Vehicle Reviews

 Hyundai's 2013 Elantra Coupe is the latest new entry to join Honda's stalwart Civic Coupe, the Scion tC, and the more recently added Kia Forte Koup, and it's got what it takes to attract a strong following.

I recently enjoyed a week in the new Elantra Coupe, and when I say "enjoyed" I'm not merely replacing a word such as "spent" or "experienced" for creativity's sake, I truly liked every minute in this car. From its swoopy styling to its impressively detailed interior, its forward thinking electronics to its ride and handling, the Elantra Coupe is a well-executed compact two-door. Unlike the Scion tC I just mentioned, the Elantra Coupe isn't a hatchback but a real coupe with a trunk, just like the Civic Coupe and Forte Koup,

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but Hyundai goes about its sportiness a bit differently than any of its peers.

First off it's the lightest of this group, but its also largest. And where the others offer more powerful engines and sport-oriented features in either base or optional trim, the Elantra doesn't even try to push the performance envelope, only offering one moderately powered engine while the six-speed manual gearbox can only be had in base trim. But the Elantra Coupe comes away feeling the most luxurious of the bunch and equally importantly delivers the second best fuel economy too.

That said it's only marginally bested by the Civic Coupe at a claimed 6.3 L/100km combined city and highway with the manual or 6.6 with the automatic for the Hyundai compared to 6.2 and 6.4 with the Honda,

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so the chances of noticing a dollar difference at the pump will be slight whereas the Elantra Coupe's better performance, with 148-horsepower and 131 lb-ft of torque from its 1.8-litre four-cylinder compared to 140-horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque for the Civic Coupe, is obvious upon acceleration.

At takeoff the Elantra Coupe was more fun than I would've previously imagined 148-horsepower tied to a torque-converted automatic transmission could be, which might have to do with its six forward gears and manual-mode operation. Of course you can leave it in drive and let it do all the work for you, but it was nice to hold a gear during sporting maneuvers and equally handy to be able to shift early to save fuel.

The Elantra

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Coupe feels like a bigger more refined car than its peers, which makes sense as it has the longest wheelbase among the three aforementioned rivals while using a unique V-beam torsion axle rear suspension that integrates a 22-mm stabilizer bar for bracing the arms, increasing stiffness and reducing body roll. It all works very well, and combined with my SE trimmed tester's 17-inch alloy wheels on 215/45R17 tires it delivered controlled handling and impressive stability on the highway.

On-road capability in mind, it's pretty clear that Hyundai was targeting Honda's Civic Coupe directly when they created the Elantra Coupe, allowing its South Korean kissing cousin Kia to fight it out against the Civic Coupe Si with its more potent Forte Koup SX. The fact is there are many more buyers for comfort-oriented personal coupes

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than edgy sport machines, which is why the Elantra Coupe is doing so well. Its larger interior makes for a truly comfortable cabin front to back, while the soft surfaced dash top looks and feels premium, something I'd also like to see in the middle portion of the dash and on the door uppers where people are more inclined to touch, and with respect to the latter, where my elbow felt a little uncomfortable when rested.

A look around the cabin makes it clear that Hyundai likes large buttons, switches, and knobs, with those on the steering wheel taking up most of the spokes' surface area and the audio controls on the centre stack coming together to form a winged shape just under my top-line SE version's infotainment monitor, while the HVAC buttons combine into a forked horseshoe design just below.

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Both feature large rotating dials at centre, ideal for use during winter when wearing gloves.

The infotainment display is a touchscreen, however, requiring you to remove those gloves. It's worth it though, at seven inches across and quite stunning in high-resolution colour. The large button theme continues on the screen where you can choose from various feature categories and then click on a given function. For instance, the navigation system, standard with the SE, features six large digital touch buttons including "Address", "Previous Destination", "Intersection", "POI Search", "Address Book" and "Emergency". Under these are six presets, the first being home and the others for places you're likely to go fairly often. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was why anyone would need a preset for a place they already know how to get to, but if traffic is bad it's sometimes necessary to take the road less traveled and important to

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do so without getting lost. In a similar fashion you shouldn't have much trouble navigating through this GPS system either. It's straightforward and user-friendly, just like the rest of the infotainment system.

