Topic: My new ride - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring GLS

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Congrats on the Elantra Touring! Am happy to see alloys are now part of the GLS package, unlike in the past.

My parents still enjoy their GLS Sport (a few minor issues aside), and wish you a good experience as well so the Sonata 2.0T can be in your driveway next.

[SaskSpecV]

tell me about this dog barrier, where did you get it, how much was it?...we have 3 dogs we like to take to the dog park and while they don't hop the seat, it might be nice to "box them in".

Here's a couple of pics of the dog barrier (low res for the web, so you can't zoom in much).  It's a "Pet Lodge" dog barrier, my wife said she got it from PetSmart or PetLand or PetCetera or something.  She seems to think it was around $60 or so.  Here's a link to the product - not where we got it from, but same thing.  I didn't attach the adjustable "wings" to the barrier, you can see from the pictures that the main portion takes up enough space.  The dog can't squeeze around the barrier, but they would be useful for a wider vehicle.
http://www.petvetsupply.com/peqmmil085.html
I didn't install it at a 90 degree angle to the floor, doing so causes some loss of room behind the rear seats (due to the angle of the rear seatback).  Instead I angled the barrier along with the reat seats.  The dog loses a little head room in the hatch this way (but not much), and I can use the whole length of the cargo floor.  Being at an angle, the adjustable barrier legs aren't 100% secure as the top of the barrier can slide back and forth a little (probably not an issue, but it could be in case of an accident).  That's why the bungee cord is used - I wrapped it around the head rests so the barrier is held in place securely both vertically and horizontally.  It's not going anywhere now.  And if I want to fold the seat, just remove the bungee cord, shorten the legs on the barrier, and done.  We can get our mutt (45 lbs) and my buddy's 100 lb lab back there without any problem.  No dog hair on the back seat - woo hoo!  And the mud stays on the cargo mat!

[dirtyjeffer]

interesting...thanks for the details.

[alsonot]

for those who are curious, i set the cruise on at 110 km/hr in 5th gear and the engine speed was 3000 RPMs...a little higher than i am used to, but it was still rather quiet in the cabin...i recall the Sonata with 6 speed auto was around 1800 RPM at 100 km/hr, so the extra gear can really make a difference...i suppose one advantage may be that you won't have to downshift for hills or passing...fuel economy is still holding at 8.0L/100 kms (it dropped a couple of points on the short highway ride this morning)...pretty decent for a new car.

Thanks for posting! I'm really interested as i'm considering buying one, and spend 95% of my time at high highway speeds on the 407. I find the 3000 a bit scary, and I drive somewhat faster than that for at least 2 hrs a day. Can you confirm that's accurate?

I did some legwork and it looks like the 2011 4-spd auto has a lower gear ration than 5th in the 5-spd manual!  That shocked me, as I figured it'd be the other way round. Now I think it matches what you're 3000RPM @ 110km/hr, and I'm wondering if the auto would be much better at high speeds???

Can anyone enlighten me, does that mean the 4spd .71 ratio vs. 5spd .78 would have a meaningful effect on long highway drives?

Sorry to hi-jack your post, i'd appreciate any notable updates though! I'm still excited, but don't want to make a mistake if this just isn't he car for me.

[Julie]

Congrats!  Glad you were able to get the color you wanted!  It looks nice.

[dirtyjeffer]

Thanks for posting! I'm really interested as i'm considering buying one, and spend 95% of my time at high highway speeds on the 407. I find the 3000 a bit scary, and I drive somewhat faster than that for at least 2 hrs a day. Can you confirm that's accurate?

I did some legwork and it looks like the 2011 4-spd auto has a lower gear ration than 5th in the 5-spd manual!  That shocked me, as I figured it'd be the other way round. Now I think it matches what you're 3000RPM @ 110km/hr, and I'm wondering if the auto would be much better at high speeds???

Can anyone enlighten me, does that mean the 4spd .71 ratio vs. 5spd .78 would have a meaningful effect on long highway drives?

