Ohaya

Hi,

I'm just curious...

We just got a 2004 Elantra GT (automatic)... love it so far, but we've
only gone through the 1st full tank of gas so far .

I was wondering if anybody knows how accurate the MPG thing is on the
trip meter for this car?

When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and tonight on the way
to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG. So far, it has
been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile highway trips.

Is it typical that this car will have lower gas mileage when it's new?

Thanks!

The Steven

> When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
> the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and tonight on the way
> to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG. So far, it has
> been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile highway trips.

I have a '02 EGT 5-speed, I find that the car's calculations are off by a
mile or two either way, but I won't loose any sleep over it. On longer
highway rides I find that 33mpg is not uncommon. Keep your tires at 40lbs.

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.



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Gnekker

>
> Is it typical that this car will have lower gas mileage when it's new?
>
This is normal, your mileage will creep up slowly for the first 2-3 thousand
miles.

Swingman

I have a 2003 Elantra GLS (love it). I get between 25mpg
and 30mpg with a mix of city and freeway driving. Pure
freeway driving yields 34mgp (65mph with cruise). The GLS
doesn't have the mpg computer so I can't comment, but you
could track your gas mileage manually and compare it to the
computer. Enjoy the car!



"Ohaya" <ohaya@NO_SPAM_cox.net> wrote in message
news:40075437.F322824F@NO_SPAM_cox.net...
> Hi,
>
> I'm just curious...
>
> We just got a 2004 Elantra GT (automatic)... love it so
far, but we've
> only gone through the 1st full tank of gas so far .
>
> I was wondering if anybody knows how accurate the MPG
thing is on the
> trip meter for this car?
>
> When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After
driving it
> the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and
tonight on the way
> to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG.
So far, it has
> been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile
highway trips.
>
> Is it typical that this car will have lower gas mileage
when it's new?
>
> Thanks!

Neil

"Ohaya" <ohaya@NO_SPAM_cox.net> wrote in message
news:40075437.F322824F@NO_SPAM_cox.net...
> Hi,
>
> I'm just curious...
>
> We just got a 2004 Elantra GT (automatic)... love it so far, but we've
> only gone through the 1st full tank of gas so far .
<snip>

Sorry I can't answer your question, but I am interested in knowing more
about the Auto GT myself. Did you get it with the option pack 8 that
includes ABS? According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
available on the GT on the east coast yet.....

Also how do you find the performance of the car with the automatic?
Unfortunately manual isn't an option for me as one of the drivers has to
have auto. Ideally I'm trying to find performance figures such as 30-50,
50-70 times, as the car would see a lot of interstate miles and it needs to
have some pep when overtaking.

What's the interior quality like, particularly the leather? Did you get the
Kenwood mp3 compatible CD player and how is it?

I'd be very interested in hearing everything you have to say about the car.

Thanks.

Ohaya

Neil,

Comments below...


> Sorry I can't answer your question, but I am interested in knowing more
> about the Auto GT myself. Did you get it with the option pack 8 that
> includes ABS? According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
> available on the GT on the east coast yet.....

It's an '04 Elantra GT hatchback. We didn't get ABS. Everything else
that we got is pretty well standard in the GT (leather, air cond.,
cruise, tilt, remote keyentry and alarm, etc.).

Actually, this is kind of bad, I know, but my original intent was to get
the most basic automatic Elantra, the GLS, for my wife, and we had test
driven one of them at the dealer, but I wanted cruise control, and they
didn't have any GLS' with cruise in stock. Plus, the only automatics
they had were in black or a kind of light metallic green .


> Also how do you find the performance of the car with the automatic?
> Unfortunately manual isn't an option for me as one of the drivers has to
> have auto. Ideally I'm trying to find performance figures such as 30-50,
> 50-70 times, as the car would see a lot of interstate miles and it needs to
> have some pep when overtaking.

As I mentioned above, we were just looking for a basic transportation
car, so performance wasn't a major thing we were looking for, but I'll
say that I have since driven it on I66, 495 (Beltway, from NVa towards
Bethesda), and the Dulles Toll Road, with 3 adults male passengers, and
passing at highway speeds hasn't been a problem.

BTW, it may be just me, but having driven both the GLS and the GT, the
GT's suspension seems a bit stiffer, which I liked. Overall, the GT
seemed much "tighter" than the GLS.


> What's the interior quality like, particularly the leather? Did you get the
> Kenwood mp3 compatible CD player and how is it?

I'm definitely not a "leather" expert either , but I think it looks
pretty good.

My daughter loves the car, and has been trying to convince me to trade
cars with her (she has a 2003 Honda Accord LX ) since we bought it.
The steering wheel has a leather covering on it also, which is very
smooth. At first I thought it was TOO smooth, but now that I've driven
the car a bit, it's fine.