As mentioned the navigation system only comes with the top-line SE trim level, which sits above the base GLS. Additionally, where the GLS offers a 172-watt 6-speaker AM/FM/XM/CD audio system with an auxiliary input and iPod integration through a standard USB (your Hyundai dealer will sell you the old 30-pin iPod cable for $51.45 extra), the SE ups the ante with a 360-watt stereo featuring an external amplifier, and of course that infotainment screen that also houses a backup camera. Likewise, the base GLS gets standard air conditioning while the SE boasts dual-zone automatic climate control, and the entire cabin looks

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richer in the SE thanks to leather seating surfaces and leatherette door inserts compared to the premium cloth used in the GLS. The SE also gets proximity sensing access with pushbutton ignition, automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and alloy foot pedals, whereas both cars come nicely kitted out with standard heated seats, a trip computer, a leather-wrapped gearshift knob and a leather-clad tilt and telescopic steering wheel featuring buttons for the audio system, cruise control and Bluetooth hands-free.

Of course safety comes standard, which means the Elantra Coupe gets all the usual airbags, including side curtains front to back, plus four-wheel ABS-enhanced disc brakes with electronic brake force distribution, and critically important anti-skid technologies such as Vehicle Stability

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Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Traction Control System (TCS).

I mentioned the Elantra Coupe is roomy, which is especially true in back where comfortable accommodations are enhanced further with a standard folding centre armrest with integrated cupholders. The rear seatbacks fold 60/40 for increasing trunk capacity, but it's already the largest among its trunk-equipped competitors with 420 litres of cargo space.

Of the four compact front-drive sporty coupes available, the new Elantra Coupe might be the easiest to live with. Of course I experienced mine in top-tier SE trim, but even in base GLS guise its full assortment of features, large comfortable dimensions, big car ride, agile handling, amply sporty performance off the line,

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and near best in class fuel economy make it an all-round do-gooder. Its very approachable starting price of $21,444 including destination for the base GLS, plus $1,150 more for the automatic, makes for a strong value proposition too. As mentioned the automatic comes standard with the SE, which starts and ends at $26,694 taxes aside, unless you choose to add on dealer-installed accessories.

At the end of an enjoyable week with the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe I really only have one complaint. As good as its six-speed automatic is, I don't understand why you can't get the SE trim package $1,150 cheaper by opting for Hyundai's slick-shifting six-speed manual. It's a sporty coupe after all, so why not offer the more visceral experience of a stick shift to those who also like to be pampered with leather and top-level electronics? I'd fit into that camp, and I'm guessing many others would too.

Built close to the same levels of performance, ride quality, fit, finish and features as premium crossovers of the time, so much so that it was able to continue on for six years with only a subtle mid-cycle upgrade. I've regularly recommended it to family, friends and readers, and now that the entirely new 2013 model is upon us I'll be recommending the outgoing Santa Fe as a pre-owned purchase too.

So, does the 2013 Santa Fe stack up? I spent a week with it recently and I have to tell you that Hyundai is once again up to its old tricks. It immediately looks more upscale than the outgoing model, with a bolder chrome grille and sophisticatedly styled projector beam headlamps complemented by de rigueur LED accent lights. These used to be sacrosanct to premium brands, but some mainstream makers have smartly adapted them to raise their game. Those headlights are placed high, wrapping around the tops of each front

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fender, whereas large fog lights are positioned below, albeit higher in the front fascia than the usual placement in the lower valance, but it works, combining for a strong visual presence with more masculinity than the outgoing Santa Fe.

From profile it's downright sporty, with rear quarter windows that point upwards even more aggressively than on Nissan's Murano, culminating in a large rooftop spoiler that sits above a positively rich set of taillights. Nice rear end detailing includes an aluminum-look diffuser-like valance at bottom that mirrors the appearance of the aluminum-look front valance. Again, very upscale. All in all it's a much more daring Santa Fe than the previous generation, and one that I'm guessing men are

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going to buy into as easily as the gentler gender. I certainly like it more.

