I Test Drove an Elantra Sport Today

"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips) 07/06/2017 at 10:38 • Filed to: None

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And I retract some of my previous statements about Hyundai, except for ONE major flaw.

I am at the Hyundai dealer because my Dad pawned getting my Mom’s Azera’s oil changed off on me. To kill time I browsed the lot, and stumbled upon one of these with a stick. Deep down I’ve been super curious about these since their release, so being an unbusy Thursday morning, I sought a test drive. So here is a quick summary of my thoughts:

Interior: It looks nice, but the materials are no better than my Fiesta, and I didn’t play around with the screen enough to see if the infotainment is as bad as the Azera.

Exterior: It’s a legitimately good looking car, much better looking than the upcoming hatch.

The Important Bit, the Drive: Overall, pretty good. The shifter/clutch is about 1000x better than the FiST, seriously. It’s crisp and short, I actually misshifted due to the shortness. It is fairly comfortable, while maintaining composure around turns. The engine pulls fairly well, though it doesn’t sound particularly good. It’s almost fun, but one short coming adds in the ALMOST. The steering still sucks. There is zero feel. It takes all of the positive and throws it away.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

HYUNDAI, SHITCAN THE FOCUS GROUP/ENGINEER RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR STEERING SYSTEMS. At the very least, find someone else for your sporty offerings.

Nibby > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:41

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Cars that use electric steering generally have no steering feel. I drove a 2015 328i with electric steering and it felt robotic.

deprecated account > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:42

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Another one of the things that ticks me off about Automation - VARIABLE ELECTRIC STEERING IS NOT SPORTIER THAN VARIABLE HYDRAULIC

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Nibby 07/06/2017 at 10:44

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Eh, other companies have made them work. The FiST’s is great, the Mazda RX-8's is great, and I’ve heard many other companies have gotten it right. Hell, even my Mom’s Vibe was miles better. Hyundai just makes their best effort at not even trying to make it decent.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > deprecated account 07/06/2017 at 10:45

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Track time wise it is.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Nibby 07/06/2017 at 10:46

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Also, BMW is a bad example, because they stopped giving a fuck about the car and customer. It’s just as good as a leased car should be.

Dru > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:48

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That’s disappointing, but not surprising. My wife’s 2011 Forte has quite a bit of steering feel from the hydraulic system. My MIL has a sportage and my FIL has a Soul. Both have soulless (pun intended) electric steering systems.

deprecated account > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:49

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For real? Either way, if I’m making a legit race car I just go for none.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > deprecated account 07/06/2017 at 10:50

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It’s far more adjustable, and quicker at that.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Dru 07/06/2017 at 10:51

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Seriously, if they fired the person responsible and changed it, I would consider trading. It’s a great car let down by one minor flaw.

deprecated account > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:54

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So it’s better, but it feels worse? I think both my parents’ GHK products have EPAS and are dead AF compared to even my Lexus GX 470. Heck, the old 4Runner actually gave a good bit of road feel.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > deprecated account 07/06/2017 at 10:55

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Eh, you can do EPAS right, the FiST’s is great. The RX-8's is great. You just have to try.

deprecated account > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 10:59

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Oh wow, I didn’t know the RX-8 had EPAS. Never thought about how belt-driven accessories work on rotaries. I guess I’ve just heard so much overwhelmingly negative stuff about EPAS, especially with stuff like 911s. Gotta bump those quality sliders up!

promoted by the color red > deprecated account 07/06/2017 at 11:24

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Feel != performance

gmctavish needs more space > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 11:38

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Well that’s too bad, but at least the clutch and shifter are surprisingly good. The steering is easier to improve I imagine.

I’ve been hoping this car would be good, I quite like how it looks.

and 100 more > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 11:39

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Had an Elantra (rental) this past weekend for the better part of 300 miles. I concur about every point.

Looks good

Plenty of power

Smooth transmission (mine had an auto, but the shift logic seemed excellent)

Interior cheapness

Steering feel is aggravating at best

I find that with electric steering systems, I end up gripping the steering wheel much tighter due to the lack of feedback. The Elantra was no exception. Even in my janky daily-driver, which is in need of an alignment and probably a new set of front struts, I find that I steer accurately despite too much feedback.

I’m all for innovation, but electric steering never seems quite right in my experience.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > and 100 more 07/06/2017 at 11:46

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It’s fine in my FiST, the automaker just has to try.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > gmctavish needs more space 07/06/2017 at 11:48

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No, it would require finding out how to tune a steering system vs. install short throw shifter... Which I am this afternoon.

Jayhawk Jake > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 11:49

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I wonder what the N division cars will be like. You’d thing Hyundai could figure out steering, they race rally cars and have been developing that new hot hatch for a while.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 11:55

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Looks kinda like a squished mini Fusion. I dig it.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jayhawk Jake 07/06/2017 at 12:00

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It’s disappointing really, it’s genuinely good car, let down by one little thing.

and 100 more > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 12:03

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That’s what I’m seeing in the comments.

To be fair, I drove a rental-spec Focus hatch two weeks prior, and didn’t even think about whether the steering was electric or not, so I guess that speaks volumes.

gmctavish needs more space > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 12:12

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Oh I was thinking from Hyundai’s end, but yeah I see what you mean

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 12:35

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What they need to do is go to a ridiculously complex system like my Mazda - it has a hydraulic system powered by an electric motor. Best of both worlds, albeit a little heavier and with more parts.

Bytemite > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 13:56

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Hyundai owner here, can confirm shit steering feel.

That shifter is probably the same one in my Veloster. Actually, the whole powertrain might be exactly the same. I will just reiterate what I said in my review; this manual is the best I have ever felt. And it’s a damn cable linkage remote shift too but it has that rifle bolt action and seems to vacuum suck the shifter into the next gear. If they make the B&M shifter for your FiST, it would be a good mod.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Bytemite 07/06/2017 at 13:58

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I actually have an FSWerks shift kit coming in today, and it reduces throws by about 25%. It isn’t necessarily the shifter feel on the FiST, it’s the fact that the throw length is that of a truck. I liked pretty much everything about it other than the steering. The engine wasn’t quite as spirited as the FiST’s, but it’s definitely more refined. Overall, if I needed more room, I would definitely consider it.

I have another burner, try to guess it! > and 100 more 07/06/2017 at 14:15

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The Civic also has good EPS. It has the electric motor separate from the steering column and you can really notice.

arl > and 100 more 07/06/2017 at 19:18

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My 2011 Accord Sport had souless electric steering. Combined with terrible shock/spring combo from the factory, and it was a pretty bad ride.

VW got electric steering right on the 17 GTI. Combined with the DCC adjustable shocks, the ride and handling are very good. So some car makers can do electric steering right. Before I bought the GTI I test drove a 328i. I was surprised how lifeless and souless the steering feel was on it. It felt like an early 90's Buick handling-wise.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 20:25

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I think the Korean cars are generally decent.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/06/2017 at 20:30

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Eh, I think they are much more boring than a Camry, while being put together worse in general.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/06/2017 at 20:34

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I own two Toyots: an ‘89 Camry and a ‘91 Corolla. The Camry as 249k miles on it and the Corolla about 238k. The A/C in the Camry blows cold, though I’ve replaced almost every part in the thing. Those cars represent the end of Toyota’s Golden Age.