Hyundai’s new Elantra Touring is a truly unique vehicle — a cross between a compact sedan along with a mid-size wagon. Originally designed for sale in Europe, the Elantra Touring is already making its way here to the States — and your author is thinking seriously about purchasing one. Is the Hyundai Elantra Touring the road-going Swiss Army Knife I’ve been looking for? Read on. $18,495 base, $20,415 as tested, EPA fuel economy estimates 23 MPG city, 30-31 MPG highway.

First Glance: One size fits all

Larger photos: Front – rear – all photos

The Elantra Touring is of particular interest to me because I’ve been thinking about buying someone to replace our aging Honda Accord wagon. My wife and I like cars that are sporty and small, but we need a back seat large enough for our rapidly-growing kids (my older the first is well on his strategy to 6 feet plus) plus a cargo bay that’s big (for my wife’s massage table) and straightforward to load (for her dodgy back). That rules out small hatchbacks like the Mazda3 and Subaru Impreza. We’ve been spoiled by the reliability of three Hondas, and we want something that we can run past 150,000 miles without costing a huge amount of money to take care of. And it has to get heated seats… blame my wife’s dodgy back again.

So I’ve had my attention on the Elantra Touring every since I reached take a quick spin in a single a few months back. Though it’s related to the Elantra sedan, the Elantra Touring was actually developed for Europe, where it’s sold as being the i30 Estate. Here in the States, there’s nothing that can match the Elantra Touring — it feels like a compact in the beginning, a mid-size sedan in between, and a small wagon out back. Size-wise it fits our needs, and it’s within our price range — $18,495 to begin with, which includes A/C, CD stereo, cruise control, and power everything. Heated seats come as part of a choice package, bundled with bigger wheels (link goes to photo) and a sunroof (the Premium Sport Package) for $1,500. We’d probably take a pass on that, even though you may also get an automatic transmission for $800. Up to now, so good…

In the Driver’s Seat: Strong on space, weak on ambiance

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring dashboard

Elantra Touring’s dashboard is well organized, but cheap materials let it down

Photo © Aaron Gold

Larger interior photo

The Elantra Touring’s interior proportions function as well in reality as they do in theory. The kids and dog had plenty of room from the back seat, and Robin’s massage table fit into the cargo bay without the need to fold down the back seats. The truth is, I managed to pack the Elantra Touring with everything we needed for a five-day vacation — two suitcases, knocked-down dog kennel, favorite stuffed animals and blankets, and my ever-present backpack — it all fit with room to spare.

Versatile it is, but luxurious it isn’t. The Elantra Touring’s interior appears like Hyundai bought the materials available for sale — cheap, shiny black plastic on the dash, thin fabric on the seats, and a notable lack of sound insulation. Driving the Elantra Touring brought me returning to my college days — not in the I-have-no-obligations-no-responsibilities-and-I-live-in-a-co-ed-dorm-surrounded-by-beautiful-open-minded-women sense, nevertheless in the I-have-no-money-and-can’t-afford-a-decent-car sense.

Ah, co-ed dorms…

Er, sorry. Anyway, the dash isn’t the only culprit — the cargo bay is lined with some sort of weapons-grade felt that scuffs and scars easily. My car had just a few thousand miles on the clock, and it already looked like it had participated in the Berlin airlift. How could it last to decade of the constant loading and unloading of massage stuff, dog stuff, horse stuff and kid items that our Accord wagon handles so well?

On your way: Civicesque

The Elantra Touring shares its 138 horsepower two-liter engine with the Elantra sedan. Our tester possessed a five-speed stick-shift, and my spouse Robin described it as “”powerful enough to keep me happy”” — no small compliment from a lead-foot like her. But I know from experience with the Elantra sedan that the optional automatic — a well used-tech four-speed unit — puts a bit of a damper on mid-range acceleration.

Fully loaded for our vacation, the Elantra Touring had no problem keeping pace on the highway. Its EPA fuel economy ratings of 23 MPG city and 31 MPG highway aren’t very promising, but I did better in the city — around 27 MPG. On the highway, our test car managed just over 30 MPG — more than acceptable considering we had five on board plus an almost-full cargo bay.

The Elantra Touring’s fun-to-drive factor wasn’t as high as I expected, although to be fair, I may have been expecting a lot of — it is, after all, based on a European-market car. The Elantra Touring definitely has Euro-skills; it grips the road well, the steering is very precise, the suspension keeps its composure whatever you throw at it, and it includes electronic stability control as standard. The ride is firm, but not uncomfortable, even though engine is extremely noisy. I was hoping for the excitement of the Mazda3 or even Hyundai’s own Accent SE, and also the Elantra Touring isn’t quite there, though it’s more enjoyable to drive compared to Toyota Corolla/Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe. It reminded me a lot of the Honda Civic — very agile, hardly very involving.

Journey’s End: Second thoughts

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring left-rear view

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

Photo © Aaron Gold

When the Elantra Touring arrived, I thought I had found my next new car. But after a week of testing, I’m having second thoughts. Size-wise, the Elantra Touring is perfect — it offers enough back seat and cargo space, and it’s smaller and easier to park than our Accord. If it’s not quite the sports car I had been hoping for, it’s better to drive, even. I really like the mix of power and fuel economy. And it has heated seats. But the noisy engine and low-rent dash give it an affordable-car persona that’s a real turn-off. I think the Elantra Touring is a good value for what you receive, but I don’t want to spend $20,000 and feel like I’m driving a $12,000 car. And I have my doubts that the materials lining the Elantra Touring’s cargo bay is capable of holding up to the rigors of life using the Gold family.

Unfortunately, the Elantra Touring has few good rivals. The VW Jetta SportWagen is the next best thing. I’m concerned about long-term reliability, even though it offers features the Hyundai doesn’t, like leather seats and navigation. The Subaru Outback is my number two choice, but we’d have to pay about $3,000 more to get the features we want. The dark horse is the Toyota Venza — it’s spot-on for interior space and contains a big four cylinder engine that returns reasonable fuel economy. Nonetheless its $27k starting pricing is more than I’d like to pay, and my wife has an aversion to SUVs.

So we’re back at square one: The Hyundal Elantra Touring is the best car for our needs.

Hmm.

Maybe we can squeeze a couple more years out from the Accord.