Likewise for the interior, which continues a quest for premium status despite its mainstream roots. It's not quite up to the level of the outgoing Veracruz when it comes to soft-touch plastics, which used them on the door panels, upper and even lower dash surfaces, the centre console and just about everywhere else to the embarrassment of some so-called luxury brands, but the new Santa Fe is more refined than the segment average. Of course, delivering a quality ambience needs to go further than just satisfying our sense of touch while dampening sound, which is why Hyundai also gave the new Santa Fe the type of interior design that exudes a much greater sense of occasion. The overall look of the instrument panel and dash is both rich and high-tech,

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combining those softer surfaces with metallic and carbon-fibre-tone accents for an expansive two-tone openness that looks original and more than just easy on the eyes. It's actually quite stunning. Small details like the power window switches are meticulously detailed, and the rest of the switchgear is first rate.

The centre stack houses a host of top-tier standard features, like AM/FM/XM/CD audio with a large LCD display and iPod, USB, and auxiliary inputs, plus Bluetooth hands-free, HVAC with really nice large vents, whereas the buttons for the heated front seats lay a bit lower on the console, between the seats. Those seats are covered in an attractive taupe gray stain-resistant fabric featuring an eye-catching contemporary pattern, with ample adjustment including powered lumbar support. I had no trouble getting comfortable behind the tilt and telescopic wheel, while the rear seats are roomy and totally flexible thanks to 40/20/40 folding seatbacks that flip forward with handles on the cargo bay side walls; a cut above the usual 60/40 design as you

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can stow longer items like skis in between with four people aboard.

A cut above describes how the Santa Fe feels on the road, too. Its ride is smooth and unobtrusive over pavement irregularities, while handling is downright sporty thanks in part to a Sport setting (the others are Comfort and Normal) as well as Active Cornering that modulates the brakes to maintain control while tackling curves. It comes standard with all-wheel drive, along with a gorgeous set of 17s wrapped in 285/65 rubber that deliver up a nice balance of performance and ride quality, while those wheels frame ABS-enhanced four-wheel discs with electronic brake-force distribution. Traction and stability control are standard too, the usual in this class, but the inclusion of passive safety features like a driver's knee airbag is still

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a very welcome oddity. Of course, the usual set of airbags round out the standard safety package.

What will matter as much to buyers in this category is interior spaciousness, and to that end the Santa Fe is once again a litre for litre volume leader. Its overall cabin volume equals 4,061 litres to be exact, which is even more than the 4,034 litres offered in the outgoing model and ahead of big sellers like the Honda CR-V with 4,003 litres and the Chevrolet Equinox with only 3,712 litres, while Ford's new Escape offers up just 3,749 and even its midsize Edge is only good for 3,982 litres of total interior volume.

This brings up an important issue, while the Santa Fe feels as large and spacious as a five-passenger midsize SUV, it's often

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compared to compacts because of low pricing that starts at $30,144 including freight and PDI. Its comparison to smaller crossovers is probably because compacts have long been ballooning in size and midsize five-seaters are getting difficult to find. A base Ford Edge can be had for a tiny bit less than a Santa Fe Sport, but the least expensive Nissan Murano will cost you $6,000 more! While Hyundai expects to compete well against CR-Vs, RAV4s and Equinoxes in the compact segment, it's already got the Tucson to do that. The Santa Fe has long been targeting the larger Edge and Murano models, not to mention giving Highlander, Pilot and Sorento buyers that don't really need the extra seating an option of a lighter weight five-passenger crossover.

