The Hyundai Elantra is among the quickest cars in its class. With 135 horsepower and 132 pounds-feet of torque, the Elantra GLS and GT deliver more than enough oomph to hustle through traffic, pass with confidence or rush through mountain passes at faster than posted speeds. It's capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph times in the mid 8-second range. That's quicker than a Honda Civic LX, Mazda Protege, Nissan Sentra GXE, and Ford Focus SE.For years Hyundai borrowed its engine designs from other manufacturers. The company now develops and manufactures its own engines. The Elantra's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine boasts most of the latest high-output technology, including dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, multipoint electronic fuel injection and coil-direct ignition. A cast aluminum oil sump, a stiff engine block and eight crankshaft counterweights reduce mechanical noise and control vibration.
But there isn't much grunt at lower engine speeds. Most of Elantra's power comes in the last 2000 revs before the 6400-rpm redline. That means you'll need to work the transmission, shifting often to get the most from the power plant. Enthusiast drivers prefer to do exactly that. But if you're used to an engine with more low-end torque, and you don't let the Elantra wind out, you might wonder where the goods are. And when you find them, you might be disconcerted by the ruckus of a hard-working four-cylinder howling near 6000 rpm. The Elantra nets an EPA-estimated 24/33 mpg City/Highway when equipped with the five-speed manual. That's good gas mileage, but the heavier weight of the Elantra means some of the other cars in the class are a bit more fuel-efficient.
We didn't try the Elantra with an automatic, but experience testing hundreds of other automobiles suggests that a car with these power characteristics is better suited to a manual transmission. Unless you absolutely hate shifting, or do most of your driving in heavy traffic, we'd recommend the five-speed.
What impressed us most was the Elantra GT's balance of ride and handling, which replicates the style of a good European sedan. Some cars that cost $25,000 don't have speed-sensitive power steering or a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension, but the Elantra has both. The steering requires only a light touch during parking maneuvers or in tight quarters, yet it firms up at travel speeds and gives the driver a good idea of how well the front tires are gripping. The rear suspension keeps the tires firmly on the pavement, even on bumpy roads, to keep the rear of the car from bouncing around.
This all adds up to maneuverability in traffic, secure, reasonably precise handling on curving two-lane highways, and a ride that is neither floppy nor buckboard stiff. Only on freeways with a rapid succession of excessively uneven expansion joints does the Elantra tend to get bouncy. The Elantra doesn't suffer from the flexing and rattling that is the bane of some other five-doors, however. It's decently screwed together and satisfactorily solid. The weakest link in the Elantra GT's handling is its hard, wear-resistant all-season tires. A set of speed-rated performance tires would make this subcompact even better.
Four-wheel disc brakes, vented in front, do a good job of stopping the Elantra, and it can stop more quickly than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, according to published reports. We recommend opting for the anti-lock brakes ($525), which comes bundled with traction control; ABS allows the driver to maintain steering control in an emergency braking situation, while traction control enhances stability when accelerating.
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