Considering Yaris vs. Elantra

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by AlexNet0

if you are willing to follow the fuel economy forum and hypermiling tips to the letter, then expect 45+.

Drive normally, and expect 35-42.

Try to drive fast, get 30.

All are better than most vehicles

I'm wondering what I can expect by setting the cruise control to 55 MPH and leaving it at that. I really hope I can get well over 45 MPG by doing that.

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by businezguy

I'm wondering what I can expect by setting the cruise control to 55 MPH and leaving it at that. I really hope I can get well over 45 MPG by doing that.

If you're not using A/C you'll break 50 mpg sometimes. For me to consistently get over 50 on entire tanks I drive 50-55 mph and no A/C. Solid A/C use will give you about 10% less fe. There is a ton of information out there on what you can expect. We have the sedan with convenience package and it's an auto. I don't drive as far as you do for your commute and if that's all hwy you may see better mileage than I see if you maintain similar speeds.

Going over 55 and using A/C will be your biggest enemies for your commute.

[businezguy]

Basically all but 4 miles of my commute is highway miles. I'll run into problems many times with traffic jams for a few of those miles, however. Still, if I leave early enough, that doesn't happen that often, and I almost never hit a traffic jam at all on my way home. That is one of the reasons why I have high expectations for my MPG.

I realize this is a forum for the Toyota Yaris, and I obviously am steering towards that as my choice. However, I will give accolades where they are due. The Elantra has a longer record then most cars on the road today, and it is proven very reliable, and equaled the Yaris in reliability. It also has a much better quality interior, and actually has more space then even a Yaris.

Somebody above stated that the drive train in the Yaris is more advanced then the Elantra, and that is very accurate. The other major advantage the Yaris has is MPG.

As a personal opinion, the Elantra is SO smooth, comfortable, and refined that it makes me feel like I'm driving a large luxury sedan to an extent, whereas the Yaris makes me feel like I have a basic commuting car that is more fun to drive, and handles better on country roads. This is all based on having test drove both a couple of times.

[rbell]

Hyundai has made a great deal of progress since the late 80s early 90s. I just don't think they're there yet. I looked at the sedan before deciding on the hatchback. I thought the sedan was descent. It all depends on how much you want to spend. There is a big difference between a base model and a model with packaged equipment. My Yaris is a base model so I realize its going to ride a little bumpy, it's not going to have a great sound system, and maybe it's going to be a bit noisy. But for what I need it for, it's fine. If ride and style were important to me, I would have looked at a Camry, or even a Volkswagen Jetta.

[businezguy]

I agree that Hyundai has made a lot of progress, but they have yet to match Toyota. For instance the Elantra is a very solid vehicle, and it's reliability would certainly compete with the Yaris. But the Entourage is an unreliable piece of crap, and the Sonata is behind in reliability standards compared to the Camry and Accord.

I would go for the base model with the roll down windows and the manual transmission, but my wife has some medical issues that would preclude her from driving the car if I didn't go with those options. Also, I will never buy a new car that does not have an aux jack. That simply isn't an option for me.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by businezguy

I agree that Hyundai has made a lot of progress, but they have yet to match Toyota. For instance the Elantra is a very solid vehicle, and it's reliability would certainly compete with the Yaris. .

we'll see about that, but i doubt it. when i switched from my yaris to the new corolla, i test drove the elantra quite a bit. i actually felt it has a nicer interior than the corolla. but, the corolla was quieter on the road and just felt smoother. epa mileage was higher for the corolla, though i beat those numbers easily anyway. i was disappointed to find alot of elantra drivers getting disappointing mileage. i think hyundai doesnt quite compete with their engines as far as fuel efficiency and overall refinement goes.

my minimum expectation for any car in the class of the corolla/elantra or below is that 40 mpg is easily achieved with mostly highway driving. with the yaris and corolla, this criteria was easily met in real world driving for me.

[jambo101]

You'll be happy you bought the Toyota when it comes to trading it in or selling it some years in the future as the resale value on the Toyota will be double what it would be on the Hyundai.

[auxmike]

Comparing a base level Yaris to an Elantra is like apples and oranges.
Seems like Corolla vs. Elantra is more like it.
Perhaps Hyundai has gotten better, but it's still a ...Hyundai!
Resale value drops like a rock.Sorry, but I love telling folks I drive a TOYOTA.
Also, I know three people who had TRanny failures (A/T) , one at under 36k!

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by auxmike

Comparing a base level Yaris to an Elantra is like apples and oranges.
Seems like Corolla vs. Elantra is more like it.
Perhaps Hyundai has gotten better, but it's still a ...Hyundai!
Resale value drops like a rock.Sorry, but I love telling folks I drive a TOYOTA.
Also, I know three people who had TRanny failures (A/T) , one at under 36k!

