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Choose 2012 Prius Five or 2012 Elantra Limited?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by WE0H, Jun 20, 2011.

  1. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    I wonder if a guy could get paint to stay put on that black bumper? Looking at the non-hybrid verses the hybrid bumper, it appears to be the same bumper. If they only made that Elantra as a hybrid :blah: Leather is a must for my car. I have a Garmin already that gets me to the destination with no drama. So many decisions :twitch:

    Mike
     
  2. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    i find toyota entune a much better proposition as it is free, and gets you internet connected navigation, search, poi's, etc.... it is in mid Prius v which also comes with 6.1" screen and multimedia package in base model.

    as to the maintenance, hybrids are notoriously low maintenance. not only engines are chain driven, there are also no other other belts, and pads last up to 3x longer while discs last ... forever :).

    As to the Sonata Hybrid... looks good (Optima looks better for me and i would seriously consider it).

    BUT

    It is their first hybrid. If you check Hyundai forums, a lot of people have issues with CELs poping up and TSB has been issued. Then there is another TSB for car getting stuck in EV mode and shutting down on the road... then there is TSB about roof trim falling off. And thats only with handful of cars sold.

    Not to mention that issues were probably why car was delayed in the market, as hyundai forums confirm that Hybrid sonata has no sound warning system installed at all. So it was all bogus.

    Also a lot of people are averaging 30-34 mpg and experience transmission being jerky a bit... which i think is inherited in the design where conventional AT is used and not PSD system.

    sonata: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Hyundai&model=Sonata Hybrid

    camry: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Camry Hybrid
     
  3. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    A good body shop can paint a plastic bumper and have the paint stay on it. You need the right surface preperation, the correct primer for the type of plastic the bumper skin is made of and primer and finsih coats that are flexible enough to survive bumper duty.

    That would take a very skilled do-it-your-selfer with access to the right equipment or a good body shop with experience painting bumpers.

    Several years ago my wife's car got rear ended and the body shop ( big local shop) sent the repaired the mildly damaged bumper skin out to a specialist for repairs and paint. I wouldn't have accepted the repair in lieu of a new part except the insurance company gave us a lifetime warranty in writing on the work.

    A SWAG is that it would be $200+ per bumper for a good paint job if you want the paint to stay on.
     
  4. voip-ninja

    voip-ninja New Member

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    It is a good point that first year models often have more reliability issues. I will have to do some research on this.

     
  5. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    That's good info to know :thumb: I don't see a problem finding a shop local that can do the task. That would make that car look oh so sexy :love:
    The Sonata Hybrid loaded up is a click under $32k. Inline with a Prius Five with Nav. About $8k over a loaded up Elantra Limited. Tomorrow I hope like heck the rental place has an Elantra to rent. I told them I would be willing to sit around an hour or so for one to arrive if need be. I must rent one to see how I like it or not. Next rental could be a Sonata Hybrid. Not a chance in hell to rent a Prius Five :( I need to do my homework well before making the decision to buy which one next spring. So much to do...

    Thank you,
    Mike
     
  6. voip-ninja

    voip-ninja New Member

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  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I'm guessing that person had no need for the extra utility of the Prius. If all you're looking for is a comfortable, efficient vehicle then the Sonata works. For those of us who have one vehicle the the extra utility of the Prius helps. There is no way I could own a Sonata due to my line of work.
     
  8. coach81

    coach81 Active Member

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    Did they have the Elantra?
     
  9. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    I go down there at 4pm Central. I'll be sure to post here if I get it. Today should be a very slow day at a rental place so I am way more confidant that they will have several to choose from. The last trip we were down there on a Sunday evening and the airport was a zoo with business travelers. A very bad day to try to get something specific although Hertz had a cool silver Gen III for us :p

    Mike
     
  10. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Got the Elantra. 2011 silver GLS. Wife drives it 20 miles from the airport to her parents. I am following in my Vue. About 4 miles down the road she calls on the phone and says I want to trade in my black car for one of these :love: That didn't take long :rolleyes:

    Anyhow, arrive at her parents, eat dinner, watch her family look at the car and so forth. Now it's my turn at the wheel. Fire up the motor, sitting there finding this and that and get the MPG meter reset to zero. It was at 35 something MPG. My short trip is a ~5 mile city drive then ~20 miles country roads with hills and corners. A few stop lights along the way. The car is in ECO mode. After I get to the end of the 5 mile city stop & go mess, the MPG meter says 32 something. Hmmm, not bad for city stop & go. Out on the country roads running 55-60 MPH and I clocked in a 38 something MPG average at the end. It was still climbing but I had to go home :p

    Handling was good. A bit of a heavy center feeling to the steering but fine with me. The throttle is very very sensitive even in ECO mode. Acceleration is more than plenty. This car would give a Prius a good run for it's money :bolt: It handled the twisty's just fine at normal speeds. I didn't dive into any corners; after all, it's an econo car ;) The A/C will freeze you out of there in a hurry.

    Now to check the tires, clean it up and hit the road for a few thousand miles. I'll have some real MPG figures on Tuesday night when I arrive in Louisville Kentucky. That'll be a bit over a tank of gas so I can get actual calculated figures rather than the car's computer reading.

    Also the audio system has XM and sounds damn nice for a bone stock base audio system. I haven't done Bluetooth or fed it a MP-3 yet. Bluetooth & Aux audio input and USB ports are standard :eek:

    Anyone need any pics? Just ask & I'll post 'em :)

    Mike
     
  11. samsprius1

    samsprius1 HEV Fanatic

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    Sounds like fun! Seeing a lot of them on the road now! warranty till100k? GlS lower than Limited?
     
