2013 Hyundai Elantra GT: More Attractive, Less Practical

Ever worth-conscious, Hyundai is seeking to conserve money on badges for its latest 5-door Elantra. Why else adjust the title from Elantra Touring to the revived Elantra GT moniker? The new hatchback makes its debut at the 2012 Chicago automobile display alongside a two-door Elantra

Greater and Smaller at the Very same Time

Name change aside, the 2nd-generation Elantra 5-door is once again an Americanized Hyundai i30. Hyundai points out that the Elantra GT will have a lot more passenger and cargo room than all of its five-door rivals, preserve for the recently enlarged Subaru Impreza. It fails to mention, even so, that people numbers are down from the last car. That is partly since the new i30—and, as a end result, this GT—loses its upright, wagon-style rear finish it’s shorter in length and height, rides on a shorter wheelbase, and is slightly wider than the vehicle it replaces. Seats-folded cargo capability is down by 14.3 cubic feet to a even now-competitive 51. All told, it is a great deal far more desirable than the outgoing automobile and fits in properly with the rest of the Elantra lineup.

In spot of the little diesels and gas engines provided in the European i30, the U.S.-market GT uses the identical 1.8-liter four-cylinder as our Elantra sedan it tends to make 148 hp and 131 lb-ft of torque. The common transmission is a six-speed manual, while a six-speed car is optional. Hyundai estimates that either transmission will accomplish 28 city mpg and 39 on the highway in EPA tests—both measures are one mpg lower than the Elantra sedan’s. This is a single location exactly where the GT has a big edge over the 2012 Elantra Touring, which was rated at maximums of 23 mpg city and 31 highway.

Created in South Korea, European-Influenced

Hyundai says the GT will get a sportier base suspension tune than the sedan, and that an even a lot more enthusiast-targeted setup is readily available for the hatch as element of the Fashion package deal. The electric electrical power-steering method, while equivalent to the sedan’s, adds driver-selectable modes Comfort, Normal, and Sport settings offer variable assist and create-up traits.

The Elantra GT, which will be constructed in South Korea, includes standard Hyundai-degree standard gear: a six-speaker stereo with iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, power anything, and Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics technique. Uplevel functions this kind of as leather, a panoramic sunroof, and navigation (bundled with a hideaway rearview digital camera) will be optional.

Precise pricing will be announced prior to the GT goes on sale this summer season, but you can assume a base sticker near the present car’s, which is $ 16,770. Assuming this new hatch can match or boost upon the competent Touring’s dynamics, it should then be a decent value in each and every measure but volume per dollar.

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