[nicknick43]

I have two kids but occasionally need to haul 3 including my girlfriend's kid. I'm currently driving a Chrysler 200C but looking to get back into something a little bit more fun after trading in my Ford Focus ST for the Chrysler. I stopped by a dealer after watching virtually every YouTube video off the elantra sport. I didn't have time to drive one sadly but did sit in the front and back and just generally checked it out. So thoughts and questions:

*the exterior is pretty good looking. Sporty but mature as the reviewers stated. All cars at the particular dealer had horrendous paint where the sparkle felt raised. Is Hyundai known for bad paint?

*my Chrysler is loaded to the gills with safety tech and "luxuries". In some of the reviews I see a heated steering wheel button. Is that available in the US? Will I miss the lane departure correction and radar cruise? Dual zone is a must so the premium pack is a must

*do the seats really only adjust up/down/front/back with no lumbar?

*I thought all ES came with a sunroof. The dealer had a 2017 without one

*by specs I give up a few inches of rear seat legroom and a little hip room. The shape seems better though. Does anyone have experience with 3 adults or car seat kid small booster in the back seat

*and lastly- I don't mind a manual but I do drive a lot. About 2000 miles a month. Will the suspension and seats not just reward me with more passion than the 200 but hold up comfort wise.

In the end I went from one extreme of a Cobb tuned focus st to a commuter lux sedan and think the ES may give me just enough of both worlds

 

[R1600Turbo]

*the exterior is pretty good looking. Sporty but mature as the reviewers stated. All cars at the particular dealer had horrendous paint where the sparkle felt raised. Is Hyundai known for bad paint?

Sounds like contamination from transport or sitting on the dealer lot.

*my Chrysler is loaded to the gills with safety tech and "luxuries". In some of the reviews I see a heated steering wheel button. Is that available in the US? Will I miss the lane departure correction and radar cruise? Dual zone is a must so the premium pack is a must

Heated steering wheel is Canada only. The other stuff I would guess it depends on how much you actually use it.

*do the seats really only adjust up/down/front/back with no lumbar?

Yep.

*I thought all ES came with a sunroof. The dealer had a 2017 without one

2017 the sunroof only came with the premium package. For 2018 it's now standard.

*and lastly- I don't mind a manual but I do drive a lot. About 2000 miles a month. Will the suspension and seats not just reward me with more passion than the 200 but hold up comfort wise.

I have no issues with the seat comfort and I've been on a couple long road trips with the car already. (10k miles in 4.5 months FTW) But I am small-ish at 5'6" 150lbs.

 

[Wolf_Speed]

yeah those bastards screwed us 2017 buyers out of a sunroof. i dont use them that much really but it would have been nice to know i had one. oh well i guess it does save some weight.

 

[Stones]

just want to put it out there that the ES has one of the best interior designs in the segment. Blacked out and the controls are extremely well layed out. I'm big on interior/controls and I always take a look when I'm in friends cars. compared to the GTI, 3-series, A3, toyota, or civic interiors, this one feels the most intuitive and classy. Very comfortable cockpit to be in. Its my favorite part of the car and something very important in a daily driver. Only complaints are that the seat bolsters are too wide for my frame and the power is underwhelming. Have you test driven? Manual trans is a joy, but again, just lacking a bit of power. Its not an issue when you consider the price, but I do wish it had more oomph.

 

[Wolf_Speed]

i agree. i believe that 225 hp stock from the factory would have been perfect.

 

[nicknick43]

Probably going to test drive Tuesday. Been looking for a '17 with premium and they are not to be found. Maybe dealer can swing me the same deal on an '18.

Glad to hear it stays comfortable on long drives.

 

[nicknick43]

just want to put it out there that the ES has one of the best interior designs in the segment. Blacked out and the controls are extremely well layed out. I'm big on interior/controls and I always take a look when I'm in friends cars. compared to the GTI, 3-series, A3, toyota, or civic interiors, this one feels the most intuitive and classy. Very comfortable cockpit to be in. Its my favorite part of the car and something very important in a daily driver. Only complaints are that the seat bolsters are too wide for my frame and the power is underwhelming. Have you test driven? Manual trans is a joy, but again, just lacking a bit of power. Its not an issue when you consider the price, but I do wish it had more oomph.

i agree. i believe that 225 hp stock from the factory would have been perfect.

Anything is probably better than my current 3500+lbs and 184hp

 

[coffeeslug]

From my experience, three people can travel in the car pretty comfortably. When you add a fourth, inevitably someone's comfort is compromised.

 

[nicknick43]

From my experience, three people can travel in the car pretty comfortably. When you add a fourth, inevitably someone's comfort is compromised.

I'm not a big dude at 5'8 and my gf is 5'3ish so I can't see 4 being an issue after sitting in the back. Adding that 3rd in the second row is my concern with the kids. It's pretty tight in the 200 with one carseat and one booster and my daughter who's 12 in the middle position

 

[ClownSlap]

I'm not a big dude at 5'8 and my gf is 5'3ish so I can't see 4 being an issue after sitting in the back. Adding that 3rd in the second row is my concern with the kids. It's pretty tight in the 200 with one carseat and one booster and my daughter who's 12 in the middle position

look at the back there different spots to hock up the kid seats built in

 

[Wolf_Speed]

best idea would be to just strap the kids to the roof with a tarp over them in case it rains and call it a day.

 

[nicknick43]

best idea would be to just strap the kids to the roof with a tarp over them in case it rains and call it a day.

That does solve not only space but noise level

 

[Poolnoodle]

Anything is probably better than my current 3500+lbs and 184hp

You drive torque, not hp. This car has so much early onset torque making city driving is an easy blast. You know about the feel for the most part from the ST but it's even earlier here. You won't be disappointed one bit.


Perfect example would be to drive a civic SI with four bodies (dead or alive) and then drive the ES with the same bodies.
Crazy night and day difference between torque delivery at 5k vs at 1.5k. They have the same hp yet totally diff animals.

 

[R1600Turbo]

No complaints about the power here. Could it use more? Sure. But is it under powered from the factory? Certainly not.

 

[nicknick43]

Running into issues with too much neg equity in my trade. May kill the deal even before the test drive.

 

[R1600Turbo]

Running into issues with too much neg equity in my trade. May kill the deal even before the test drive.

Is it a newer vehicle? If so, did you purchase an extended warranty/service contract or gap insurance with it? I had recently purchased a '15 Kia Forte and was upside down quite a bit on it, but I was able to cancel the extended service contract on it along with an extended warranty and gap insurance on the car I traded in on the Forte. It all equated to a few grand being paid down on the principle of the Forte which helped out a bunch. They take several weeks to cancel and get the refund but if you're not in a hurry to purchase, it could work in your favor.

 

[nicknick43]

Running into issues with too much neg equity in my trade. May kill the deal even before the test drive.

Is it a newer vehicle? If so, did you purchase an extended warranty/service contract or gap insurance with it? I had recently purchased a '15 Kia Forte and was upside down quite a bit on it, but I was able to cancel the extended service contract on it along with an extended warranty and gap insurance on the car I traded in on the Forte. It all equated to a few grand being paid down on the principle of the Forte which helped out a bunch. They take several weeks to cancel and get the refund but if you're not in a hurry to purchase, it could work in your favor.

Gap insurance yes but I don't think it was more than a few hundred dollars. Hoping a dealer gets desperate but if not I should just roll with this grocery getter for a while and not worry about it.