Beyond that, I think the interior is roomy. I kept bumping my head on
my daughter's Accord's roof when driving it, but the Elantra seems to
have better headroom. The bucket seats are MUCH more comfortable than
the Accord's (which feel like you're sitting on a bench).

The only thing that I've been disappointed about with the interior is
that the Elantra manual indicates that there's a center armrest, with
cupholders in it in the rear seat, but that seems to be incorrect (no
center armrest, no rear cupholders).

Yes, it came with the Kenwood CD player, which impressed my daughter AND
my son. It works fine, but I've been mainly using it to listen to FM
radio. My daughter has played some of her MP3 CDs which she burned, and
they worked fine. The only thing that I found strange is that this CD
player is not described in the Elantra manual, but I think I found a PDF
manual for it on Kenwood's website. It has a drop-down, replaceable
faceplate, and a remote.

Nikoli Yetti

The rear cup holder is there.


"Ohaya" <ohaya@NO_SPAM_cox.net> wrote in message
news:40086E2F.B034FA79@NO_SPAM_cox.net...
> Neil,
>
> Comments below...
>
>
> > Sorry I can't answer your question, but I am interested in knowing more
> > about the Auto GT myself. Did you get it with the option pack 8 that
> > includes ABS? According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
> > available on the GT on the east coast yet.....
>
> It's an '04 Elantra GT hatchback. We didn't get ABS. Everything else
> that we got is pretty well standard in the GT (leather, air cond.,
> cruise, tilt, remote keyentry and alarm, etc.).
>
> Actually, this is kind of bad, I know, but my original intent was to get
> the most basic automatic Elantra, the GLS, for my wife, and we had test
> driven one of them at the dealer, but I wanted cruise control, and they
> didn't have any GLS' with cruise in stock. Plus, the only automatics
> they had were in black or a kind of light metallic green .
>
>
> > Also how do you find the performance of the car with the automatic?
> > Unfortunately manual isn't an option for me as one of the drivers has to
> > have auto. Ideally I'm trying to find performance figures such as
30-50,
> > 50-70 times, as the car would see a lot of interstate miles and it needs
to
> > have some pep when overtaking.
>
> As I mentioned above, we were just looking for a basic transportation
> car, so performance wasn't a major thing we were looking for, but I'll
> say that I have since driven it on I66, 495 (Beltway, from NVa towards
> Bethesda), and the Dulles Toll Road, with 3 adults male passengers, and
> passing at highway speeds hasn't been a problem.
>
> BTW, it may be just me, but having driven both the GLS and the GT, the
> GT's suspension seems a bit stiffer, which I liked. Overall, the GT
> seemed much "tighter" than the GLS.
>
>
> > What's the interior quality like, particularly the leather? Did you get
the
> > Kenwood mp3 compatible CD player and how is it?
>
> I'm definitely not a "leather" expert either , but I think it looks
> pretty good.
>
> My daughter loves the car, and has been trying to convince me to trade
> cars with her (she has a 2003 Honda Accord LX ) since we bought it.
> The steering wheel has a leather covering on it also, which is very
> smooth. At first I thought it was TOO smooth, but now that I've driven
> the car a bit, it's fine.
>
> Beyond that, I think the interior is roomy. I kept bumping my head on
> my daughter's Accord's roof when driving it, but the Elantra seems to
> have better headroom. The bucket seats are MUCH more comfortable than
> the Accord's (which feel like you're sitting on a bench).
>
> The only thing that I've been disappointed about with the interior is
> that the Elantra manual indicates that there's a center armrest, with
> cupholders in it in the rear seat, but that seems to be incorrect (no
> center armrest, no rear cupholders).
>
> Yes, it came with the Kenwood CD player, which impressed my daughter AND
> my son. It works fine, but I've been mainly using it to listen to FM
> radio. My daughter has played some of her MP3 CDs which she burned, and
> they worked fine. The only thing that I found strange is that this CD
> player is not described in the Elantra manual, but I think I found a PDF
> manual for it on Kenwood's website. It has a drop-down, replaceable
> faceplate, and a remote.

The Steven

Dealerspeak:
>According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
> available on the GT on the east coast yet.....

Translates to:
I don't have one on the lot, but I don't want you to leave without buying
something from me today.

Rule #1. S.W.A.T. Sell what's available today.

Most dealers order what the company forecasts they'll sell the most of and
that has the highest sales margin. And if they don't have what you want,
they will try to convince you that what you want isn't really what you want.


--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.



