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A week in the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring: Day 5 (seats, interior details, visibility)
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The 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring has a large rear windshield but small rear windows on the side.
See more photos of the Elantra Touring's visibility and interior details below the article in today's slideshow.
I've spent over 200 miles in the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring so far since Monday, enough to tell me that it's more fun to drive than the average compact car yet still reasonably comfortable and refined on the road.
Those miles, plus plenty of stopped time, have given me plenty of experience with this new compact station wagon's interior.
The quality of the interior is very good for an economy car, as it should be when that economy car has a sticker price of over $20,000. Trim pieces look and feel nice and fit well, and no moving parts feel chintzy. Like many cars, the lower door panels are the cheapest-feeling part of the Elantra Touring's interior, but unlike most such cars the plastic isn't flimsy and the edge of the in-door bin is well-finished.
Minor quibble: there are lots of little trim pieces surrounding a small bin atop the center of the car's dash, which leaves lots of panel gaps top-center. The gaps aren't large or uneven, but they're plentiful and undisguised in a highly visible location.
One big strong point in the Elantra Touring is its large rear windshield, which is unusually wide and tall for a compact hatchback or station wagon. Many of its competitors, most notably the Mazda3 but also some others, have just little slits that don't offer nearly as expansive a view as this car does. Also, because the size of a car's rear windshield wiper is limited by the height of the windshield, those competitors also end up with laughably stubby wipers that can't clear much of the windshield. (Photo at right: Hyundai Elantra Touring top, Scion xD bottom)
Front visibility is also excellent, thanks to the Elanta Touring's high seating position and low dash. Over-the-shoulder views are limited by small rearmost side windows, however, though some competitors are even worse.
But those 200+ miles have suggested a bigger weakness in the Elantra Touring: its front seats. There's plenty of space, and they're well-shaped and grippy enough for acceptable lateral support. The rear seat is also roomy, and a third adult will fit in a pinch better than in most small cars, though the seatbelt is uncomfortable.
However, when you first land in the front seats, you immediately get the sense that they're very firm, almost hard.
That can be fine. In some cars, the firmness makes them more comfortable over long trips than a softer seat that loses its support over time. But the Elantra Touring's seats are neither especially comfortable at the start nor have they improved in 40-minute drives. (I'll have my own impressions and the impressions of two passengers on Sunday of a longer drive.)
That's not to say these seats are uncomfortable. They're not. But they're just okay, while most of the rest of the car is better than "just okay."
One more area in which the Elantra Touring has proven itself "just okay" is its fuel consumption. Even as more of its miles have included highway driving, the average gas mileage registered by the trip computer has stayed rather steady; it's currently at 31.4 miles per gallon. The transmission's gearing favors low-speed acceleration over high-speed cruising, which leaves the engine turning at a high rpm at even 60 miles per hour, which is hurting the car's fuel economy. It will likely improve somewhat after this weekend's extended highway trip, but it seems that the low 30 mpgs is the best this car will do, and stop-and-go city, rush-hour, or suburban driving will knock it down further.
Check out today's slideshow to see more photos and information about the Hyundai Elantra Touring's interior, seats, and visibility. And be on the lookout for more information on the Elantra Touring over the next few days. Stay tuned. And I invite you all to leave any questions you'd like me to be on special lookout for in the comments section below, or by e-mail at dc.car.examiner@gmail.com.
Day 1: introduction
Day 2: ride and handling
Day 3: cargo management
Day 5: seats, interior details, visibility
Odometer at beginning of test: 1,294 miles
Recorded gas mileage so far: 31.4 miles per gallon
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