This seems like a good time to mention that a seven-passenger Santa Fe just debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show, so Hyundai's

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entry has truly grown up to midsize status with a best of both worlds offering. We'll be reviewing that one as soon as it's available, and I'm guessing it'll be able to compete on all fronts with seven-passenger rivals. Case in point, Kia's Sorento only has 4,035 litres of cabin volume, which is less than the current five-passenger Santa Fe Sport, whereas the new seven-passenger Santa Fe gets a wheelbase stretch of nearly 10 centimetres and a gain of more than 21 centimetres of overall length, so it should easily compete with large utes like the aforementioned Pilot and Highlander, and even the Chevy Traverse.

Certainly the Santa Fe Sport is roomy compared to its five-passenger rivals, made even more accommodating with a cargo area measuring

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1,003 litres behind the rear seats and 2,025 behind the front row, but it's actually 120 kilos lighter than its predecessor thanks to the copious use of high-strength steel and other lightweight materials. This helps it perform better than the outgoing model. I mentioned how nicely it handles, but its revised 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine is nine-percent more powerful than before with a total output equaling 190-horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. That, and its efficient six-speed automatic transmission with performance-oriented sequential shift mode gives it an edge over lesser-powered four-cylinder rivals, yet its fuel economy has improved to a claimed 9.5 L/100km city and 6.0 highway in front-drive trim and 10.1 and 7.0 with all-wheel drive. I experienced an average of about 11 L/100km city and highway combined in my 2.4 Premium AWD tester, which is closer to the Santa Fe Sport's U.S. EPA

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estimated mileage in similar trim. It uses regular fuel, by the way, saving you about 10-percent at the pump over those that require premium.

Just so my double mention of "Premium" doesn't get confusing, Hyundai calls its second-level trim, Premium. Base models get no added designation at all, after which Premium trim comes in front- or all-wheel drivetrains. Above these, the Santa Fe can be had in 2.4 Luxury trim, which adds leather and other niceties, and a full range of more powerful turbocharged 2.0T models, including Premium FWD and AWD, 2.0T SE, and 2.0T Limited. I'll leave the details of these for upcoming reviews, but suffice to say that all Premium models are fitted out much the same as my tester while the SE

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has a decidedly sporty side to it, and the Limited is over the top luxury, designed to fight it out with crossovers like the new Murano Platinum.

My Premium AWD tester was nicely equipped, featuring dual-zone automatic climate control with a clean air ionizer, an ultra-comfy 12-way power adjustable driver's seat with four-way powered lumbar support, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, heated rear seats, rear side-window retractable sunshades, rear parking assist, and the list goes on, making it more than just comfortable.

Could it get any better? It certainly could, but that would require upping my tester's price by $2,200, from $33,944 including

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destination to $36,144 for an all-wheel drive version of the 2.0-litre turbo (or $2,000 less for front-drive), a small price to pay for 264-horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque plus a claimed fuel economy rating that's only a smidge thirstier than the base 2.4 at a mere 9.8 city and 6.4 highway for front drive models and 10.4 and 7.4 for all-wheel drive. That engine allows a tow rating of 3,500 lbs, making it a family hauler for boats and camp trailers too. And while we're on the subject, the upcoming seven-passenger Santa Fe comes with Hyundai's direct-injection 3.3-litre V6 with 290-horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque, good for 5,000 pounds of towing.

While I could go on about how the new seven-passenger Santa Fe makes good business sense compared to the now defunct Veracruz, as its cheaper and easier to market one nameplate that's already much

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better known than two, I'll leave that for a future review and just sum this one up by saying you're in for a real treat no matter which Santa Fe you take out for a drive. Mine was close to base and hardly felt like it, delivering the type of refinement expected in more expensive crossovers with fancier badges. Of course, we've come to expect this from Hyundai, a brand that has forced domestic and Japanese mainstream rivals to up their game, improving the quality and value propositions offered by the entire industry. Case in point: it followed up last year's Automobile Journalists of Canada Canadian Car of the Year Award-winning Elantra with top placement of the new Elantra GT in the "Best New Small Car" category over $21,000, and yes you guessed it, the Santa Fe Sport 2.0T in the "Best New SUV / CUV" category between $35,000 and $60,000.

I have to agree, the Santa Fe Sport is a very impressive CUV. Kudos to Hyundai.