2008 Hyundai Elantra Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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The Hyundai Elantra is the automaker's best-selling car, and it's offered at a great price.
Compared to the bargain-basement Accent, the Elantra is large enough to look like a finished car, and it won't embarrass its driver. It's still not the futuristic aero showpiece that is the Honda Civic; it's bland, like the inside of a Costco. From the front or rear, there are more than a few hints of Toyota Corolla. From the side, you couldn't pick the Elantra from a lineup of suspects. At least give it a neat tattoo on its grille or something.
The interior retains the good design found in the Hyundai Accent, only there are now more quality materials lining the doors and dash, some of which are softly padded. Silver accents on the steering wheel, climate control knobs, and centre console brighten up the place. It's far more comparable to a Corolla in presentation and construction, which is a good thing.
Trims in Canada are the Hyundai Elantra L, GL, GLS, and Limited.
Power front-row windows, power locks, a sound system with a CD player and an MP3 player, plus cloth seats and 15-inch steel wheels all come standard on the Elantra. For four power windows, keyless entry, heated side mirrors, heated front seats, cruise control, or air conditioning, you’ll need to upgrade to the GL trim. A steering wheel with audio controls is added on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra GLS.
Adding the Sport package to GLS or opting for the Limited will replace the 15-inch steel wheels with 16-inch alloy wheels and will also get you a sunroof. Leather seats and illuminated vanity mirrors are included with the Limited trim as well.
Dual front airbags and dual front side-impact airbags are standard in the 2008 Elantra. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, anti-whiplash front headrests, and front and rear curtain airbags are added at the GLS grade.
In crash tests, the Elantra earned the top "Good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the moderate overlap front, but only a "Marginal" for the side test and a higher "Acceptable" for the head restraints and seats. The Elantra scored four out of five stars in side-crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for driver and rear passenger, and five stars for both passengers in the frontal tests.
The model year 2008 Elantra's new car MSRP starts at $15,845 for the L trim and goes up to $23,195 for the Limited. Fuel economy is estimated at 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 6.0 on the highway for the automatic and 8.2 L/100 km city, 6.0 highway for the manual. From a design and performance perspective, the Elantra falls behind the competition. But it's very competitive at these prices.
Note: Images show a US model.
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2008 Hyundai Elantra Pricing
Trims & specs
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Front side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: element · Auxiliary audio input: jack · Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio · XM-ready satellite radio · 172 watts
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Front brake diameter: 10.8 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 10.3 · Rear brakes: disc
Comfort Features
Floor Mat Material: carpet
Convenience Features
Center console: front console with storage · Multi-function remote: trunk release · Power outlet(s): two 12V · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable · Storage: storage organizer · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Drivetrain
Axle ratio: 4.19
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: chrome · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color
Headrests
Front headrests: adjustable · Number of front headrests: 2
Instrumentation
Warnings and reminders: low fuel level
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Safety
Active head restraints: driver · Crumple zones: rear
Seatbelts
Rear center seatbelt: 3-point · Seatbelt pretensioners: front
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Front seat type: bucket · Passenger seat manual adjustments: reclining · Rear headrests: adjustable · Upholstery: cloth
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Stabilizer Bar: diameter 23 mm · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: twin-tube gas shock absorbers · Rear Stabilizer Bar: diameter 17 mm · Rear Suspension Classification: independent · Rear Suspension Type: multi-link
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: steel
Wheels
Wheel covers: full
Windows
Front wipers: variable intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Passenger airbag deactivation: occupant sensing deactivation · Front side airbags · Rear side curtain airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: element · Auxiliary audio input: jack · Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio · Satellite Radio: SiriusXM · Total Number of Speakers: 6 · 172 watts
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel · Front brake diameter: 10.8 · Front brakes: ventilated disc · Rear brake diameter: 10.3 · Rear brakes: disc
Comfort Features
Floor Mat Material: carpet · Shift knob trim: leather · Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Center console: front console with armrest · Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Power outlet(s): two 12V · Power windows: lockout button · Reading lights: front · Steering wheel: tilt and telescopic · Steering wheel mounted controls: audio · Storage: storage organizer · Sunshade: windshield · Vanity mirrors: dual illuminating
Drivetrain
Axle ratio: 4.19
Exterior Features
Door handle color: body-color · Front bumper color: body-color · Grille color: chrome · Mirror color: body-color · Rear bumper color: body-color
Headrests
Front headrests: adjustable · Number of front headrests: 2
Instrumentation
Warnings and reminders: low fuel level
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Rear Seats
Type: 60-40 split bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Safety
Active head restraints: driver · Crumple zones: rear
Seatbelts
Rear center seatbelt: 3-point · Seatbelt pretensioners: front
Seats
Driver seat manual adjustments: height · Front seat type: bucket · Heated: front seats · Passenger seat manual adjustments: reclining · Rear headrests: adjustable · Upholstery: cloth
Suspension
Front Arm Type: lower control arms · Front Shock Type: gas shock absorbers · Front Spring Type: coil springs · Front Stabilizer Bar: diameter 23 mm · Front Suspension Classification: independent · Front Suspension Type: MacPherson struts · Rear Shock Type: twin-tube gas shock absorbers · Rear Stabilizer Bar: diameter 17 mm · Rear Suspension Classification: independent · Rear Suspension Type: multi-link
Tires
Type: all season
Windows
Front wipers: variable intermittent