  12. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Yea, there are two trim levels, GLS is the least options and Limited is loaded like a Prius Five. I don't know if a Limited could be rented so I got a GLS. I have sat in a Limited and was very happy with what I seen. The GLS is fabric and no Nav but it sure drives nice and got me some decent MPG figures for my very first time. This trip will tell me if it will be a 40+ MPG highway car or not. Since I am very very biased toward a Prius, the Elantra has to be super saweet to win me over. Even if I do buy an Elantra Limited, I will always have a passion for the Prius. I think you know what I mean. Something about a Prius that keeps people attracted to it. Don't know why, but you likely know what I mean :p But, I must at least sit in a Prius Five before making any decisions. I surely would like some seat time in one, but I doubt that will ever happen. I was at O'Brien Toyota in Champaign Illinois a couple weeks ago looking for a Five to check out. They had a used Gen II and that was it :( That was a freakin huge Toyota dealer and to have no new Prii, wow... I'll keep my eye's out in my travels. I run all over the Great Lakes States every other week.

    Mike
     
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The Eleantra Limited is not loaded like a Prius v. There are many options missing on the Elantra. It does not come with LED headlights, options for dynamic radar cruise control, smart key system, lane keep assist, parking assist etc.. The Prius v fully optioned out is much more expensive than the Elantra Limited but then again, they are two totally different cars with different missions.
     
  14. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Completely different missions. I think in my original post I mentioned a Five without AT as the comparison vehicle. I have no need for the radar cruise or park assist. Check out my driving style in post #1 ;) The LED lighting would be neat on the Elantra. It could be converted all except the headlamps which I would not mess with. It's odd looking under the hood with an alternator and a belt to stare at :eek: I wonder when all manufacturers will eliminate that and go with a direct driven generator? I believe it will be 2015 when all Hyundai's will shut off the ICE at a stop. That's another thing that would up the overall mileage of a non-hybrid. Sitting at a typical stoplight, this Elantra loses about .4 MPG on it's meter. It quickly gains it back, but still, if it didn't drop at all, that'd be cool :) We'll see how it goes on this trip. From my short snippit drive last night, I know it will go over 40 MPG cruisin America :usa2: Gotta remember, I am very very biased toward a Prius :hail:

    Mike
     
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I missed that part, Mike. Sorry about that. :)
     
  16. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Ah shucks, your forgiven today :tea: But next time look out :nono:

    Mike :)
     
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    :D

    FWIW, I like the Elantra and actually recommend it to others who have no need for a Prius. Well than and the Sonata.
     
  18. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    In my eye's it is a very pretty car inside & out. I like it more than the Sonata. Just to satisfy my curiosity and what others here are telling me, we will rent a Sonata on the next trip and see what I think. Funny thing now is our trip before the last one, we go into Hertz at the airport and checked the list to see where our rental was parked. Turns out there was a white Sonata sitting there :p I asked my wife if that is what she wanted to drive and she says, lets get a RAV :D We have driven RAV's all over the country in the winter and liked them for what they are. I actually averaged 30 something MPG on that RAV on my last tank coming thru Iowa on US-52/US-61. Pretty damn good in my books. She flew into Michigan on a quick trip a while back and called me and said she was driving a Sonata and thought it was a nice car. The Elantra is a mini Sonata with more sexy looks :loco:

    So back to the Sonata, I knew about it's huge trunk and sure enough, I peaked inside and holy crap, it'd easily fit 3 bodies in there :eek: No serious, it is freakin huge in there. The Elantra trunk is the same way. There is also a huge under the floor area like the Wireless Prii has :thumb:

    So yea, we'll rent one of those Sonata's just to say we did and report back my findings. The wife knows about this forum and others but she is a newbie when it comes to forums and other online stuff. How a banker can be a newbie on the Internet puzzles me :noidea:

    I should start one of those Blog things :ranger:

    Mike
     
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  19. Going Greener

    Going Greener Junior Member

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    Your thread is like a blog, fun! Thanks.

    We've been searching for a car to purchase recently and the 2012 Elantra Preferred Package or the Limited model are high on the list. Elantra is a nice looking car with alot of bang for the bucks. I prefer the size of it over the Sonata. Amazingly tho, the larger Sonata costs about the same and is rated the same mileage. There is alot of room in the Sonata... sat in the back seat and felt like we were on a couch :popcorn: ! That part is ok, but worried about parking in the city with the Sonata being longer and a tad wider. Every few inches count between tightly painted parking spaces to avoid dings and bumper damage :eek:.

    The Hyundai salesperson contacted us yesterday and suggested to go look at the 2012 Accent 5 door Hatchback SE (I think the fully loaded model). It was just available a few days ago. He knows we love the 5 door hatch on the Pri. He said it rides like a sedan. The Hyundai Accent sedan and the Ford Fiesta look really nice now. I can easily mistaken the outside of a Accent as an Elantra. We didn't sit in either the Accent or the Fiesta as that wasn't the segment we were considering. Salesperson said the Accent Hatchback SE is around $17,000.

    Our search continues and it's frustrating because I'd prefer an electric vehicle. The thought of buying an ICE car is very painful... otherwise, we'd probably already have the 2012 Elantra. The market availability for smaller cars now is low and for a reasonably priced electric one more challenging. We'll see.

    In the meantime, looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Have a safe and wonderful trip.
     
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  20. coach81

    coach81 Active Member

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    Did some homework.. the Sonata is nearly 30K when equipped properly.. and neither it or the Elantra can come close to the Prius MPG savings...