First Drive Review
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Elantra virtues minus two doors.
The coupe designation has been blurred by the marketing minions, but we ordinarily understand it to describe a car with two doors and a formal trunk. Beyond that, we tend to perceive coupes as sexier than their sedan equivalents, with a suggestion of more performance.
The sexier part of this perception is true of the new Hyundai Elantra coupe. Its four-door sibling is already one of the more eye-catching members of the compact crowd, and subtracting a set of doors adds a little more visual zing to the package. But if you expect a corresponding increase in dynamic zing, you’re likely to be disappointed.
Tale of the Tape
Subtracting a set of doors can be an oversimplification, but not in this case. The exterior dimensions of the two- and four-door versions of the Elantra are essentially identical—wheelbase, width and height. The only distinction is in overall length—at 178.7 inches, the coupe is 0.4 inch longer, which may add a little subliminal drama to its wedgy good looks.
For the coupe’s front passengers, legroom and shoulder room remain the same; head- and hip room drop just slightly. For rear-seat passengers, headroom is the same, at 37.1 inches, but legroom actually increases by 0.2 inch in the two-door, while hip room is up by 0.4 inch (Hyundai says this is due to the absence of the rear door and its normal protuberances like door handles). The sedan’s only real advantage here is its easier rear-seat access. There’s a slight distinction at the scales between the two- and four-door Elantras—the coupe’s curb weights run a few pounds heavier, according to Hyundai—but this is academic.
Hyundai points out that the Elantra coupe has advantages in both passenger and cargo volume versus its two key development targets, the Honda Civic coupe and the Kia Forte Koup, as well as mid-size coupes like the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. (As an aside, it’s also interesting to note that one of the Elantra’s key targets is produced by Hyundai’s Kia sibling.) The Scion tC, a car conspicuous in its absence from Hyundai’s volume discussions, has slightly less interior room but its hatch can swallow three times the cargo of the Elantra’s trunk.
Like the Elantra sedan, the base coupe comes well equipped. For example, standard features on the $18,220 GS include air conditioning, heated front seats, a tilt/telescope steering column, fog lights, 16-inch aluminum wheels, Bluetooth phone connectivity, remote keyless entry, and a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with iPod/USB input jacks. The sportier SE ($20,520) adds firmer suspension tuning, 17-inch wheels, a power sunroof, leather seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, aluminum-clad pedals, and a rear decklid spoiler.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe
BASE PRICE: GS, $18,220; SE, $20,520
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 110 cu in, 1797 cc
Power: 148 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 131 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual or six-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 178.7 in
Width: 69.9 in Height: 56.5 in
Curb weight: 27002900 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 8.59.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.017.6 sec
FUEL ECONOMY (MFR EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 2829/3940 mpg
Continued…