Buying a used Hyundai Elantra (2000-2007)

After proving itself worthy in the basic transport field, Hyundai applied value-for-money principles to the larger Elantra and found a sales winner.
During the 1990s, Hyundai’s family-friendly Lantra won plenty of admiration for sound design and durability. However, not until reunited with its real name of Elantra did the versatile Hyundai really shine.

Every year from 2001-07, Elantra sales topped the 10,000 mark. That ensures plenty of choice in the used market and no excuse for choosing a poor-quality car. Given Hyundai’s bold switch to a five-year warranty, most will have been properly serviced for at least half their lives.
Choose wisely and the Elantra will provide economical and reliable transport. Just don’t expect it to be exciting.

Stepping up to the  GLS cost $2000 was but worth the money as this package provided a 104kW, 2.0-litre motor in place of the GL’s 1.8, four power windows, alloy wheels with a tyre upgrade, front fog lights and an electric aerial.

Elantras came as a hatchback, however, in the range until 2004 was the rarely-mentioned and versatile Lavita. Described as a five-door hatchback, this people mover/station wagon could swallow big chunks of cargo and also drove fairly well.

With a larger cabin in the Elantra, Hyundai wisely invested in some seat improvement. Up front, the cushions were broader and the back-rests better shaped. GLS models came with additional adjustment but not the side bolstering the seats needed. An extra $1590 bought a ‘Safety Pack’ which included a passenger air-bag and ABS.

Updated XD Elantras arrived in October 2003 with new names (HVT and Elite) and powered by a 105kW, 2.0-litre engine. Five-speed manuals, available as a sedan or hatch, began at $18,990 and automatics cost $1990 extra. Value-conscious buyers loved the five year/130,000 kilometre warranty.

Equipment, even in the base-model, remained excellent and now included dual air-bags. However, ABS remained an option for HVT buyers. Crash tests weren’t kind to the Elantra and one overseas report claimed that an offset-impact breached a fuel line with potential to cause a fire.

Visible changes included overly fussy frontal styling, especially the ugly-looking air-dam. Compensating were the deeper grille and new light clusters. Black plastic bumper inserts were a practical means of concealing car-park scrapes.

Elite versions, which with automatic transmission could cost almost $27,000, included a natty little rear spoiler (sedan only), alloy wheels, leather trim, a trip computer and heated mirrors. The 2005 upgrade brought cruise control and a price reduction.

If you’re buying a mid-2000s Elantra today, compare features and prices carefully. It’s often possible to buy an Elite for very little more than the basic model.

Late 2004 brought the limited edition FX Elantra with extra equipment including alloys and a CD stacker but priced only $1000 above the basic car. Obviously it struck a chord with Hyundai buyers and dealers because when the XD series was replaced in late 2006, FX sedans and hatchbacks were still in the range.

People who bought new Elantras did so for precisely those reasons. Driving dynamics were way down the totem pole for people who only saw a $20K car with plenty of room and stuffed with features that made it feel more expensive than it was.

The suspension is biased towards delivering a comfortable ride on relatively smooth surfaces. Big bumps, especially mid-bend, will try to rip the wheel from your hands while at the same time allowing the rear end to jump disconcertingly.

Inadequate noise insulation is a big grumble for Excel owners and dogs even the relatively sophisticated Elantra. Unless running on close-to-smooth bitumen, road and tyre roar still intrude and higher speeds mean running with the music on and windows up.

The trim is durable but that comes at the price of comfort. The front seats are firm but not especially supportive and interior decoration grey and drab, with nary a white-faced gauge to interrupt the sea of blandness.

Rear -seat space is great for three mid-sized kids and even a trio of adults shouldn’t be too cramped. Against a tape-measure, the Hyundai is 40mm wider across the back than a Honda Civic or Corolla. Both body styles provide plenty of luggage space, with the Hatch able to take objects up to 1.7 metres long.

Unless you have an absolute allergy to automatic vehicles, avoid the manual Elantra. While clutches don’t seem to wear any faster than those in Japanese models, they can feel soggy even when in good condition. Given a few years’ use the gear lever becomes floppy and the plastic gaiter can fall apart.

The automatic’s ratios work well with the 2.0-litre engine and not too badly with the 1.8. The small motor takes an age to wind up and over five seconds to reach 60km/h. Manual shifting helps a bit and you can even have fun dropping back to second in an attempt to balance the car through a series of tight bends.
Compare that with the manual which will do 53km/h flat out in first and 93km/h in second. Even allowing for a tricky 2-3 upshift, the manual 2.0-litre will run to 100km/h in round nine seconds where the auto takes closer to 11.

Published fuel consumption figures are confusingly diverse. A couple of magazines could not do worse than 9L/100km and averaged mid-7s but some testers with automatics couldn’t get a ‘best’ figure below 9.2. The fuel tank takes 55 litres which is more than most models in the Small Car class.

USED VEHICLE GRADING
?Design & Function: 14/20
?Safety: 10/20?
Practicality: 15/20
?Value for Money: 16/20
?Wow Factor: 8/20
?SCORE: 63/100

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