2004 Hyundai Elantra User Reviews

A Reliable Car That Gets The Job Done At A Lower Price Than The Competition. — First off, I am the only owner of this car, I purchased it new on the Hyundai lot in Sept. 2004. As of right now it has approx. 179000 KMs on the odometer (Apr. 20, 2010). Over 90% of the mileage on the car was done on the highway. I am also the only driver of this car. Performance wise for it's class this car is pretty good I find. I find the 5 speed manual transmission has a really good gear ratio that gives it a better acceleration that I would expect from a car of it's class. I also sometimes tow a trailler that weights in loaded at approx 900lbs along with some passengers and the engine can always keep the car up to posted speeds unless you are doing highway speeds going up a hill where it will lose 10-20 km/h by the time you get to the top while using 4th gear and a have the accelerator pedal pushed at least half way down. Keeping in mind that this is a small car and I'm putting it through paces normally you would use a truck or SUV to do, I'm very satisfied with how the engine performs. Braking on the car is decent but could be a little better in my opinion. I find once you start adding weight into the car (passengers, objects or trailer) it doesn't stop as easily as it should. As for handling I very much like this car since it does not have fancy traction control systems like used on most newer vehicle. I like to have full control of a car as this way you get to know it's limits, traction controls just hide these from you and I don't like that idea whatsoever. As far as quality goes I can't complain. Following the recommended maintenance schedule definately keeps a car in good shape. I've had both O2 sensors and the fuel pressure sensor replaced under warranty for being defective. Other than that I've had two bad luck incicent. The first one involved a rock flinging through the front grill and hitting just the right spot which busted one of the pipes on the air condenser unit (I believe that's what it's called) which drained all of the freon in the AC system. Had to replace the unit and get new freon put in the AC system. The second incident totaly my fault, I jacknifed a trailer into the left side of the car which dented the quarter panel and bumper. Both these unfortunate incidents dinged me about 500$ CAD each to fix. As far as gas costs go it's in the same ballpark as other cars of it's class. I have not noticed any fuel mileage increases over time. Having a 45KM one way commute to work I do notice a difference of between 5 and 10$ of gas used up in a week if I drive faster on the highway (in the 130-140 km/h range, pretty much whatever the flow of traffic is going in the passing lane). Maintenance I find is a bit pricey but I am still taking it to the dealership as I find they treat me right and don't feel the need to risk going to one of those sometimes shady looking private shops to get my maintenance done. As far as appearance and fun factor goes, those are not things I care about all that much so I will not spend much time on them. For appearance as long as I don't find a car ugly I would consider owning one. As for fun factor, I regard my car as a tool to move my rear end and whatever gear I need from location A to location B. If you want a car to have fun with, get a fuel guzzling sportscar.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

A Great Car With Some Style-needed A Hatchback, Love The Leather Seats, The Sunroof And The Cruise — I have been driving high mileage cars for a long time - spend a thousand or 1500.00, run it for a year or so, replace it. I am a musician, so I love the hatchback - really don't want to waste the gas on an SUV. I am 6'4" tall and 270 pounds - the headroom is a little tight because of the moonroof, but the seats are very comfortable. Took a 5 hour drive - the seat is adjustable and made for a pleasant ride. 80 MPH most of the way, the car handled it nicely. (It has 75,000 miles on it.) Car now has 140,000 miles on it. At 90,000 took it from WI to Washington and Portland and back. Absolutely no problems, and handled the Montana and Idaho mountain curves VERY well (was driving 10 - 20mph faster than posted speed limits). This past year, strapped 2 kayaks to the roof with a cheap roof rack, added a trailer hitch for a two bike rack, and went camping several times. I just found out it needs front end work, (tie-rod ends, a wheel bearing and a new radiator, but I think thats to be expected at its age.

Value! — The Elantra hatch was a carbon copy of the old Saab 900/93 5 door (see my previous review). Since this car replaced the Saab, I have found many areas of comparison. The Elantra is similar in looks, build quality, driveability, and the Koreans even attempted to replicate Saab's excellent dash. The value for the dollar is unbelievable. This is a fully- loaded car with an excellent warranty that listed for $15,900. As with the Saab, the hatch is cavernous. The car is comfortable for long trips, and gets very good mileage on the highway. I highly recommend Traction Control on this car. The 5-speed mated to the 2 litre, 16 valve motor produces wheelspin with the slightest amount of moisture on the road. Suspension could be taughter, too. The car rolls a bit in curvy conditions. Still, with the list of standard features as long as it is, you'll feel like you're riding in a car that cost twice as much. I'm willing to overlook what few shortcomings the car has. A shame that the current Elantra lineup no longer includes a hatch.

Decent — Like the fact that it has held up well-I have driven it to hell and back...It has made many trips across the US and all over NC. It is maneuverable, good on gas, and handles well in excessive speeds.

Primary Use: Family transportation

Decent, But Want To Upgrade — This car has almost no pickup. The good parts of it are that it has lasted me a long time and is cheap to own (roughly 28mpg). It's not very fun to drive, nor is it something that looks classy, but it gets me from point a to b relatively easily.

Primary Use: Commuting to work