2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring GL Sport. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh

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2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

Oshawa, Ontario – I’ve always been a fan of wagons. I like hatchbacks, but given a choice, I’ll go for a wagon’s smoother profile. They have the hauling capacity of many SUVs, a smaller footprint, better fuel economy and lower prices, all of which add up to a major plus in my book. And my tester this time, the Hyundai Elantra Touring, fills all of those roles very well.

A brand-new model for 2009, the Elantra Touring isn’t just an Elantra sedan with a liftgate, as was the case with the Elantra Hatchback last seen for 2006. Instead, while it shares the Elantra’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and its cockpit looks similar, it’s based on a different platform. It’s also a global design, and is sold as the i30 in Europe, Asia and Australia. Two wheelbase lengths are available overseas, but the North American market only gets one of them, and not surprisingly, it’s the longer version. Models destined for Europe are built in the Czech Republic, but ours come from South Korea.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring GL Sport. Click image to enlarge

It’s also sold here in four trim lines; as per Hyundai’s tradition, the equipment level is fixed and rises for each one, rather than features being available as stand-alone options. The base L comes in at $14,995, the L with Preferred Package is $17,245, the GL is $18,795, and my tester, the GL Sport, is priced at $21,195. The only add-on is a four-speed automatic transmission, which adds $1,200 when it replaces the five-speed stick shift that is the default on all trim lines. That was the case with my vehicle, which came to $22,395 before freight and taxes.

And that price, which undercuts almost all of its competitors, seems more than fair for this trim line, which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, stereo with iPod control, leather-wrapped wheel with audio controls, and a power sunroof, on top of the full range of features – power windows and locks, wiper de-icer, fog lights, heated mirrors, cruise control, cooled glovebox, heated seats, and trip computer — that work their way up through the other trim lines.

If there’s anything to fault, it’s in the fact that while anti-lock brakes and six airbags start at the L with Preferred Package level and continue into the GL range, electronic stability control isn’t available on anything. It’s standard or optional on this vehicle in other markets, including the U.S., but Hyundai Canada said it would have pushed the price too high. Price is indeed a prime factor in this segment, and many of its competitors also lack the feature, but why not be the trendsetter, making it an option if necessary, and letting buyers make the decision?

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring GL Sport. Click image to enlarge

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder, the only engine available in the Touring, produces 138 horsepower and 136 lb-ft of torque. It’s lively enough, even when asked to climb steep hills, but it gets loud when it’s punched hard on the highway. It also has a rough idle that smoothes out when it gets going, but is very evident when sitting at a light. But the automatic shifts smoothly, so much so that it’s barely noticeable, and while there isn’t a manual shift mode, the gated shifter can be dropped into a lower gear when necessary, such as when taking off on slippery surfaces. Official published figures are 8.7 L/100 km in the city and 6.5 on the highway; I averaged 9.0 L/100 in combined driving in cooler weather.

Handling is above-average for the segment. Stiffer and sportier than the Elantra sedan, it takes corners very smoothly, and while the underpinnings are firm, there’s no crashing or banging over potholes or rough roads. The turning circle is very tight, making it easy to work it through tight downtown parking spots, but once on the highway, it holds the centre without the need for constant correction. Steering inputs are handled accurately, and there’s a reassuring weight to the wheel without being too heavy. This may be a simple, basic car, but it’s also a very nice one.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring GL Sport. Click image to enlarge

The controls are also very plain, but that’s the way I like them; you shouldn’t be searching for tiny buttons at highway speeds. The fancier stereo on the Sport includes a large information screen, with blue lighting to match the rest of the instrument lighting, a refreshing change from the cheaper-looking yellow-green that was a previous Hyundai trademark. The window buttons are backlit, but unfortunately, the lock and mirror controls stay dark at night. There are several storage cubbies to handle the small stuff, including one that flips open from the top of the dash.

The seats are very comfortable, and the entire car is roomy, both in the front and back seats, with plenty of headroom even with the Sport Package’s included power sunroof. In the rear seat, low-slung “shingle-style” head restraints improve visibility, and also allow you to fold the seats without having to remove the restraints. Once they’re folded, and they’re just shy of completely flat, they open the cargo compartment from a length of 90 cm with the seats up, to 160 cm when they’re down. There’s enough space that I was able to transport a 20-inch rim and tire that had to make a journey to the shop.

Lift up the load floor, and tucked under it is a hard foam storage bin. But what I really like are the indentations on either side of it that are meant for the roll-up cargo cover. All too often on many cars, should you need to remove the cover from its place above the cargo hold such as when you want to transport large items, there’s simply nowhere to put it. You either have to leave it at home, or listen to it sliding around on the floor. With the Elantra Touring, it clips neatly and securely above the storage bin, and you can still lower the cargo floor flat when it’s there. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I like it when an automaker considers the little things that make the day-to-day activities a bit easier.

That’s the big thing with the Elantra Touring: it makes everything a bit easier. It’s easy to get in and out, and to find a comfortable position. It’s easy to load cargo. It’s easy and pleasant to drive, and it’s relatively easy on the wallet. Europe really should share its station wagons more often.

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