2007 Hyundai Elantra Review

Hyundai Elantra – Review: Every graduating class has one; the kid who lacks the looks, the smarts, and the personality to make it amongst the in-crowd. Therefore, it's amazing to discover that the well-dressed, well-educated, and personable center of attention at your 20-year reunion is that same forgettable kid. Two decades can represent a complete turnaround. Just ask Hyundai, once a company represented by the ironically-named Excel and now a legitimate Honda competitor. Time has been good to Hyundai, but this Korean powerhouse has worked hard to improve its products, expand its lineup, and deliver what the American car buyer desires. The results shine in models like the redesigned Elantra, a comfortable midsize sedan with features that belie its value-priced sticker.

What We Drove

We spent a week and roughly 600 miles behind the wheel of a 2007 Hyundai Elantra SE, which means our time, and thus this review, cover the mid-level model. To save some cash, buyers can opt for the GLS, or they can spend more and get additional features with the Limited. Our SE arrived with all the standard goodies and little else except for an $85 set of carpeted floor mats. The window sticker read $16,380; Hyundai has since raised prices by $150, so we'd see $16,530 for the same model on the lots today. Testing took place primarily along the highways and city streets of Southern California, though we did sneak away for an afternoon of fun in the local mountains.

Performance

With its 138-horsepower engine (132 horses and PZEV-rated in California and the Northeast), the Elantra feels ready to take on anything the daily commuter can throw its way. Throttle response is well modulated, and when paired with the light-effort clutch makes for effortless green-light launches and smooth operation in stop-and-go situations. The 2.0-liter four-banger eagerly climbs into redline territory, and during our aggressive driving loop proved capable of hanging out there for extended periods without complaint; though it was loud, the engine otherwise maintained a nice level of refinement. Equally impressive was the five-speed stick shift, characterized by slick movements and relatively short throws. We recorded 24.8 mpg overall, but that reflects some hard driving.

Handling

Many buyers want comfort handling, but truth be told, that's a hard package to deliver. In the case of the Elantra, the comfortable ride comes at the price of sporty handling. The steering remains light at all speeds and is too quick in reacting to input, but you'll never feel taxed when trying to navigate through traffic at slow speeds. The suspension absorbs most bumps well, though with its notable body roll the Elantra throws in the towel early on tight corners. That represents a point when you'd expect the 16-inch Kumho tires to squeal; they do, but only when you're on the very threshold of traction. Braking is great until the pads heat up, at which time they start to shudder.

Visibility

Though the rear pillars are a bit wide, they feature small inset windows that offer an extra glimpse of what's going on when merging. The rear window is set at an angle, which restricts the rearward view, but three retractable headrests help to make the most of rearward visibility. Same goes for the large exterior mirrors and expansive side glass. The B-pillars are narrow enough so as not to be a problem when checking for lane changes, but the base of the A-pillar is on the wide side.

Fun to Drive

Despite the soft suspension and the fact that this little rig has less then 140 horses under the hood, we actually had some fun driving it. Under everyday conditions, the smooth powertrain made for stress-free navigating, and became second nature after only a few miles. The fun came into play when wringing the engine out on highway ramps, and when repeatedly tickling redline up in the twisty mountains. Even the brakes, which started shuddering after a good dose of abuse, never lost their effectiveness. In short, the 2007 Hyundai Elantra is great at satisfying its daily tasks, and provided you can accept a few weaknesses, is a decent partner for a back road romp.

Front Comfort

For 2007, the Elantra matches its new style and size with an unquestionable focus on comfort. Our mid-level SE model, decked out in standard garb except for some floor mats, offered a surprising array of features designed to make the driver feel right at home. Among them were padded armrests on the doors (plastic) and between the seats (cloth), with leather on the shift knob and the tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and generous amounts of overall room. The driver's seat offered a manual height adjustment, and both front buckets were spacious and supportive. If anything, the chairs could use additional side bolstering. We also suggest a little padding on the doors and lower center console, areas that rub uncomfortably against the driver's knees in hard turns.

Rear Comfort

This is a spot where your friends and carpool buddies will be comfortable. Well, at least two of them will be, assuming they don't have extra long legs that cause their knees to rub against the hard center sections of the front seatbacks. Get past that though, and they'll find plenty of head and foot room, a soft fold-down center armrest with a couple of cupholders, three adjustable padded headrests, and lightly padded armrests on the doors. The cushions on the split bench are much like those up front, meaning they're firm and supportive; the seatbacks are set at a comfortable recline angle.

Interior Noise

Interior noise is one area where the Elantra SE's low price becomes less surprising. The outside noise penetrating the cabin isn't horrible, but with the pronounced road rumble there's no question regarding this Hyundai's economy car status. What's more intrusive is the engine. At highway speeds the tachometer is registering about 3,000 rpm, a number that's pretty common, but in the Elantra sounds more like 4,000 rpm. At that point, what's going on under the hood is forced to the forefront of the driver's mind. That being said, the tires, usual culprits when it comes to offensive interior noise, remain largely quiet, emitting only the slightest chirp when pushed to their limits.

Loading Cargo

The 2007 Hyundai Elantra is a midsize car, and as such, offers a spacious trunk. Thanks to a reasonable liftover height and wide opening, lifting and fitting large and bulky items into the cargo hold shouldn't be much of an issue, though make sure the lid hinges don't crunch your goods. The trunk is lined, except for the lid, and features two release tabs for each side of the split rear seat: Pull the tabs, and then walk around to the interior and fold each seat section. The seatbacks are covered in hard plastic, which means you won't need to fear ripping fabric when sliding in large items.

Build Quality

Even under our strict scrutiny, our Hyundai Elantra SE tester wasn't willing to fork over one build quality issue. We checked the gaps around the hood and trunk and along the door seams, we checked the flushness of the head and taillights, tugged on every interior bit we could grasp, and even rolled it over to see if anything shook loose. Yes, that last bit was a joke, though all the other stuff is true. If the Elantra has any secret build quality issues, we didn't unearth them.