
Is it worse than a barina?
The Captiva managed a very respectable four stars.
I agree with Duck, the door handles seem way too low to me as well.
^Yeah they do look low, the whole design looks rather sloppy.
Four star ANCAP for the Captiva….thats pretty good!
Coming after the stylish (for a Korean car) Sonata, this is a disappointment. Looks like a shrunken Grandeur. Too many curvy bits.
Suzuki SX4 instead, anyone?
Give me an i30 and I’ll keep the change!
CM >> I guess Hyundai follows what Toyota have done with Yaris = Collora = Camry family…
I think this is an attractive package, but I wonder why would anyone buy this over an i30? Spending a little more can get you anything from Japan too…
Its a improvement over the previous Elantra but pretty dull to look at. Cheap motoring for the maasses.
Well The Elantra has scored a 5-star Crash Rating from North America NHTSSA, and i don’t think the photos nor the colour (Metallic Sand) did the car any justice. I Think for a small to mid-size sedan, the Elantra is quite appealing (esp the Elite Models with the 16″ Alloys and Driving Lights) Interior looks very upmarket for the price.
Chad did you notice the reviewer said “a lot of technicalities forced the judge’s hand”, perhaps you need to re-read the article. Also, NHTSSA tests aren’t as harsh as our own, so you can make your own mind up there.
As for the pics I think they’re fine for a car like this, it is after all an AVERAGE car, not like it’s a Lambo. Lighten up dude!
PIG ugly for the masses!
The new Lancer still takes some beating.
its a smart looking little car hope it goes well because
hyundai have spent a lot of money in the last two years and going well to
^^^^^^^^^^^^You got to be joking!!!!!! Have you read the article yet?????
i was being sarcastic
have you drivin the polo TDI yet duckie
how much do you know about cars
i was being sarcastic
have you driven the polo TDI yet How much do you know about cars ? Duckie
woops!
Why?
I purchased an 08 Elantra and I’m quite impressed so far. I have not found any defects on the exterior or in the interior. It is not a speed freak nor is it flashy. It is what it is… a sensible practical engineered car for the budjet minded person. I priced the option 3 Elantra and the Honda Civic with the same options and I saved $8,000.00 by opting for the Elantra. If you compare the Elantra with a performance compact then well that isn’t a apples to apples comparison.
If I want go 0-100mph in less than 12 seconds and burn up a lot of petro then I crank my 71 Mach1 up, but it gets 8 mpg so It dosen’t crank up as often as it us too.
The Elantra seats are more comfortable than I first thought but the interior could have been a little nicer.
It gets 30 miles per gallon in town and 39 on the motorway
and it likes to cruise at 80mph with out a strain. Wind noise is about what you would expect, but the ride is more than I expected. All the switches , dials are easy to operate with out being distracted.
I would recommend an Elantra purchase to a Family member or Friend if this is the type vehicle you are in the market for.
As fuel prices continue to increase, then this vehicle becomes more practical.
I had my brand-new Elantra for about 26 hours (I drove it 100 miles since I bought it), when it malfunctioned and died in the middle of an intersection. I tried to have it towed, but HRA was a total failure. They could not get a tow truck until the next day. I was able to re-start the car and have my husband drive it to the nearest dealer to repair it. We are now at DAY 10 of the brand-new car being in the shop. They don’t foresee having it fixed until DAY 12, which is 7/21 (I bought my car on 7/8/08). In the course of these 12 days being in the shop, the car was hooked up to the computer ONLY ONE TIME that I know of. That process returned an “error code” which stated there was a misfire on cylinder 1. The dealer has then only driven my car to try replicating the problem, and checked wires & cables to make sure “they weren’t loose”. Meanwhile, they have put 300 miles on my car! They now say that the regional office told them to replace the fuel pump on the car. The dealer had already told me that there was nothing wrong with the fuel pump (I asked them if the fuel pump could be the problem). I don’t understand why they are replacing the fuel pump now when they said it “tested” OK?
This car poses a serious safety issue. My 26-hour old Elantra with about 125 miles on it lost all power and died in the middle of an intersection during a simple left-hand turn. This happened during the first 24 hours I owned the car. This car purchase was a complete mistake.
12-08-09 DENIS
I HAVE JUST GOT A 2008 ELANTRA WHICH HAS DONE 24000 KMS
IT IS A GREAT CAR FOR THE PRICE.EXCEPT FOR ONE PROBLEM
THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP KEPTS COMING UP ON THE
DASHBOARD. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES.
HAS ANYBODY ELSE HAD THIS TROUBLE.
my mum has this car in an indigo blue, she brought the slx model and hasn’t had a problem. I drove it and it was so much better than the previous model that i drive
A major improvement over the old model. I agree with the door handles. I didn’t pick it up until Duck stated. The exterior is good, not great, it’s sorta mis-matched. Interior is continuing to get better. It doesn’t sell well anymore, maybe cause of i30 among other reasons. Hopefully, sales will pick up. Go HYUNDAI