Choose 2012 Prius Five or 2012 Elantra Limited?

I think last year was the second snowest season ever 85inchs thats 7feet 1inch!it's good to have a 4WD If you have to get out!Do you really want to move here?

 

One of the girls I work with has the new Elantra and she says
it get 40 MPG and it is an automatic.

They are a clean, nice looking vehicle, a hybrid version would be an easy 50 + MPG vehicle.

Just a matter of time and the Hybrid Elantra will arrive.

alfon

 

This is a great thread! I was trying to decide between a Prius and a Ford Focus. The problem I had was the Focus driving position was pretty low even with the seat all the way up- it still was low like a sports car. How is the Elantra driving position? I can never seem to find comparisons for cars driving position height. Seems like that would be something people would want to know.

 

Did you feel higher up or lower than a Prius? What I like about the Prius is - it doesn't feel like a small compact car. Where the Focus did. I love my GFs Rav 4 (Hate the mileage) obviously none of these car will be as high up as a Rav 4- but really trying to avoid the race car feeling of my old Acura Integra. I'm now coming from a Mazda 6 which to me is the perfect size car and it seems Elantra is closer to that.

Did I also read right that you had the non-limited Elantra but it did have Nav and USB? Can't seem to find those options on Hyundai page. I can't get the limited because I don't do leather seats. I wish they offered fully loaded without leather

 

Thanks! I have to take a 200 mile trip this weekend- and I am hoping to find a place that can rent me an Elantra. Prius keeps coming down in price and I drive about 15k a year- so in the end the Prius may save me money. But we'll see.

 

I have just speed-read through this thread, and I would like to suggest some other angles. (I am someone who has long been procrastinating over a Prius buy, while my `06 Civic with 175,000 miles continues to give great service.)

• Why not Focus or Civic? Prius and Elantra (as well as Insight and CR-Z) all have twist-beam rear suspension. Focus and Civic have multilink, which makes a difference I appreciate. With the Elantra, it seems everything about the car but that is as classy as Sonata.
• Prius has a chronic problem with unruly radio emissions, making radio reception notoriously bad. (When you see a car equipped with antenna embedded in the rear window, you know that model car has no such problem.)

These items will loom fairly large in my next car buy. I await the Prius C, hoping that Toyota is not about to strain and strain, only to come forth with a re-badged Auris.

 

I was all set to buy the Focus- been waiting for it for a year. Now the problem is #1 you can't find one. They are really hard to come by. I want an SEL in silver- there is 2 in all of the US. Ordering takes 12 weeks. So since I have been waiting I rented one. The big issue is- it rides really low. You really feel like you are in a smaller car when you drive one.

The seats are great- BUT a little too firm and sporty. It gets very tough on the back. But man the car drives great- is gorgeous inside and is a great deal with all their cash back offers.

It's killing me not to get one- but I can't handle the low driver position and the fact its a 12 week wait for the SEL which has a much nicer interior than the SE.

 

NW MI is a very nice area. I want to get back up there again one day, haven't been in a few years - have friends that lived a few years there and I'd go visit. The first house they rented, the back yard looked up to Boyne Mountain. Mackinaw Island is another place I want to get back to. If you're up that way and have time, should check it out

 

elantra in a heartbeat, unless you are solely basing your analogy on f.e.

 

If you MUST compare that Elantra to a $32k Prius, then get the Elantra.

 

Despite the long warranty and all the positive press I had nothing but problems with a 2000 Sonata and the Hyundai dealer here is selling cars by the 100's.
A number of people hear at the hospital I work at have been buying and leasing NEW Hyundai's and a lot of them have been in the shop.
One of my employees has a BRAND new Sonata and its been in the shop twice already. (a lot of there fly by wire electronics issues)
YES everything is covered, yes they came and towed the car for free, but there's a reason theire1000's less then a toyota, honda and nissan. As for me I just replaced my 2002 Isuzu Rodeo with 110,000 miles for a brand new Pilot and my 2008 Scion XB for my 2011 Prius II.
I've been tempted by Kia and Hyundai but I'll never do that again.
Yes I'm paying a premium but a 10 year 100,000 warranty isn't enough to sway me if my car going to be in the shop.

 

Did a quick dealer drive with both today as now rental car place suddenly can't get me either.

Elantra- I liked the interior lay out. Tons of cup holders, places to store things. I can't comment on the seats as they only had the limited and I want cloth- but the leather seemed good. I liked the layout of the aux and usb out- right by the shifter with a big nook to put an ipod. The Prius is in the center arm rest. I like it closer so I can look down and see it if need be.
The gas pedal felt a little sluggish. Not that it took a long time from 0-60 but that it was heavy and I really had to press down on it to get it going. Overalll the driving didn't WOW me- but it was nice to drive. No rattles. Very solid. I am not a fan of the blueish backlit radio though. Sounds great. Just don't like the display.
I did feel a little low driving position so I cranked up the seat- but then my view was blocked by the sun visor. So that didn't work out so well.

Prius: It felt a little more cramped inside for driver and passenger. Most likely due to the fact of the crazy center arm rest thing. No place to store things compared to the Elantra.
Drive seemed as smooth honestly. My lower back hurt a little- not sure if that was the seat, the position or from something else. The steering wheel doesn't have enough positions though. Not quite as hard of an accelerator but still had to press harder than the Rav 4 I have been driving.

I plan on driving 15,000 a year so need to do the math on that- figuring the Prius gets 12 more MPG? Sound about right?

I do like that for around 18k the Elantra comes with a little bit more. More storage room, bluethooth, ipod connect, xm radio. But I also like the resale of the Prius, the hatchback and of course the MPGs.

I really like the Prius and trying to justify at at around 5k more or so- it gets tough.

I'm hoping they can find me an Elantra to drive for the weekend tomorrow morning.