[Elantra GT] The all new 2007 Elantra

[Brian Nystrom]

Brian Nystrom wrote:

>Wayne Moses wrote:
>
>  
>
>>http://www.thenewelantra.com/
>>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/13/new-york-auto-show-hyundai-displays-its-n
>>ew-elantra/
>>
>>What do you think of the redesigned Elantra?
>>
>>Very smooth and flowy lines .... sor of like the Tiburon in the back from
>>around the thin C-pillar. The engine is the same it would appear. Top line
>>now seems to come with 16" wheels.
>>
>>    
>>
>The exterior changes seem to be mainly cosmetic and they smoothed it to 
>the point of bland anonymity. It has no character and too much of that 
>"used soap bar" look. Perhaps it will get better gas mileage, but the 
>new exterior leaves me cold. Inside, the center console is just plain 
>ugly and the radio is now completely proprietary. While the wheel 
>mounted controls are nice, I would rather have to reach for them if it 
>means having a choice of what electronics I want in the car.
>
>Mechanically, they made 4-wheel discs standard, but you're forced to 
>have ABS, which is something I wouldn't want. Hopefully, there's a kill 
>switch.
>
>It appears that they "upgraded" the steering, but I'd want to try it 
>before buying it. The fact that it's "motor driven" concerns me, if that 
>means "drive-by-wire" or an electric assist instead of hydraulic. Again, 
>this may be a nod toward improved fuel efficiency. The wheel telescopes 
>now, Which might be nice for some people.
>
>Having 16" wheels available is nice, but it's no big deal.
>
>There's no GT...definitely a step backward in that regard.
>
>Overall, I'm not impressed. It appears that they've simply made the car 
>excruciatingly mainstream. I certainly wouldn't get rid of my '04 to buy 
>an '07.
>
I just watched the video press conference and it answered some of my 
questions. Apparently, fuel economy WAS a priority, as the '07 is 
projected to get 4 mpg more than the '04-'06 model, despite being 2" 
taller and wider. It will be interesting to see how it actually fares in 
the real world. If it's for real, that would push real-world mileage in 
a 5 speed equipped car to over 40 mpg @ 65 mph, since my '04 regularly 
gets 36-37. It really makes me wonder how much my mileage would improve 
if I could find a manual steering rack for my car and get rid of the 
lousy power steering.

-- 
Regards

Brian