Rental Car review: Hyundai Elantra

[Farmer17]

My wife and I just flew in to Atlanta on our way to a vacation in Barbados but the plane couldn't land due to a low cloud ceiling so it landed in Birmingham and we eventually made it back to Atlanta but our whole trip was messed up so we decided to just rent a car and drive to the beach in Ft Walton Beach, Fl. It was 5-1/2 hours away and I was a little disappointed because I paid for a midsize car and they gave me a Hyundai Elantra which looked a little small. After getting in the car it appeared to have a pretty high quality appearance and had excellent steering and handling with a very smooth and quiet ride, about as good as my wife's Infinity. It was fairly roomy and comfortable inside with a nice quality "feel" and I filled the tank with 12 gallons and we drove to Florida and all around for several days and still had a quarter tank when I turned the car in. It was no hot rod but had decent power when you stepped on it and the exhaust sound was more like a V8 than a four banger. I've rented a lot of small cars and most are pretty disappointing and I looked on line and saw some Elantra's that were a year old with 15K miles for $11,000 or $12,000 with a 100K mile warranty and I would say it's an outstanding car at that price if anyone is in the market

 

[Vbk76]

I commute 43 miles one way to work. Had an 02 Elantra bought new and put 202 on it. Only repairs were clutch fluid cylinder coil radiators (2) and brakes. Bought a second 02 Elantra with 50k on it...was older when I got it...made it to 186 (alternator,radiator, wheel bearing, engine mount,axle shafts, )before I got a good deal on an accent I couldn't pass up. Point is...great reliable transportation...and inexpensive

 

[NYlakesider]

My wife and I just flew in to Atlanta on our way to a vacation in Barbados but the plane couldn't land due to a low cloud ceiling so it landed in Birmingham and we eventually made it back to Atlanta but our whole trip was messed up so we decided to just rent a car and drive to the beach in Ft Walton Beach, Fl. It was 5-1/2 hours away and I was a little disappointed because I paid for a midsize car and they gave me a Hyundai Elantra which looked a little small. After getting in the car it appeared to have a pretty high quality appearance and had excellent steering and handling with a very smooth and quiet ride, about as good as my wife's Infinity. It was fairly roomy and comfortable inside with a nice quality "feel" and I filled the tank with 12 gallons and we drove to Florida and all around for several days and still had a quarter tank when I turned the car in. It was no hot rod but had decent power when you stepped on it and the exhaust sound was more like a V8 than a four banger. I've rented a lot of small cars and most are pretty disappointing and I looked on line and saw some Elantra's that were a year old with 15K miles for $11,000 or $12,000 with a 100K mile warranty and I would say it's an outstanding car at that price if anyone is in the market

Does this car come with that obnoxious shut down and restart the engine every time you stop?

My wife due to her club activities rents a lot of cars and she hates that feature. Most GMs have it and there is no way to override it.

 

[ben_g1]

And you work at which Hyundai dealership

 

[Farmer17]

Does this car come with that obnoxious shut down and restart the engine every time you stop?

My wife due to her club activities rents a lot of cars and she hates that feature. Most GMs have it and there is no way to override it.

No the car didn't have that feature which I dislike also and no, I don't work for Hyundai and I've never owned one but I might consider one next time I go to purchase. I drive a 2012 Toyota Rav4 with 190K miles which has been an extremely reliable car and the only repair needed has been a front wheel bearing so I will say good things about Toyota also. My wife's Buick Lacrosse that we just sold, basically started falling apart after the warranty expired. We kept fixing and fixing and it kept breaking and leaking and we would have been money ahead by dumping it before it hit 100K miles.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

I own two "Foreign" vehicles. One is a '07 Toyota Tundra, built in San Antonio, Texas; and the other is a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, built in West Point, Georgia. The Santa Fe is probably the best car I have ever owned and has been problem free since day 1.

The Tundra is pushing 130k miles and has been trouble free as well, with the exception of the MIC radio that went out at 1500 miles.

Recently looked on the Internet at the new pickups and frankly none can compare to my '07. The Stop and hope to Start technology is the dumbest thing out there and I refuse to buy garbage like that. Same with GM's Active Fuel Management system.

 

[vytoland]

our last three cars are Hyundai...lots of standard extras and a very good warranty......when the time comes to purchase a new car, it will be a .....Hyundai.....

 

[timjake]

My wife owns a '14 Elantra (bought new) and I have an '07 Azera (bought in late '07 w/13k miles(former rental)).

Very happy with both. Normal wear and tear issues, no significant breakdowns on either.

We drive cars until the wheels fall off, but when the time does come, we'll very likely stick with Hyundai.

 

[bjrjar]

The most dishonest car dealer I ever dealt with was a Hyundai dealer in Fairfield, California. The easiest used car purchase that brought me a good used car was from Hertz. By the way, I have had two hybrids that stopped and started automatically with no problems at all, in fact I still have one. I don't even notice it...

