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Hyundai Elantra 5-door

4930 messages,  Last post on Feb 19, 2012 at 12:53 PM

You are in the Hyundai Elantra Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Elantra, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 64 of 494

#626 of 4930 I Am Foolhardy. by compensate

Jul 19, 2001 (7:05 pm)

The GT rocks! It's structural integrity is on-par with the best in the industry. I've lived through a few very bad wrecks (I was never the driver in any of them), without airbags, and walked with little or no injury.
 
Again, as has been stated here a few times, we don't know if this actually affects the 2001.5 Elantra GT. Remember that the 2001 GLS came out MANY months before the GT, possibly after the tests were run
 
Also, the 2001 Elantra bumper bash test has improved to near best in class, after Hyundai made major bumper improvements in 1997 and again in 1999.
 
Here's an article from the IIHS:
 
"
NEWS RELEASE
March 10, 1999
 
TWO AUTOMAKERS IMPROVE CAR BUMPERS;
ANOTHER NEW MODEL HAS WORSE BUMPERS
 
ARLINGTON, VA -- Hyundai improved the bumpers on the 1999 Elantra, compared with previous models of this car, and Mitsubishi improved the new Galant's bumpers. In contrast, the bumpers on the redesigned 1999 Mazda Protege are substantially inferior to those on the 1997 model.
 
"Designing effective bumpers is no great engineering challenge," says Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president Brian O'Neill, "but it needs to be a priority or else we'll see the kind of inferior design that's on the new Protege."
 
To assess bumper performance, the Institute conducts a series of 4 crash tests at 5 mph -- front and rear flat-barrier impacts plus two localized impacts, front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole. The 1997 Protege's performance in these tests was marginal, but the redesigned 1999 model performed even worse. "The damage sustained by the new model in our low-speed tests more than doubled compared with the 1997 model," O'Neill says.
 
To a consumer, the bumpers on the 1997 and '99 Protege appear virtually identical. "But underneath there have been major changes," O'Neill adds. "The rear bumper on the 1997 model included an aluminum bar and foam energy-absorbing material. But on the 1999 model these have been replaced by a piece of plastic that broke in the rear-into-pole test, allowing extensive damage to the car's sheet metal."
 
In contrast to Mazda, Hyundai worked to improve the performance of the rear bumper system on the Elantra. Bumpers on the 1997 model of this car were rated worst among the small cars the Institute tested, but the 1999 Elantra is much improved. Its rear bumper allowed virtually no damage in either the rear-into-flat-barrier test or the very demanding rear-into-pole test, compared with total damage of almost $2,000 (1999 dollars) in the same tests of the 1997 model. The difference is that Hyundai strengthened the reinforcement bar underneath the plastic bumper cover and added energy-absorbing foam to the rear bumper.
 
"This is exactly what bumpers are supposed to do. Their purpose is to prevent damage in low-speed collisions, and Hyundai earns praise for making the improvements," O'Neill says.
 
Damage to the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant was cut by more than half in the Institute's low-speed crash tests, compared with the 1995 Galant, which the Institute rated poor for bumper performance. Most of the improvement is because of much better performance in the rear-into-pole crash test. Damage to the 1995 model from this test alone was $1,651, compared with only $250 for the 1999 Galant.
 
Seven of the nine 1999 models tested had better bumper results than their predecessor models. "Such improvements are important because of all the minor bumps that frequently occur in commuter traffic. Such seemingly minor impacts can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Plus there's the major inconvenience of putting a car in the body shop for several days," O'Neill points out.
"
 
OK - LEAVE THE ELANTRA ALONE. We've heard everything already.
 
I, for one, am enjoying my Elantra GT immensely. Stop with the buzz-kill.

#627 of 4930 Audio Help! by pawnofhell

Jul 19, 2001 (7:50 pm)

Hey there, my black GT (pkg 7) is en route from port, and I was wondering if I could get a little help. I was wandering if someone could assist me with some hatch/trunk/seats down dimensions so I can work on putting together a sound system for the new ride. Thanks!

