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7 Posts
Hi,
My previous car was a Suzuki SX4 AWD (aka Fiat Sedici) hatch 5-speed which I've bought new back in 2008 and has served me well for a bit over 10 years.
Mostly owned BMW and VW's in the past.
Coming from having an AWD, I was really looking at either a Subaru Crosstrek or Impreza hatch. However I found them a big bland in terms of style and features for their asking price.
I started looking at other options with the following criteria:
1. Must be compact profile.
2. Must be a hatchback (practicality)
3. Must be reasonable on gas.
4. Must be a manual transmission.
5. Must have up-to-date tech/comfort.
6. Must be "fun to drive" without compromising ride/comfort.
7. Max budget of $25k USD
CARS IVE LOOKED AT AND TEST DROVE PRIOR TO MAKING A FINAL DECISION:
1. Impreza hatch (overall meh.., AWD only major plus.)
2. All new 2019 Corolla XSE hatchback (this car fit all the criteria except ride was a bit harsh and did not handle pot holes well at all during test)
3. VW GTI (quick, loved the quality of materials but not the most ergonomic, reliability scared me, expensive)
4. Mazda 3 Hatch Touring... (Equally as impressive as Corolla but with less tech.)
When I went to the Hyundai dealer to see the Elantra GT Sport they did not have any so I test drove the only GT they had...a fully loaded base with tech pkg and DCT.
This car impressed me the most out of all when looking at the complete package...AND I haven't even driven the Sport trim yet.
After some thinking with my wife, we decided to aim toward Hyundai and started our search for a Scarlet Red GTS 6MT.
Apparently GTS's are difficult to find. I've searched Hyundai USA website for the max 250 mile radius and only 11 showed up and about only a smaller fraction in 6MT. To make matters worse Hyundai's website inventory listings are seldom accurate and often out-of-date.
We had a difficult time locating our car but a dealer in PA (Colonial Hyundai) notified me of 2 new arrivals (black one and red one). We made an appointment with the dealer which was over a 2 hour drive for us and the rest is history!
Pic of her in the garage for the first time attached.
My previous car was a Suzuki SX4 AWD (aka Fiat Sedici) hatch 5-speed which I've bought new back in 2008 and has served me well for a bit over 10 years.
Mostly owned BMW and VW's in the past.
Coming from having an AWD, I was really looking at either a Subaru Crosstrek or Impreza hatch. However I found them a big bland in terms of style and features for their asking price.
I started looking at other options with the following criteria:
1. Must be compact profile.
2. Must be a hatchback (practicality)
3. Must be reasonable on gas.
4. Must be a manual transmission.
5. Must have up-to-date tech/comfort.
6. Must be "fun to drive" without compromising ride/comfort.
7. Max budget of $25k USD
CARS IVE LOOKED AT AND TEST DROVE PRIOR TO MAKING A FINAL DECISION:
1. Impreza hatch (overall meh.., AWD only major plus.)
2. All new 2019 Corolla XSE hatchback (this car fit all the criteria except ride was a bit harsh and did not handle pot holes well at all during test)
3. VW GTI (quick, loved the quality of materials but not the most ergonomic, reliability scared me, expensive)
4. Mazda 3 Hatch Touring... (Equally as impressive as Corolla but with less tech.)
When I went to the Hyundai dealer to see the Elantra GT Sport they did not have any so I test drove the only GT they had...a fully loaded base with tech pkg and DCT.
This car impressed me the most out of all when looking at the complete package...AND I haven't even driven the Sport trim yet.
After some thinking with my wife, we decided to aim toward Hyundai and started our search for a Scarlet Red GTS 6MT.
Apparently GTS's are difficult to find. I've searched Hyundai USA website for the max 250 mile radius and only 11 showed up and about only a smaller fraction in 6MT. To make matters worse Hyundai's website inventory listings are seldom accurate and often out-of-date.
We had a difficult time locating our car but a dealer in PA (Colonial Hyundai) notified me of 2 new arrivals (black one and red one). We made an appointment with the dealer which was over a 2 hour drive for us and the rest is history!
Pic of her in the garage for the first time attached.