Bob


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[GKC]

After raising our kids, my wife went to work in 1999. She had a 40 mile commute (one way) from where we lived (our home was 1 mile from my office, so I wasn't anxious to move, especially since we didn't know how long her job would last, or if she'd like it.) So we bought her a new Hyundai Elantra because of the 100K mile bumper to bumper warranty, figuring she'd be putting lots of miles on it with her daily commute. We got it with all the options, and she absolutely loved that car. When she broke her neck in 2003 and was no longer able to work, the car was just sitting in the garage...our youngest needed a car, so we "permanently loaned" it to him. He trashed that car out, and royally peed off his mom (and me too.) I wish we'd just kept it. I had several cars at the time, and didn't think we'd ever need it, and we didn't think my wife was ever going to be able to drive again (she is now.)

Anyway, it was an excellent car...all we ever did was routine maintenance. At 60K miles, the timing belt was replaced under warranty, and the car still looked and ran like new. That made it even more sad what our son did to it...but lesson learned. If we were ever going to buy my wife another car, it would be a Hyundai. I will always have a large SUV for my car, since when we go anywhere my wife packs everything she owns, even for a one night trip.

 

[LVSteve]

It was 5-1/2 hours away and I was a little disappointed because I paid for a midsize car and they gave me a Hyundai Elantra which looked a little small.

The the EPA's and rental trade's idea of a midsize car and what most here would call midsized are not in alignment. Scroll through the list here.

Gas Mileage of 2016 Midsize Cars

Hyundai make some solid vehicles these days.

 

[LittleCooner]

My 2011 Elantra is a little over 6 years old, rolled over 110,000 this week. No problems at all. Brake pads once, nothing else. Love the car. Gas mileage around 32-34 MPG. Biggest complaint, road noise when the pavement is not smooth (tar and gravel on country roads, etc). It was and is a "great bang for the buck". I wore out two Lexus cars before this one and decided I needed something less expensive in retirement. I made a good choice. It will be around for several more years, I hope.

 

[GaryS]

I rode in a friend's Elantra a few times. It was okay, but not a Camry. Which is what he traded in to get the Elantra.

My favorite rental car right now is the Kia Soul. I don't know that I'd buy one, but the combination of a "station wagon", good mileage, nice interior features, and peppy performance make it a fun little car to drive.

My personal vehicle is a 2006 Tundra. 197K miles on it and other than brakes, timing belts, and a broken stabilizer bar link, it's been reliable. I expect it to make it to 270K, which is when it will need it's next timing belt. At that time, I'll decide if I want to buy something new.

 

[LVSteve]

My favorite rental car right now is the Kia Soul. I don't know that I'd buy one, but the combination of a "station wagon", good mileage, nice interior features, and peppy performance make it a fun little car to drive.

I had a 1.6 Soul as a rental. It was gutless at altitude of which we have plenty out here. I did like its stability in some crazy winds during my trip. Road noise over coarse road surfaces was an issue, but that is the norm in that class of vehicle, and Hondas are generally worse. The space inside and the conveniences were great.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Our first band new car was a 2015 Hyundai Accent that I bought for my wifes birthday in March that year. I figured she deserved a brand new car for her last three years of work before retirement. She drove it to work for about 5 months before her COPD forced her to give up working.

It was a roomy "little" car quite peppy at 1600cc. We took it on a few trips away and it was very comfortable. The only drawback was road noise, but that could have been the (cheap) tyres fitted at assembly.

At 2 1/2 years and 22,000 km I traded in on a 2017 Mazda CX-3 to celebrate her living through her transplant (I actually had wanted to buy the Hyundai i35, was willing to settle for an i30 but had to downsize in order to afford a brand new vehicle for the first time. The CX-3 was a better model than the i35 and been for the same price (leather interior, heated seats etc) and the dealer who has sold us our last four cars had dropped the Hyundai agency). At 2000 cc and as a small FWD SUV a much better car for travelling, although perversely the Hyundai had more luggage space wiht the seats all up..

But....... When choosing a rental car for our US trip I was offered a 2018 Hyundai Accent, auto, air con, bluetooth (I use my iPhone for playing music and as a GPS). At $1700 NZ for 36 days including all insurances (no excess) I couldn't turn it down.

Might be a bit noisy at 70 mph on the US freeways but that's what the volume button on the stereo is for.

 

[BC38]

I bought a 1999 Hyundai Accent brand new in the fall of 1999. Drove it nearly 3 years and 35k miles and never did anything except oil changes and upgrading the tires. I sold it to a buddy for $3500 - which was $500 more than what I still owed on it at that point. He's still driving it as a daily commuter.

Kia an Hyundai are sister companies an my wife has been driving her 2009 Kia Borrego for 8 years now and it has 130k on it. We replaced the growling AC compressor and a front driveshaft last year. Those are the only things we've done besides maintenance. Things like oil & filter changes, a couple of sets of plugs, a couple of headlight bulbs, and two sets of tires.

It's been such an excellent vehicle we're hoping it will continue to be for another 5 years or so. We'll probably replace it when it gets to around 200k.

 

[yaktamer]

We had an Elantra in the early 2000s. It was very reliable and did surprisingly well at retaining value for trade-in. Haven't had a Hyundai since, but because I have a long commute now I'm thinking of getting an Ioniq hybrid.