Love the 2013, HATE the 2017 Elantra
Almost everything about the 2013 Elantra Limited is perfect. It's extremely agile and perfect for city driving. The features are phenomenal (leather, sunroof, heated seats, easy to use manual [not electronic] dash controls). But honestly, I got the 2013 Elantra mainly for its the style and design. It's literally a head-turner, with the most futuristic styling both inside and out. I always thought I'd trade in my 2013 lease for a 2017 lease or purchase. NOPE. I don't understand why Hyundai purposefully cheapened the look of the Elantra, both inside and out. For example, the gorgeous accent line that runs through the door handles on the 2013 Elantra has been moved down several inches, thereby missing the handles entirely by several inches. It really looks like the designers missed their mark, but they didn't care to fix it. It looks really sloppy.
The interior of the 2017 is even worse. All the chrome finishes that gave the center console an expensive/futuristic look on the 2013 model have been replaced with very cheap black plastic, circa 1990. WHY?
The climate controls (temperature and strength of fan), which used to come in elegant, stacked knobs, are now 2 separate knobs -- thereby wasting space.
They unfairly took away the sunroof on the Limited, forcing you to buy a MUCH more expensive navigation package if you want a sunroof now. (This is a HUGE rip-off. No one uses nav packages anymore, everyone uses their smartphones to navigate. It's not worth $2,500.)
And the new steering wheel is particularly hideous. I really miss the gorgeous, curved lines of the controls on my 2013 steering wheel. (They were super ergonomical, too.) But again, the expensive-looking chrome and gorgeous design were replaced with cheap black plastic and painfully predictable, boxy controls that you'd expect to see in super cheap econo-boxes.
I always thought I would buy another Elantra after I'm done with my 2013, but I will never, ever buy a new Hyundai until they stop cheapening the design and go back to the more sophisticated 2013 design. Sad that I'll have to stop buying Hyundai.
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