18 Elantra GT
The 2018 Elantra GT is a surprising car in its class. It delivers a higher quality of comfort and design than what would be expected to come from Hyundai.
The primary car I would compare the Elantra to would be the Civic from Honda. The GT Sport that I own would be closest to a Civic SI. Comparing the two the civic is louder in design and characteristic however the Elantra is by far the most mature. It comes at a better price point and the fact that it has physical HVAC controls, instead of burying them in a touch screen menu, is one of the largest swing points for me buying the car over it's competitor. The engines have similar peppy characteristics. However the elantra definitely comes with a better exhaust note.
The weaknesses of the car would be the clutch, the non-premium sound system, and the center storage compartment.
The clutch is extremely light, grabs quickly, and inconsistently. Aggressive driving is rewarded with the smell of burning clutch material. It doesn't slip but it isn't happy that it's being driven hard. Along the line of this the hill assist can't be turned off and if you're not used to it will cause you to stall the car rather than go.
The sound system must be EQ'd with a heavy amount of base and mid boost not to sound tinny and cheap. Once done it does sound pretty decent for a factory 6 speaker system.
The only issue with the center storage compartment in the dash below the HVAC controls is that the feedback for when you've pressed the door hard enough to open and close it is non-existent. I constantly feel like I'm going to break it and often won't push it hard enough for it to work.
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Verified Owner
