I just watched this. I love the new interior. Exterior design works much better on video than still photos, and I like the rear a lot. Looks like it might have the screen from the Palisade?

 

I feel as though Hyundai is targeting the VW Jetta with the interior. There is a picture of the Elantra in lower trim, the plastic around the infotainment screen is pretty bad...the top-spec is nice, but I do like the Corolla interior better as it looks cleaner

 

Yeah the Jetta's interior in its lower trims is pretty abysmal. Even the GLI and upper trims don't match what Toyota and Nissan are doing with their cars.

A lot of it comes down to design, too... hiding the plastics goes a long way. Not sure the Elantra does that so well.

 

I truly cannot get over how awful this looks. The Rav4 does this too on their base models, it is like a bad nightmare.





I like the idea, but it looks like Hyundai just shoved an android tablet in there.




Below is obviously the top-end trim. I think the design is interesting and something I do like is how they went away from the tablet screen.



A couple of nice touches I do like. I like the vents how they look like they flow across the dash. And I like the window vents how they come from the pillars and are built in.

 

Saw the new Elantra today.

what a goofy looking car with some strange styling and some strangeness at the rear...BUT...I kinda like it.

The belt line is odd as it does upwards from the front towards the rear. I like where the turn signals in the front are integrated

Looks much much smaller than a Corolla or a Civic.

Interior is quirky. If driver focused is your thing...I have never loved it when the centre cluster points towards the driver.

I do think it will do well...definitely a younger buyer I think compared to Toyota or Honda. Seems very sporty and not really family....kinda like how Pontiac sort of was.

 

Yes, they are starting to arrive in the D.C. area as well. I'm going to try and check one out tomorrow with at least a static-inspection (no-tes-drive). That somewhat quirky interior has my curiosity up, too.

Agreed on canting everything towards the driver...I'm not a terribly big fan of that either. But we'll see how well it is done on the Elantra. I'll wait for any more comments until I see it.

 

OK....spent some time at a local Hyundai shop today inspecting the new Sonata, Elantra, and a couple of small crossovers as possible purchases for my brother's girl friend, when her injured arm heals (major dislocation at the wrist, which will take some time). Didn't have time for test-drives, but looked them over inside and out. I had already looked over the Kia Niro and Seltos, and the Hyundai Kona earlier, so I spent the majority of my time with the Hyundai Venue and, especially, the new Elantra, comparing my notes with Jill's.

Without going into a whole lot of details, the new Sonata, IMO, was a clear disappointment....I would not have spent my money on it. I found the oversize fish-mouth-grille ugly and unappealing. While the body/sheet-metal/doors seemed of at least adequate solidity, interior materials, though with some padding above the belt line, seemed lighter and/or cheaper than in past models, particularly those of the late 2000s-early 2010s. No more shifter....big electronic push-buttons. Quirky-looking steering wheel. Cheap-looking piano-black finishes in several areas. It wasn't a bad car by any means (and, overall, I've seen lots worse)...but, IMO, cannot compare with the excellence of past Sonatas. Not worth the 34K sticker price of the sample I looked at.

If my brother's GF can settle for FWD instead of AWD (it comes in FWD only), the Venue might (?) be the best vehicle of all for her needs....although that will depend on if there is enough room in the back seat/cargo area for her two decent-sized poodles. Basic, simple, no-nonsense vehicle inside and out. Classic two-box design for good space-efficiency despite its small size. easy-to-use controls/switches, clear gauges, 10-MPH speedometer increments instead of the usual 20 MPH. Outside, like the new Elantra, it retains the classic Hyundai/Kia solidity of door/hood/hatch-closings that feel almost like a bank-vault. Unlike the new Elantra, it also maintains solidity of materials inside...and a lot less quirkiness. Best of all, the sticker price (not the base price) on the sample I looked at was 19K. If one just needs well-built base-transportation, this vehicle is a steal.

Which brings us to the thread-topic Elantra. Outside, it shares a smaller version of the Sonata's fish-grille and general body shape, but has more lines/creases/folds in its bodywork, which makes the door panels look quirky. Sheet-metal thickness outside, however, and door-closings feel decently solid....more so than on the much more expensive Telluride and Palisade. Inside, a lot of the same quirks as the new Sonata, although the Elantra has a nice fore-aft shifter instead of the Sonata's shift-buttons. Same quirky steering wheel. Center-console has a large solid handle-grip built into the right side, which gives it an odd asymmetrical look. Decently-padded materials inside above the belt line, but a cheaper feel than in past Elantras.

There are still some exceptions like the Venue, Kona, Soul, and a couple of others, but, overall, I get the impression that Hyundai and Kia, except for their long warranties, are starting to lose their unique Value-for-the-Money status, and are becoming more and more like other manufacturers, raising prices and cutting costs in materials and hardware. I haven't seen the latest GV80 close-up, but I hope that Genesis, as their upmarket/premium division, doesn't start to follow suit.....the last new Genesis product I looked at and test-drove, the G70, was superbly-built.

 

doug demuro's gv80 review has him gushing over material quality throughout the vehicle saying it's better than anything except vehicles costing WAY more.

 

Good. Glad to hear it. But I also heard the same thing, from some reviewers, about the Telluride and Palisade, and I couldn't agree when I actually saw them. So....we'll see.

 

The N version should be interesting.