Review - 2011 Hyundai Elantra GL

Since I'm considering buying a car sometime in the near future, I jumped at the chance to spend a day with my dad's new Hyundai Elantra, to take it out for some typical family activities, and see if it might make it as a future family vehicle.

First off, since I first saw the design I thought the vehicle was smoking hot, so definitely open to consideration based on appearance.

It drives really nice too, with good acceleration and smooth, almost unnoticeable shifting. Cornering is quick when needed, although not something I had any occasion to push hard - my girls were all in the car.

Well, not all. I couldn't see where we could possibly put Cora in this thing, were all five of us to have occasion to go out. Observing how much Chloe loves the dog to bits (poor dog), Cora may not actually be my last dog as I'd previously been thinking.

Upon getting in, Maya promptly asked me to move my seat up, an accommodation I tried to make, but I already had very little space for my legs. Gabi felt the cab forward design was making her a bit uncomfortable, which was alleviated by her moving her seat back. In fact, the only one of us completely comfortable is CoCo, which isn't hurt by the fact that I used the opportunity moving her carseat to do a long overdue strap height adjustment.

So - the end result? I like driving the beast, it's peppy and fun. It's losing out big time in comfort and space, and Gabi's feeling of dislike for the car will ultimately trump every other factor. It's nice, and I can tell why my dad likes it, but I don't think it's for us, not at this point at any rate.