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Tyler_Durden

On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 03:24:47 GMT, "The Steven" <me@here.com> wrote:

>> When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
>> the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and tonight on the way
>> to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG. So far, it has
>> been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile highway trips.
>
>I have a '02 EGT 5-speed, I find that the car's calculations are off by a
>mile or two either way, but I won't loose any sleep over it. On longer
>highway rides I find that 33mpg is not uncommon. Keep your tires at 40lbs.


Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been
keeping mine at 30 as it suggested on the sticker on the insider
driver side door. What made you up yours to 40?

The Steven

> Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been
> keeping mine at 30 as it suggested on the sticker on the insider
> driver side door. What made you up yours to 40?

On the sidewall of the tire it says it will support upto 45lbs, so the ride
will be a bit firmer, and second it will lower the rolling resistance so the
mpg will be higher. So far it works.

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.



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Neil

"Ohaya" <ohaya@NO_SPAM_cox.net> wrote in message
news:40086E2F.B034FA79@NO_SPAM_cox.net...
> Neil,
>
> Comments below...
>
>

Some great comments (just snipped as I hijacked your thread) thanks!! :-)

I read what you wrote before going out and test driving one today. I even
had the opportunity to test drive a Corolla and take it to the Hyundai
dealer for a side by side comparison of both cars!

I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks when
last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
finally here.

Neil.

The Steven

> I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
> hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks when
> last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
> finally here.

Finally here?
Heck, I've been driving hatchbacks since my '71 MGB GT (still my first
love). Since I got my drivers license (a looong time ago) most of my cars
were hatchbacks. My current one is the EGT hatchback. Face it, I like a
big trunk (boot).


--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.



---
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Neil

"The Steven" <me@here.com> wrote in message
news:FwnOb.736$_u4.45@nwrdny02.gnilink.net...
> > I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
> > hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks
when
> > last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
> > finally here.
>
> Finally here?
> Heck, I've been driving hatchbacks since my '71 MGB GT (still my first
> love). Since I got my drivers license (a looong time ago) most of my cars
> were hatchbacks. My current one is the EGT hatchback. Face it, I like a
> big trunk (boot).
>
>

It's funny, because I never thought of the MGB GT as a hatch, more of a 2
seater GT. I preferred the old TVRs to the MGs, although the first hatch
didn't come until the Taimar.

By Hot-Hatch I meant the likes of the VW Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Vauxhall
Astra GTE (or at a pinch) SRi, Ford Fiesta XR2 and later XR2i, and RS, Ford
Escort XR3i, RS Turbo, RS 2000, Renault 5 GT Turbo.... and that's just those
from the early 80s to the early 90s.

Long live the 80s pocket rockets. ::sniff::.

Neil.

Ohaya

Neil wrote:
>
> "Ohaya" <ohaya@NO_SPAM_cox.net> wrote in message
> news:40086E2F.B034FA79@NO_SPAM_cox.net...
> > Neil,
> >
> > Comments below...
> >
> >
>
> Some great comments (just snipped as I hijacked your thread) thanks!! :-)
>
> I read what you wrote before going out and test driving one today. I even
> had the opportunity to test drive a Corolla and take it to the Hyundai
> dealer for a side by side comparison of both cars!
>
> I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
> hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks when
> last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
> finally here.
>
> Neil.


Neil,

No problem re. "hijacking" the thread ... I do it once in awhile
myself (with appropriate apologies ).

We've only got a whopping 337 miles on the Elantra so far, but I went
out today and bought some Meguiar's for it. Now to wait for the weather
to get above freezing so we can wash/wax the car .

Aside from how the car, in general, will hold up (which I guess I worry
about with every car I've bought), that (the paint/finish) is one of
things I'm wondering about, long-term. I saw a number of posts about
paint problems when I was researching the Hyundai purchase, but I'm
hoping that if we take a bit more care than normal, that we won't
encounter them (preventive maintenance)!

Good luck,
Jim

Ohaya

Nikoli Yetti wrote:
>
> The rear cup holder is there.


Nikoli,

Hmm. Now you've got me wondering (AGAIN!)...

I posted a msg awhile ago about this.

When I first bought the car, I was going through the manual, and it said
that the HATCHBACK (the "5 door") has a center armrest with the
cupholders embedded in the front of the armrest, but I couldn't find any
such thing.

Someone replied to that earlier post, saying that there wasn't an
armrest/cupholder in the rear.

Now you're saying that there is????

I'm confused!!! And, a bit curious now....

Just a reminder, this is an '04 Elantra GT Hatchback. It has the rear
seat where the bottom folds forward, and the split backs fold forward,
so you can turn the rear area into a kind of extension of the hatchback.

Are there different "versions" of the '04 Elantra GT Hatchback
perhaps???

Jim