‘08 Chicago: Hyundai Elantra Touring Live Shots
In addition to launching its anticipated new Sonata, Hyundai Motors also revealed the cool five-door version of its entry-level model here at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2009 Elantra Touring.
The compact wagon looks to be a smart and attractive package for a buyer who’s looking for space and versatility, without sacrificing fuel economy, and without spending a whole lot either.
The Elantra five-door comes well loaded with power windows, an adjustable driver’s seat, XM radio, and a remote keyless entry system. Buyers can also look forward to a 2.0-liter four that pushes out a respectable 141 horsepower, while retaining the peace of mind that comes with ABS and electronic stability control.
We’re quite fond of the Touring’s looks too, but then we’re bigger fans of small wagons than most. Tell us what you think of the new Hyundai, by posting your opinions in comments.
(Click on the thumbnails below to check out live and stock galleries of the Elantra Touring, or through the jump to read Hyundai's official press release.)
FUEL-EFFICENT 2009 HYUNDAI ELANTRA TOURING ARRIVES IN UNITED STATES
CHICAGO, February 6, 2008 – Hyundai Motor America took the wraps off its Elantra Touring five-door compact at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show today. Making its United States debut, the all-new 2009 Elantra Touring is a sportier, more functional variant of Hyundai’s popular Elantra sedan, and is slated to hit dealerships by the end of the year. Elantra Touring is based on the i30 CW model that was designed for the European market.
“The all-new Elantra Touring is a fun-to-drive, functional five-door,
Comments
Corco16446
That's a neat little car right there. Looks good.
Cicero
Hope it sells well, I know a lot of people say it looks like the Mazda 3 hatchback, but this Hyundai will stand out with its features and options, it fits in well since the Rio and Spectra offer hatch versions so it figures the Elantra would get one
Jonathan Fung
Long press releases embedded in the RSS feed are the devil (although I've been seeing it less recently.) And the car looks nice, although it seems to be very derivative of some of Mazda's vehicles.
vimax
Wow that's a cool little car... Looks pretty futuristic... Makes you wonder how cars will look in 2012?
Austin
Nice ashtray!?!
[OK...any idea why they included the glamour shot of the ashtray?]
Peter
Takes over from the Ford Focus, no wonder Ford has problems
Jeb
That's some serious triangulation going on there. This is the car for people who like the Mazda 3s but don't care about horsepower and want to save money.
ziggy
Hope they don't price it too high like Kia did with the Rondo. Keep it around 16k and it will sell well. Wagons and hatchbacks can sell well in the U.S if they are priced right.
Oollyoumn
I like it, but I also have an unhealthy propensity for small wagons. Fortunately wagon, even small ones, are making a comeback.
iSpec
This is not based on the current Elantra platform but on the Europeon designed C'eed and is the Hyundai i30 in Europe. It has won alot of awards over very well known vehicles from Volkswagen and Honda just to name a few. Unlike the the US spec Elantra, this vehicle has much improved driving dynamics but maintains the very high build quality Hyundai is becoming known for.
Mike F
Looks 100% better than the elantra sedan with that stupid wavy sheetmetal crease.
Besides the exterior stlying of the sedan, I really liked that car at the auto show, probably as much any other small vehicle there. If the sedan gets updated to match the style of this wagon, and if the driving dymanmics are as good as iSpec suggests, Hyundai will be doing very well for itself in the small car segment
smokefreak2003
I wish they made an Accent 5 door hatch. As a Hyundai owner, I happen to be a little worried that Hyundai/Kia are doing too much of a GM-esque platform sharing. Especially with this new Elantra. Up until the 2006 model year, most Hyundais and Kias were different cars except for the siminalirites in the Optima and Sonata. However that is better for Kia, becuase if you ever tried to do self-maintenance on a pre 2006 Kia Rio or Spectra, you will see that unlike Hyundai, Kia's engine components are very poorly engineered as in the placement of things. Putting a water Pmup on top of an alternator is just asking for trouble. And to boot, the A/C lines are on top of the water pump and alternator, so in the summer when the condensation of the A/C lines drips on to the alternator, then you have a problem as the years go by.
smokefreak2003
Hyundai on the other hand has almost always made logical engineering choices in their post 1994 cars in the placement of engine components. However, people can say all they want about Hyundai, but I do see 250,000-350,000 mile Excels still roaming around. As you guys remember, the Excels reputation still haunts Hyundai today. Also, as a second Hyundai owner who used to own a 1998 Accent, it is still hard to find parts for the car in a junkyard after 10 years of existence, while you can find an ample amount of 1998-2001 Civic parts in a junk yard.
Dog Guy
This looks like the perfect replacement for my 85K mile PT Cruiser. Lot better gas mileage,iPOd ready, and electronic stability control to boot. Perfect vehicle for a dog owner.
Note: this is not the same car as the i30 sold in Europe. The sheetmetal is different from behind the rear door back. The wheelbase is 2 inches longer, and the car is 9 inches longer overall. The American version (Elantra Touring) has much better cargo capacity than the Mazda3.
hydrogen3
It is an i30 CW. All I can think of is Carriage/Compact Wagon. The HVAC controls are different, but otherwise it is mostly the i30. Only without the CRDi and 6-spd, fuel economy will not sell this car when compared to more popular hybrids or similar feature rich hatches. If anything ship a few i30 euro diesels... they should sell better than the tiburon, while still providing a stock performer.
Also whats with the 4-spd auto... there's over-drive on these right? The VW guage cluster seems to make the car a standard. Hyundai is awesome with the included options, and full warranty. I think they could be the first manufacturer to support B100.
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