#628 of 4930 compensate by silver_bullet

Jul 20, 2001 (4:00 am)

If you love your car so much, a few dissenting opinions shouldn't matter, correct? I thought these boards were here to foster a little debate. You've made your points, so don't get bent out of shape when others voice their's.
 
Most of the 20 or so cars I've owned didn't have airbags (some didn't even have seatbelts - horrors!), and I'm still here to talk about it. However, like many people, I'm concerned by the notion that a mandatory safety device might actually harm me instead of protect me. While this bit of news was something I took into account when deciding to NOT purchase a GT, it wasn't the major factor - I was put off much more by the vague steering, loose body control, and very cheap feeling interior plastics and trim. Enjoy your car, but allow others to offer their points of view - that's what makes these boards so useful.

#630 of 4930 Package 7? by mpgman

Jul 20, 2001 (5:14 am)

My GT has the moonroof, ABS, and traction control option. It is clearly listed on the sticker as package 2. Package 1 is the moonroof only. Is the 7 an earlier version that picked up after the 5 packages on the GLS? Sounds like on mine, they separated the models and they now have their own package designations.

#631 of 4930 silver_bullet by compensate

Jul 20, 2001 (7:20 am)

I didn't intend to get too bent out of shape, it's just that there have already been many messages posted about the recent Elantra GLS crash test ratings, and I felt the topic had been overkilled. However, there weren't just a few dissenting opinions, there were many, most of them conveying basically the same info.
 
This is why I got a bit peeved - I'd already heard every possible angle on the crash test results and got defensive about my car, which I love dearly so far.

#632 of 4930 I'll be back... by silver_bullet

Jul 20, 2001 (7:40 am)

If Hyundai keeps honing the basic Elantra GT package, and addresses some of the details that I feel need refinement -- and holds the line on pricing -- I'll be back to give it a second look when we are ready to trade our ZX3. After the Ford "experience", I have a hard time believing that owning a Hyundai could be a bigger gamble

#633 of 4930 No ABS in Texas?? by txaggie

Jul 20, 2001 (9:22 am)

Has anyone in Texas (or surrounding states) seen a GT with ABS/Traction control? I've been ready to buy for over a month now (and reading this forum for over 2 weeks), but won't buy without ABS. No dealer I have contacted can find one!
 
Does anyone have a suggestion on how I could find a model with ABS? I plan on moving back up North in the next couple of years and think the ABS and traction control will be invaluable on the ice and snow.
 
Oh, and hello everybody. *wave*

#634 of 4930 by moses5

Jul 20, 2001 (9:29 am)

Silver Bullet, I own a Focus ZX3 also, and believe my owner experience couldn't be worst with purchasing a GT. I am trying to sell or trade my Focus as soon as possible.
 
I found the GT to be a nice quiet riding car. Although I think the suspension needs to be beefed up a bit. Also, 205/55 series 16" would be a nice addition, to further distiguish it from the GLS.

#635 of 4930 TXAGGIE by mpgman

Jul 20, 2001 (9:42 am)

Sorry to hear you are having problems locating ABS. I felt the same way you did and would have gotten a GLS sedan with package 5 (ABS and traction control with no mandatory roof) if I couldn't find the GT with package 2. My car died on a Friday and the next day I went to a Hyundai dealer and told him I wanted a pewter automatic or 5 speed with ABS and traction control. He told me they had none in their allocation and that everything was coming in in red. Then I get a call on Monday telling me they were offloading a silver automatic from the carrier with the ABS package. Drove over, took it for a ride, and bought it just like that. So much for the dealer claiming they had deposits on everything coming in for the next month. I'd visit a few dealers and speak to a few salespeople. Leave your numbers with them and tell them there is something in it for them if the one you want comes in. You'd be surprised at the results. Good Luck.

Messages Page 64 of 494

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