For the occasion of my brother's wedding, my family completely ruined our carbon footprint for this year. Because this is the middle of the school year, we flew over for just a few days, and we rented a car so that my dad could come with us everywhere.
The rental car was a Hyundai Elantra, a four-door sedan. I was offered an upgrade at pickup time, but declined, figuring you shouldn't drive a rental car that's too much larger than the one you drive daily. I hear this car is popular with rental car agencies because of its good maintenance record.
The Elantra falls in the "Economy" rental bracket, which means it carried five of us comfortably. Our luggage rattled around in the large trunk, which could easily accomodate both our cellos. There were a few blind spots that were larger than I would like, particularly the bar between the front windshield and the side windows.
The Elantra had a slight drive-by-wire feel to the handling, but it wasn't overwhelming. Its 1.8L, 148HP engine was completely up to the job of moving the car even when fully loaded (five people plus luggage), even for quick insertions in rush-hour traffic.
Here is one of those few cars that is sold in the US with an engine comparable to that offered elsewhere (instead of significantly larger). The 1.8L engine is the only one available in the US (and in New Zealand also), but that is down from the former offering of a 2.0L gasoline engine. In Korea (where this car is named the Avante) there is choice of three drivetrains, all with a 1.6L volume.
The Korean Avante GDi runs on unleaded gasoline (33mpg), while the VGT runs on low-sulphur diesel, has a slightly lower power (128HP) but packs 50% more torque than the American 1.8L, at higher fuel efficiency (48mpg). [I take it that the Korean test cycle is now reasonably accurate, since they quote the Toyota Prius at 50mpg].
There is also an Avante Hybrid, which is unusual in that it is an LPG hybrid running on liquid petroleum gas (a mixture of propane and butane which tends to burn much cleaner, especially for particulates, than gasoline containing longer hydrocarbon chains). It is quoted at 33 mpg but puts out only 92 g CO2 / km. [For comparison, a gasoline engine doing 59mpg would exhaust 92 g CO2/km].
Also becoming more rare now is the 10-year, 100,000 mile limited warranty on the powertrain, which backs up the Elantra's reputation for reliability. Its fuel efficiency of 37 mpg as reported by real drivers is really very good, and you can't complain about the price tag.
Compared to the 1.8L gasoline available in the US now, I would expect the diesel version with the smaller 1.6 engine volume to have a similar price point. But it delivers 43 mpg, making it very attractive for the long run as well. I hope it will come to the US soon.
Hyundai Elantra / Avante
Elantra (US) | Avante (KR) | Avante (KR) | |
Type | GLS | 1.6 GDi Style | U2 1.6 VGT |
Year | 2013 | 2013 | 2013 |
Emissions rating | ULEV | ||
MSRP | $ 16,965 | ₩ 13,950,000 (US $ 13,190) | ₩ 15,950,000 (US $ 15,100) |
CelloMom Rating | |||
Fuel Economy: | |||
City/Hwy quoted | 28 / 38 mpg | 12.5 / 16.7 km/L | 16.9 / 20.8 km/L |
Avg. quoted | 32 mpg | 14.1 km/L (33mpg) | 18.5 km/L (43mpg) |
Avg. actual | 37 mpg | ||
Carbon emissions, quoted | 122 g CO2 /km | 103 g/km | |
Engine | 1.8L, 16 vlv | 1.6L | 1.6L |
Power | 148HP @ 6500rpm | 140 HP @ 6300rpm | 128 HP @ 4000rpm |
Torque | 131 lb-ft @ 4700rpm | 170 Nm (125 lb-ft) @ 4850rpm | 265 Nm (195 lb-ft) @ 1900-2750rpm |
Transmission | 6-spd man | 6-spd man | 6-spd man |
Fuel | Reg. unleaded | Unleaded | Diesel |
Length, mm(in) | 178.3 in | 4550 mm | |
Width, mm(in) | 69.9 in | 1775 mm | |
Height, mm(in) | 56.5 in | 1435 mm | |
Weight, kg(lbs) | 2661 lbs | 1210 kg | 1305 kg |
Trunk volume, liters(cuft) | 14.8 cuft | ||
Turning radius, m(ft) | 34.8 c-c | ||
Top speed, kph(mph) | |||
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