Sorry to hi-jack your post, i'd appreciate any notable updates though! I'm still excited, but don't want to make a mistake if this just isn't he car for me.

the RPM numbers i posted are accurate...while it is "high" for what i am used to, it seems to be done by other brands as well (a lot of asian imports seem to "rev high" on the highway, including Honda products)...i don't do a lot of highway driving, so it is a non-issue to me, and honestly, it wasn't "bad" or anything...the "good" part of it is the engine is in a good operating speed, so if you need to pass a vehicle, you are already in the power band of the engine and can simply give it gas and go without needing to downshift or anything...cabin noise (with relation to the engine) is probably no louder than other vehicles...it is simply that most of my vehicles have revved around 2000-2300 at those speeds, so i noticed the higher revs immediately...i would suggest you take one for a test drive, and take it onto the highway at speed to see if it is an issue for you...regarding the gearing, the lower the number, the lower the RPMs...but you can't simply go by that alone, as fewer gears and a lower gear ratio might also make the car feel "slower" as the ratios are further apart and a taller top gear may make the car feel "lethargic" on the highway if you try and pass anyone...at the end of the day, it's a $20k compact car, not a sports sedan, so i wouldn't be overly concerned about sportiness, etc...go with what you find most acceptable.

[dirtyjeffer]

it seems people are doing 1 year updates, and since the 1 year mark is coming up soon for this one, i thought i might as well update mine too.

no issues have popped up, the car has been 100% trouble free...it still looks and drives as good as the day we bought it...fuel economy has settled down to the low-mid 7s in almost exclusive city driving...highway driving will see it drop to low 6s...i actually played around with the radio a bit and found out where the bass/treble settings were (thought it only had preset EQ settings, which it also has) and i find the radio is actually fairly decent in it...hooked up a nano to it with a $5 earphone cable into the Aux jack...it doesn't have iPod controls though, so i just put it on random...the bluetooth feature works quite well, although does look like an "add-on", but the fact it works well is more important.

i see they still have really good rates on this car (minor trim/model changes for 2012), so for anyone looking for a really good practical vehicle, take a look at one of these...lots of space, plenty of decent features, easy to drive, affordable to own (gas, insurance, finance rates, etc) and a great warranty (just in case).

if anyone has any questions about anything specific, fire away and i will try my best to answer them.

[DomD]

How hard was it to find the bass/treble settings?  Is it explained in the manual?

I also have my nano hooked up to the aux.  In the P5 I used a wireless transmitter/charger which I will keep in the car for longer trips just to charge the ipod.

[redman]

Congrats on your car. I'm excited about the new 2013 Elantra GT coming, as I prefer it's lines especially the rear of the GT model.

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-hyundai-elantra-gt-chicago-2012/#photo-4807230/

[5 Wheel Drive]

Congrats on the new wheels!   

[dirtyjeffer]

How hard was it to find the bass/treble settings?  Is it explained in the manual?

I also have my nano hooked up to the aux.  In the P5 I used a wireless transmitter/charger which I will keep in the car for longer trips just to charge the ipod.

i can't remember how to do it now, but i think it may have been done using the "right knob" by pressing it and selecting through it...it might be in the manual, but who reads those anyway. 

i remember when we first got the car, we thought the radio was marginal at best, but after adjusting its settings, it is actually fairly decent...although, it still looks kind of low end...not a big deal considering the cost of the car, but the nicer looking radio in the GLS Sport was tempting, although not worth it for the almost $3k price premium (also gave larger rims/tires and a sunroof, neither of which we cared about).

[dirtyjeffer]

Congrats on your car. I'm excited about the new 2013 Elantra GT coming, as I prefer it's lines especially the rear of the GT model.

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-hyundai-elantra-gt-chicago-2012/#photo-4807230/

looks nice, but part of the allure of the ET is its space...the ET is much larger inside than that Elantra GT...in fact, it looks marginally larger than an Accent.

[laspalmas]

Congrats DirtyJ! You'll get lots of trouble-free miles on this car I'm sure - and welcome to the Hyundai family 

[dirtyjeffer]

Congrats DirtyJ! You'll get lots of trouble-free miles on this car I'm sure - and welcome to the Hyundai family 

thanks...but keep in mind, this thread is a year old.

i've been a part of the hyundai family for a while now.

[laspalmas]

Congrats DirtyJ! You'll get lots of trouble-free miles on this car I'm sure - and welcome to the Hyundai family 

thanks...but keep in mind, this thread is a year old.

i've been a part of the hyundai family for a while now.

Geez, I never even looked....

[dirtyjeffer]

no worries...and hey, let me welcome YOU to the Hyundai family.

[laspalmas]

no worries...and hey, let me welcome YOU to the Hyundai family.

No, once again I welcome you - I got a '05 Tucson in late 2004 

[dirtyjeffer]

no worries...and hey, let me welcome YOU to the Hyundai family.

No, once again I welcome you - I got a '05 Tucson in late 2004 

DOH!

well then, i feel welcomed.

[airbalancer]

Somepeople need to get with the program