2008 Hyundai Elantra Manchester NH

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2008 Hyundai Elantra Design

The Elantra received a lot of careful design work, and could pass for being seamless. At the front and rear fascia, the seams are so tight that the body appears to be one piece, until you look very closely. That quality fitting also reveals itself in the smooth opening and closing of the doors.

The Elantra's good looks move this Korean compact car toward the world of the stylish. Its sculpture is clean, with a high beltline running along at the body-colored door handles. It's got a subtle face, with trapezoidal headlamps having rounded edges, leading down and in to a cup-shaped grille with three simple chrome bars. At the bottom of the fascia is a long, slim air intake with two bars. It lacks definitive fender flares because it doesn't need them; the Elantra doesn't shout to be seen. The wheel covers, which are silver plastic on the GLS, look good from a distance.

2008 Hyundai Elantra Lineup

The 2008 Hyundai Elantra comes in two trim levels, GLS and SE, both of which use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Buyers have a choice between five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission for each trim level.

The GLS is the most basic and comes standard with power steering, power locks, windows and keyless entry, power heated mirrors, tinted glass, a 60/40 split rear folding seat with access to the trunk, and 15-inch wheels with full-size plastic wheel covers. The Preferred Package for the GLS includes things that most car buyers consider necessary: air conditioning, AM/FM/CD six-speaker sound system, cruise control and foglamps. XM Satellite Radio is built into the sound system.

The SE is the sporty model and includes all the options in the GLS Preferred Package, plus a telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, and 16-inch alloy wheels with wider profile tires. A Premium Package includes a power sunroof and heated front seats. Another Premium package adds leather seating surfaces (and replaces last year's Limited model).

Interior of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra

The 2008 Hyundai Elantra is larger than pre-2007 models, making for a roomier car than the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. The added width and height increased the Elantra's cabin volume to 112.1 cubic feet, among the best in the compact class.

The front seats are quite comfortable, with good bolstering, and the standard beige cloth is smooth though unexciting. There's an especially large dead pedal to support the driver's left foot.

The blue backlighting of the gauges has a youthful spirit, and makes the driver feel like it's a cool car. The arcs of the speedo and tach are a thin blue line, with red needles pointing the way.

The radio control knobs are blessedly simple, like radio knobs should be. But we didn't care for the trim on the dash; imagine a silver plastic golf ball.

In the rear, the 35 inches of leg room is a half-inch more than the Civic and Sentra, and 1.5 inches less than the 2009 Corolla, give or take a tenth. But the Elantra has good hip room.

Elantra has a large trunk. For carrying cargo, the rear seatbacks fold down to allow a pass-through into the trunk. However, the opening isn't vast like the Nissan Sentra's.

Handling of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra

The Hyundai Elantra offers spirited handling. We drove it like we stole it, pushing it harder than it was ever meant to be pushed over twisting bumpy roads, which is not something you would or necessarily should do with a compact car. The Elantra is surprisingly, pleasantly, game, however. When pushed beyond its limits, it didn't do anything unpredictable or dangerous.

One thing it doesn't do, surprisingly, is plow the front tires when you stand on the gas in a slow corner. We're not suggesting you drive like that, but we do test like that, because such extremes reveal limits, in this case capabilities of the suspension. It's a rare front-wheel-drive compact car that can pass this test. The Elantra will spin the inside front wheel, but it keeps turning around the corner instead of sliding straight ahead. The suspension engineers have done something right, in the front end of the Elantra.

The Elantra is softer all around than the sportier Nissan Sentra or Mazda3. The ride is good, although after a couple hours on a bad freeway, the sharp bumps will wear on you. Overall, it's a good fit for someone who just wants good transportation without attitude. It asks less involvement from the driver than those other two.

Conclusion

The Hyundai Elantra offers a roomy interior for the class, a good package of safety equipment, and a strong warranty. Redesigned for 2007, the styling holds its own in the class; it looks very clean but doesn't try to draw attention to itself. The seats are comfortable, the brakes are excellent, and cornering capability is good, making it enjoyable to drive. The engine offers the latest four-cylinder technology; it can power the Elantra to 80 miles per hour without much effort and delivers good fuel economy when driven conservatively. With a price that's lower than most other compact cars, the Elantra is a worthy competitor in the class.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com