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Hyundai Elantra vs Nissan Sentra

66 messages,  Last post on Jun 03, 2007 at 10:34 AM

You are in the Nissan Sentra Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Sedan

Messages Page 4 of 7

#29 of 66 Re: Car and Driver review [bamacar] by germancarfan1

Nov 01, 2006 (9:29 am)

Replying to: bamacar (Oct 31, 2006 5:18 pm)
This is in the December edition of C&D? Haven't received mine yet. A "completely" resdesigned car and the best it could muster was 4th out of 6th? yikes. Who came in second and third?

#30 of 66 Review by bamacar

Nov 01, 2006 (11:48 am)

Just got it yesterday. The second was the Mazda3 and the third was the Civic.

#31 of 66 Re: Review [bamacar] by germancarfan1

Nov 01, 2006 (11:51 am)

Replying to: bamacar (Nov 01, 2006 11:48 am)
Which Elantra trim level was tested?
 
What was the CD tested mileage for the Elantra as compared with the Civic/M3/Rabbit/Sentra?
 
Anyone know when the CR comparo will be done?
 
Somewhere in Hyundai corporate land, execs are praying for high NHTSA and IIHS scores to salvage this car.
 
This doesn't bode well for the Elantra. What will happen when the 2008 Corolla and 2008/2009 Saturn Ion/Opel Astra hit the market?
 
Hyundai desperately needs to drop the ancient 4-speed AUTO, revise the suspension, drop the 2.4l in, include traction control as standard and make ESC optional and keep the price the same. A few more centimeters of interior space just don't cut it in 2007 when your powerplant and chasis is sub par.

#32 of 66 Re: Review [germancarfan1] by bamacar

Nov 01, 2006 (11:58 am)

Replying to: germancarfan1 (Nov 01, 2006 11:51 am)
SE. All with manual transmissions. Don't have the mag with me, but it was Corolla/Civic 1st, Elantra 3rd, Mazda 4th, Sentra 5th, Rabbit last. I will revise if I remembered incorrectly.
 
All got their city or better rating except the Sentra was slightly worse. Is this a Nissan pattern along with the Versa not even getting the city EPA numbers?

#33 of 66 Re: Review [bamacar] by germancarfan1

Nov 01, 2006 (12:04 pm)

Replying to: bamacar (Nov 01, 2006 11:58 am)
In my experience Nissan has never engineered their engines for fuel efficiency.

#34 of 66 Re: Review [germancarfan1] by backy

Nov 01, 2006 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: germancarfan1 (Nov 01, 2006 11:51 am)
Hyundai desperately needs to drop the ancient 4-speed AUTO, revise the suspension, drop the 2.4l in, include traction control as standard and make ESC optional and keep the price the same. A few more centimeters of interior space just don't cut it in 2007 when your powerplant and chasis is sub par.
 
Why? You haven't read the review yet, so you don't know why C/D rated the Elantra 4th. The Elantra had a five-speed stick, just like the top-ranked Rabbit (and like almost every other car in the comparo--an exception being the last-place Sentra). It has a fully-independent multi-link rear suspension like the first-place Rabbit. It has more hp per pound than the Rabbit, and more torque (with just 2 fewer hp) than the 3rd-place Civic. The 3rd-place Civic LX doesn't have traction control or ESC either (actually most of the cars in the comparo don't have these features even available let alone standard). So none of these things kept, or should have kept, the Elantra from a higher ranking in the comparo. More likely it was because C/D's editors found the ride and handling to be softer than they prefer.
 
If you think Hyundai's execs are "praying", what do you think Nissan's execs are doing? Nissan is a Japan-based company; I can only imagine...

#35 of 66 Re: Review [germancarfan1] by moparbad

Nov 01, 2006 (1:00 pm)

Replying to: germancarfan1 (Nov 01, 2006 11:51 am)
Demand will exceed availability during the first year of the new Elantra.
 
The only problem facing Hyundai is where to find more capacity for engines and vehicles.
 
I completely disagree with you opinion germancarfan1. The market will determine who is correct.