The reason I'm comparing the two is because the Elantra comes with $2k in rebates. Currently I was quoted $15,183 for an Elantra compared to $16,520 for a Yaris with everything I want. The Yaris costs $1,400 more then the Elantra!

What I'm getting at is that I'm comparing the two due to the price. I'm finding it hard to justify the extra cost of the Yaris, but I'm still seriously considering it. I'm just disappointed by the higher pricing of the Yaris right now.

If you want me to compare the pricing of the Elantra with the Corolla I think we know where that would go. Ironically, I'm pretty sure I could get a Corolla for a bit more then the quotes I'm getting for the Yaris. It's a frustrating experience right now.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by businezguy

I'm wondering what I can expect by setting the cruise control to 55 MPH and leaving it at that. I really hope I can get well over 45 MPG by doing that.

I think it depends on a lot of factors, one of which seems to be the state...

I drive a long, flat, rural road a few times per week, out and back, about 200 miles R/T, w/ the cruise control set at 55 MPH. I find that I can hit 45 MPG but it's not the norm, any small factor against you will make the mileage drop to about 42. This is in CA which tends to require more additives to the fuel which hurt mileage. A few months ago I went on vacation out of state, had lots of stuff in the car, an additional person, and wasn't driving like granny (doing 75/80) and managed 45 for a few tanks...

EDIT: Oh, and as for the Elantra... I had an '03 Elantra GT hatch that I purchased new. It was totaled w/ 20k miles on it, but I absolutely LOVED it... they've done a major redesign since then so you can't compare them, but it was my favorite car I've ever owned, and I've owned far too many! That said, I really enjoy the Yaris and the only reason that it's not as good as the Elantra is the lack of moonroof, leather seats, tweeters, etc which all came standard in the Elantra for less money {back then}.

[Kal-El]

Some of my points after reading through the thread...

- As many have pointed out, the Elantra competes with the Corolla, not Yaris regardless of price. Although for shopping purposes based on price, the argument can be made for a cross-shop. Point is, the Elantra, as is traditional with Hyundai, is a very good value and cheaper than direct competitors. Just like the Accent can be typically had for less than the Yaris.

- businezguy, since you want the power package, it does bring down the "value" factor of the Yaris and puts it at a price point that makes it overlap with fancier cars such as the Elantra. The Yaris is the best value in base form (or convenience package only) for around $13-$14K. That said, I wouldn't call a $16K Yaris overpriced, but an $18K one is (power pack, S-pack w/ alloys, ect..)

- As for the debate about which gets better highway mileage, MT or auto, well it's pretty close either way and is negligible. Fact is, the EPA tested both and rates the MT at 36 and the auto at 35 mpg. Maybe the auto revs slightly lower, but the MT makes the car lighter and less complex.

- businezguy, do you run into a lot of stop and go during your long commutes? If so, opt for the auto. It may save your sanity.

- Also, I know you want the sedan, but the liftback has more storage compartments for all the needs you listed. And there's now 4-doors available if that's your need. That said, I prefer the sedan too.

Good luck with your purchase!

[Yaris Hilton]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

- Also, I know you want the sedan, but the liftback has more storage compartments for all the needs you listed.

For stashing small objects, packing pistols and such, the liftback's got an edge. For carrying larger things like guitars, amps, rifles, equipment boxes, anything that needs to be kept out of sight, the sedan's the only way to go. Occasionally the liftback might have an edge with a tall, square box that would go in the back with the seat down and wouldn't shut in the trunk of a sedan, but on the whole they just don't have the hauling capacity of the sedan. Most of the time you don't need to fold down the sedan's seats and give up passenger space to carry stuff. It's got a good sized trunk.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

- Also, I know you want the sedan, but the liftback has more storage compartments for all the needs you listed. And there's now 4-doors available if that's your need. That said, I prefer the sedan too.

Good luck with your purchase!

I opted for the sedan as the lift back may have more useable storage space with the rear seats folded forward but add the wife and two kids and the sedan has a full trunk whereas the liftback has virtually no storage space .

[businezguy]

Originally Posted by jambo101

I opted for the sedan as the lift back may have more useable storage space with the rear seats folded forward but add the wife and two kids and the sedan has a full trunk whereas the liftback has virtually no storage space .

I completely agree. That's why I decided to go with the sedan as well. The 5-door was very tempting, I must say. That is a pretty nice looking car, and I do love all of the extra storage in the front of the vehicle. Now that I have my sedan, I am confident it will have enough storage to meet my needs.