2013 Elantra GT
Owned 4 years with 12k miles. Was informed of 1 recall which really wasn't a big issue but they took care of it. I drive approximately 12.5k a year.
DRIVING- Cons-The cabin is so loud you could have a conversation with someone in the back seat and not hear a word if there's a lot of debris on the road. Even if there isn't a lot of debris, still loud. This car will SHRED through tires quickly. I get my tires rotated 3+ times a year and new tires 2+ times a year. Pros- quick acceleration if that's your thing. The eco system limits that acceleration so you use a little less gas, responsive braking and abs system, optional but probably barely used Sports mode steering and shifting. Heated seats are a plus too. The headlight lamps are weak. Terrible.
INTERIOR DESIGN - Cons- I'm a tall(6ft, 179lbs) guy so sometimes its uncomfortable driving longer than 45 mins. You can only slide the seat back so far and there isn't a lot of room width wise in the driver seat. The a/c will turn on automatically if you change from torso and foot heat setting to windshield, or to another setting. That is very annoying(first world problems)
Pros- All fabric seats/floors, vinyl dashboard so it's easy to clean but the floors and material in the trunk and rear of the back seats is easily damaged.
Four years and I think the battery is just now starting to die, no major issues. Goes about 5-6k on one oil change. Air cabin filter and air filter replaced min 1x a year. Key fob batteries just died so lasted about 3-4 years before having to get replaced (the batteries)
and reprogrammed(keyfob). The spare tire kit is trash do yourself a favor and throw it out get a real jack and get a back up rim and tire for same price from the junk yard or get the roadside assistance if you're a patient person. Broke it the first time I needed it and a new one frim the dealership is unreasonably priced. I choose to get an actual rim and tire with real jack saved a ton of money.
The car is Korean so big hit to your wallet when making repairs. These parts don't come easy or cheap. A Mirror is $300....Just the mirror.
The WORSE parts of the car is the terrible gas milage, 21-35mpg with a median of 25mpg over four years and cost which was 20k+ when I bought it, which was not worth it at the time nor in the long run considering my lifestyle. The car is less than 3k lbs and has about 150hp(horsepower) but gets TERRIBLE gas mileage. And the cost of parts are too expensive, I could've bought a BMW and got my moneys worth. There was a top class lawsuit about the gas mileage.
Would be decent for a college student but the gas destroys that option. It handles wonderfully and hardly has performance issues.
The BEST thing about the car is that it has held its value still being worth 7-12k four years later. With anywhere from 20k-70k miles.
UNFORTUNATELY, I would never recommend this car to someone. It is still behind its competitors despite having little to no mechanical issues. A car this light should have better gas milage hands down. The tire issue is insane and could really cost someone. $90 per tire, 2 for the front, 3x a year easily. Thats $2,160 on tires in just 4 years. At $540 a year. No to mention labor. Holding its value is okay but it comes short of being something I'd want to hold onto as a 10year+ car. I'd give it a 5/10 mainly because of the MSRP and gas issue.