#36 of 66 Re: Review [germancarfan1] by v_d

Nov 01, 2006 (3:55 pm)

Replying to: germancarfan1 (Nov 01, 2006 12:04 pm)
In my experience Nissan has never engineered their engines for fuel efficiency.
 
For the third time: THE 2.0l ENGINE IN THE SENTRA WAS DEVELOPED BY Renault ABOUT 3 YRS AGO! Not by Nissan.
 
Europe=high gas prices ==> therefore this engine WAS developed for fuel efficiency, trust me, when an European goes to a Dealer his first question is not "how many horses how many horses???", but "And the fuel consumption?".

#37 of 66 Re: Review [moparbad] by backy

Nov 01, 2006 (5:40 pm)

Replying to: moparbad (Nov 01, 2006 1:00 pm)
I got my December C/D today. It's a curious review in a number of ways. Here's some odd things about it:
 
* It complains that the Mazda3 they tested might be too sporty. When was the last time you saw C/D say that about any car? Also, which Mazda3 did they choose for the comparo? The Mazda3i, which has less-aggressive tires/rims and would have easily fit under their self-imposed $18k price limit? No. They chose the Mazda3s, s as in "Sport".
 
* The Mazda3 took top honors in braking, roadholding, lane change, 1/4 mile acceleration, performance, steering feel, brake feel, handling, and ride. But it was ranked below the Rabbit in "fun to drive."
 
* The Civic was top-ranked for ride, even though the review complains about the suspension being "surprisingly noisy over road impacts" and a "crisp" ride.
 
Anyway, back to the subject, Elantra vs. Sentra...
 
It appears they suffered the same fate. C/D is not looking for a car to do what most of us do with cars--drive around town or cruise on the interstates. No, they want a car with sporty ride (read firm) and handling so when they carve those canyons, they can have fun. And that's fine. But it's something to consider when reading the review.
 
Here's what C/D said about the Elantra:
 
* "Scores high on value" with the lowest price of the group
* Nicely styled interior with "top-quality materials and details" with "sophisticated use of texture and sheen" and "sit-all-day" seats and lots of storage compartments
* Front buckets have a "plush feel"
* "Top marks" for space and comfort
* Light controls and a slick shifter and clutch.
* Smooth ride; "at metro traffic speeds the car feels agile and trusty. Grab it and go, like you're old friends."
* Tested fuel economy was 3rd best in the test, 28 mpg (behind Civic and Corolla)
* Noise at idle and at 70 mph cruise were lowest in the test
* 5-60 mph (more useful in real world than 0-60) was quickest in the test
 
Sounds like a car that would make an excellent commuter (especially if carrying a carpool) or family hauler. Which is what economy sedans are tasked to do by most of us. If you want sporty, there's the Mazda3--as long as you don't want too sporty!
 
The Sentra similarly was praised for its interior room and denigrated for lack of "driving fun." The knocks on the shifter were curious though. They said the clutch was "heavy" (although they knocked the Elantra's as maybe too light, hard to know what they like) and the shifter is limp. I found the Sentra's clutch firmer than, say, a Civic, but acceptable. The shifter was anything but limp--it was actually a little notchy, but seemed crisp to me. And the ride was if anything too firm, not "tippy" and "plush" as noted by C/D. They harped on the small door pockets (they are) but begrudingly noted all the other storage space in the car, including the HUUUGE glove box.
 
The illegibility of the Sentra's gauges with polarized sunglasses was a good catch though--that could be a real problem for many drivers. I am amazed that got past Sentra's engineers.
 
They like to harp on styling too, calling the Sentra's "tortured". I don't happen to like the Sentra's styling, but I think "tortured" is over the top. Besides, styling is completely subjective, so why include it in the scoring? (Other publications e.g. CR do not.)

#38 of 66 Re: Review [bamacar] by bamacar

Nov 01, 2006 (6:07 pm)

Replying to: bamacar (Nov 01, 2006 11:58 am)
Correction. I only forgot one thing that the Mazda and Sentra got the same mpg on C/D's 550 miles of testing.
 
1st Civic/Corolla 33 mpg
3rd Elantra 28
4th Mazda3/Sentra 27
6th Rabbit 24

Messages Page 4 of 7

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