Hyundai Elantra Touring: Learning to love wagons again!

The old Hyundai plant in Bromont is now home to a manufacturer of wind turbines, and since Hyundai seems to have the wind in its sails right now, the connection is almost too easy.

This year, Hyundai is celebrating 25 years in Canada. Rather than downplaying the contribution of the rustic Pony and Stellar that marked the Korean company’s beginnings in America, the directors at Hyundai are proudly remembering them and at the same time looking back on the road travelled since. Of course, when you start from the Pony and the Stellar, you can only get better...  Be that as it may, Hyundai is going international. Take the new Elantra Touring, for example. Designed in Germany, assembled in Korea, and derived from the European i30. In Asia and Europe, there are two versions of the i30: one is the base model, and the other has an elongated wheelbase. The second version is the one that has made its way here.

First of all, note that the Elantra and the Elantra Touring have about as much in common as the Pope and Tina Turner. While the Elantra is the most classic of compact sedans, the Touring proves to be much more dynamic.

A bit of the Elantra Sedan

The Elantra Touring has inherited the regular Elantra’s aging four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine.  Despite its 138 horses, 136 lbs-ft of torque, its four valves per cylinder and its continuous variable valve timing, this engine always seems to resist a little before doing the job. Plus, the four-speed automatic transmission that it’s paired with doesn’t really help. It usually takes its sweet time to shift from gear to gear and sometimes it only shifts at reasonably high gear (between 3500 and 3700 rpm in normal acceleration). An extra gear would have been nice.  There is no manual mode, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When the stick shift is on the “D” you only have to give it a little tap to the right and voilà!, you’re in third gear. We recommend the manual  transmission without hesitation, as its handling is the opposite of what Hyundai usually offers. Its clutch offers some resistance, and shifting is both short and precise.

Dynamic handling

There is a McPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension, both of which are accompanied by a stabilizer bar. These suspension features strike an excellent balance between handling and comfort. Now, if only Hyundai would stop fitting its cars with   Kumho Solus… On base models, there are 15-inch wheels (195/65R15) while the GL models with the Sport Package have the 215/45R17 tires which are harder going over potholes and bumps but improve handling. I would have been interested in testing 16-inch wheels.

The steering is much more lively and responsive than that of the regular Elantra, but on the models we tested, I found it too sluggish at low speed. Its four disc brakes are excellent, and while we didn’t take a measurement, they stopped the car in a very reasonable distance after a simulated emergency stop. The ABS is more or less inconspicuous, but we found the EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution), offered on option in certain versions only, particularly surprising as it seemed to be looking for a bearing point when we began braking. Perhaps it simply needs an adjustment.

Gateway to the cavern

All of that is well and good, but for most people, it is the back part that counts in a wagon. The Elantra Touring gets good marks in this regard as well. The hatch opens up high, loading height is low and level with the floor, and the cargo cover is a dream to use (although Hyundai has made this important feature on option). Manufacturers who make you pay more for such an important feature in a wagon should be brought to trial for robbery. Before I pull my hair out, I should mention that there are very practical storage bins under the mat. The rear seat backs can be lowered to a 60/40 split and form a flat bottom. The opening is large and, quite frankly, the available space is impressive. When the seatbacks are up, the loading capacity is 689 litres, compared to 1,848 litres when they are down. That’s a lot more than a Dodge Caliber, a Mazda3 or a Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix. You often have to take Korean manufacturer’s official numbers with a grain of salt, but in this case I must admit that, to the naked eye, it is large. It’s even bigger than the trunk of a Saturn Vue! Unfortunately, Hyundai did not disclose the car’s payload.

It’s business as usual with regard to equipment, as Hyundai continues to offer a lot of accessories for one heckuva good price. The base model comes equipped with a height adjuster and lumbar support for the driver’s seat, a 172-watt audio system, a folding rear armrest, folding rear seat backs, four disc brakes, and so on. It’s hard to find fault with the workmanship, as there are good quality plastics and it is well put together (except for the rear hatch of one of the four test models that made a cracking sound in the passenger compartment).

Safety is for the rich…

On the other hand, to be able to offer its Elantra Touring at an affordable price, Hyundai had no choice but to cut somewhere, and safety has taken the hit. To have ABS brakes, side-impact and side-curtain airbags and active front head restraints, you have no choice but to take the basic L version with the Preferred Package, which adds $2,250 to the price. And you can forget about traction or stability control systems on any version.

What about the price?

The Elantra Touring’s base price of $14,995 seems like a bargain at first glance, but Hyundai believes that consumers will opt for the Preferred Package at $17,245, and for good reason. The GL version goes for $18,795 and the sportier and more luxurious GL Sport remains within range, even at $21,195.

At the Elantra Touring launch, Hyundai directors announced that they were hoping to sell 7,500 units in Canada this year. But they also admitted that they would be very disappointed not to surpass that figure. The results of our test drive suggest that that this newcomer will likely be very successful, without having much of an impact on sales of the Elantra sedan. The Caliber, Matrix, Impreza and Astra, however, may have cause for concern…