My first Hyundai
It's still WA-AAY too early to tell about things like reliability and how the overall car will hold up. Two of my last three cars had a total of 300,000 miles. The third was covered under the Lemon Law bur I still put 10,000 miles on in less than a year. Including the nearly two months it sat in the shop. A friend, who happens to be a Hyundai mechanic, suggested I take a good look at Hyundai. I was very impressed. I was previously judging Hyundai by a long-ago co-worker's first-gen Excell. My bad.
So far gas milage is in the upper twenties to low thirties in city driving and upper thirties to forties highway. While it does not carve up the twisties like a fine sports sedan, 1) it's not that far off and 2) it's nowhere near the price of a fine sports sedan. While I have not yet had it on an all-day drive, the seats don't seem to be fatiguing, but the road noise at speed seems a bit much on some road surfaces, like macadam. For my driving style, the power is fine. I really like the way the Tiptronic is handled. Very easy to understand and use.
Now for the down side. The gas and temperature gauges GOTTA GO! If you can't do an actual pointer, at least a single ribbon style. The rear head restraints block a large portion of an already meager view to the rear. Perhaps Volvo-style 'donut' head restraints might work. And I HATE the way all four doors plus the hatch unlock when the ignition key is removed. There are certain neighborhoods that could be VERY hazardous. If the Sport trim for the hatch is listed as having a center armrest with storage, why not offer it as an accessory on the SE? Finally, why is the hatch several inches shorter than the sedan? It would be nice to have the extra room back there.
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Verified Owner
