Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
- Nov 16, 2017

Test-drove a 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT tonight!

I was thrilled when I bought my 2000 Ford Focus SE, it was a cute, zippy little car. Today when I got the promise of a $25 gift card to do a test drive, I thought I should check out the newer models. It has been a while. The 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT that I test-drove had an instrumentation panel to rival an airplane pilot’s: How steep is the learning curve on that? Do other people find it a distraction? It would be for me. The 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT comes with a “Anti-Perforation Warranty”, which begs the question: Why not make it out of something that does not rust? The Elantra GT is upholstered in the same polyester they have been using for half a century, fabric which is not comfortable, and which grabs onto every leaf, stick, and fleck of stuff that gets near it, so there is no way to keep it clean. You can either drive it getting dirtier and dirtier, or buy a new one, which at $21K per pop seems excessive. The steering wheel was slippery and had a grove around it that cut into my hands. I would have had to wear driving gloves like they did in the early 1900’s. What little zip the 2018 Elantra GT had required pushing a special button on the lower console to continue the acceleration. How strange and potentially dangerous. When I want a car to go, I want it to go now, not when I find the “go faster” button. Contrastingly, the brakes grab, causing the vehicle to lurch to a stop. I do not know if the “Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detention” feature was a factor.

All in all, the 2018 Hyundai Elanta GT was a disappointment. I did like the gift card, and I bought some extra holiday treats with it.