2012 Hyundai Elantra Review

2012 Hyundai Elantra Review

Bruce Sheridan

Overview

To get ahead in the compact car segment, it is simply not enough to just excel in one or two areas. The competition has gotten far too stiff for that, with more and more quality options popping up in this class like weeds. But that's a great thing, and the proof is the 2012 Hyundai Elantra.

This fierce competition forces every car maker to offer better vehicles. Traditional underdog candidates have become the favorites almost overnight. The Hyundai Elantra is a perfect example of a rags to riches car story. Where it once reeked of mediocrity and was easily forgotten, the Elantra is now one of the most popular, efficient and stylish vehicles in its class.

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The recent redesign of the Elantra downsized in favor of a more fuel efficient design, and this year Hyundai is offering the Active Eco system, which will alter your car's performance to optimize its gas mileage. They also worked on packing more technological features in than the competition.

Combining all these improvements on the Elantra with Hyundai's superb warranty, and you have the recipe for one of the best new car deals around. The Hyundai Elantra is another example of why this class is no longer Japanese dominated, and it is all open game from here on out.

2012 Hyundai Elantra

Starting MSRP	Max City / Hwy MPG
$15,345	29 / 40

Pros	Cons
High gas mileage	Not as quick as others
Very stylish inside and out	Back seat head room
Lots of standard features
Great Hyundai warranty

Trims

The Elantra comes in two trims, the GLS and the Limited, both having their own Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle trims for states with stricter regulations. The GLS starts off very affordable and boasts a large amount of standard features, and the GLS Comfort package adds even more. The Limited comes with everything the GLS Comfort package has and more, and the Limited Technology package adds the best of the best technological features.

Elantra Trims
Name	MSRP	Engine	Best MPG City / Hwy
GLS	$15,345	1.8L 4-cyl	29 / 40
Limited	$20,595	1.8L 4-cyl	29 / 40
GLS PZEV	$17,595	1.8L 4-cyl	29 / 40
Limited PZEV	$20,595	1.8L 4-cyl	29 / 40

Performance

The Elantra is certainly not the most athletic vehicle in the world or even its class, despite definitely looking like one. It is no slouch however, and delivers more than enough power, handling and braking to comfortably commute anywhere you need to go.

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra comes with an inline 1.8L 4-cyl engine that puts out 148 horsepower and 131 lbs-ft of torque. California drivers will get the Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle trims, which are still 1.8L 4-cyl engines but they put out slightly smaller stats. They have 145 horsepower and 130 lbs-ft of torque. They are all front wheel drive. The GLS trims come with a six speed manual as standard equipment with a six speed automatic option, while the Limited comes with the automatic transmission as standard.

Interior / Exterior

The Elantra truly separated itself from the pack in how it presents itself. The outside looks sleek and stylish the way no other car in its class really does, and it is no different on the inside. If you want a cool looking car, you've found one. The interior feels well designed and spacious, with well placed features and technology. The interior is roomy enough in the front seats, accommodating enough for six footers. The back seat can get a bit cramped on head room for taller riders.

Features

The 2012 Hyundai Elantra comes with more technological features as standard equipment than most cars in its class. The base GLS model has a lot of features, including the popular and near mandatory auxiliary, USB and iPod connectivity.

The GLS Comfort package adds even more features, but the biggest one of note would be the Active Eco system for the automatic transmissions, which Hyundai says increases its gas mileage by 7%. The GLS also has a Preferred package with better styling, Bluetooth and steering wheel audio controls.

The Limited trim turns the interior into a stylish leather packed vehicle, and the Limited Technology package adds a touch screen infotainment and navigation screen and system, a rear view camera and keyless ignition.

Safety

The Elantra is one of the safest cars in its segment. The federal government gave it an overall score of five out of five stars, with five stars for side impact, four stars for front impact and four stars for rollover risk. The IIHS gave it a Good rating for all its tests and named it a Top Safety Pick for 2012.

The Elantra comes with all the standard safety equipment you would expect, including a full arsenal of airbags, electronic stability and traction control, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and vehicle health monitoring systems.