The Elantra--the sporty, "functional" family

The 2013 Elantra GT with 17" wheels and super slanted headlamps.

I knew even before I started the engine that I was in for a sporty ride.  The aluminum-covered foot pedals and foot rest gave it away.  Then I started the engine.  The engine notes bring you right back to that date you had in high school with the bad guy who wore too much pomade.  Lose the pomade buddy and you got yourself a girlfriend.  And that's kind of what the Elantra GT does.

The Hyundai 2013 Elantra GT is such a curvaceous little darlin' it would be a shame if it weren't also a terrific car.  No worries there.  It is, as most of Hyundai vehicles in America today, well made, packed with content, stylish and reliable.  Who could ask for anything more--rhetorical question.

My test car is the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT with  front-wheel drive.  It comes with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produces148 horsepower and 131 lbs-ft of torque.  A partial zero-emissions vehicle (PZEV) version of this engine lowers output to 145 hp and 130 lb-ft for vehicles sold in California-emissions states. The engine is paired with a 6-speed automatic.

EPA fuel economy estimates are the same for each transmission, with 28 mpg city/39 mpg highway and 32  combined.  My combined fuel economy on the 2013 Elantra GT was 33.9 mpg over a distance of 343.3 miles.  Most of my miles are parkways.

The lighting of the instrument panel makes the interior notable.  There's a particular glow to the white background, accented with blue and red.  It's handsome.  It's well-designed so that it doesn't make an overly ambitious statement--a comfortable, easy-to-like interior--no pomade.  It's quiet in the cabin though the noise bafflers don't separate you from the endearing engine notes. I particularly liked (and I usually don't like) using the navigation system and the audio as well as Hyundai's blueLink that finds restaurants and other (POI) places of interest and pairs bluetooth phones to their system.  The interior offers leather, heated seats, front and rear.  It is roomy--surprisingly so.  Don't reject the idea of a test drive because you're tall.  Steering comes in three flavors, normal, sporty and comfort.  I chose sporty to go along with the engine's pugnacity.

Nifty interior.  Notice aluminum foot pedals.  Center panel reminds me of Volvo's waterfall design.

Standard safety features include electronic stability control with traction control, AVS with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist,  many airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, tire pressure monitor and daytime running lights.  I fault Hyundai for not having blind-spot detection and some of the other accompanying newer safety features.  They are lifesavers and I'm sure they will soon show up on lower end models.

The Elantra GT competes with the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Volkswagen Golf and Chevy Cruze--tough competition.  This "functional" family consists of the sedan, the coupe and the GT.  As equipped my vehicle was $25,365.  Base price was $19,395. But in general, the Elantra's balance between ride and handling is one of the best in the segment. 

This is one to look at if you want to meet a functional family.

PRICING FOR FUEL-EFFICIENT BEETLE TDI® CLEAN DIESEL COUPE

Awwww.

The only Clean Diesel offering in the compact coupe category goes on sale in August

• Volkswagen’s sixth TDI® Clean Diesel model available in the U.S.

Herndon, VA -  Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced pricing for the Beetle TDI® Clean Diesel coupe. The Beetle TDI is the third model in the Beetle lineup and joins the 2.5-liter five-cylinder and 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline models, which launched to great acclaim in 2011. The Beetle TDI features VW’s 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection Clean Diesel engine that produces 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. When equipped with a manual transmission, the model has manufacturer fuel economy estimates of 41 mpg highway and 32 mpg city.

Model Lineup
Three trims are available with the TDI® Clean Diesel powertrain. All models feature a standard six-speed manual transmission with Volkswagen’s acclaimed six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission as an option. All three are very well equipped, with standard features such as power windows with one-touch up/down; cruise control; V-Tex Leatherette seating; front-center armrest; the “Käeferfach” secondary glovebox; Bluetooth® technology; leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel with audio controls; three-color ambient lighting; auxiliary instrument package; Keyless entry with push-button start; SiriusXM Satellite Radio®; and a Media Device Interface with iPod® cable.

TDI
Manual $23,295
Automatic $24,395
The base TDI model comes standard with unique 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, all the equipment listed above, and an interior and exterior chrome package. The standard RCD310 audio system has an AM/FM radio, CD player, Bluetooth® technology, SiriusXM Satellite Radio® and eight speakers

TDI with Sunroof
Manual $24,895
Automatic $25,995
This model adds a panoramic tilt/slide sunroof and Volkswagen’s touchscreen Premium VIII radio to the Beetle TDI trim.

TDI with Sunroof, Sound, and Navigation
Manual $26,195
Automatic $27,295
In addition to the above features, the top model includes the RNS 315 navigation system and the award-winning Fender® Premium Audio system.

All prices exclude a destination charge of $770.

2013 Beetle TDI Pricing
Model	Price	Features
TDI manual         automatic	$23,295 $24,395	2.0L 140 hp TDI® engine, six-speed manual transmission; 17-inch alloy wheels; power windows with one-touch up/down; cruise-control; V-Tex leatherette seating; trip computer; front center-armrest; auxiliary instrument package; keyless access with push-button start; RCD 310 eight-speaker sound system with aux-in and Media Device Interface with iPod® cable; SiriusXM® Satellite Radio; three-color ambient lighting + Six-speed DSG® transmission
TDI w/ Sunroof manual auto	$24,895 $25,995	(Includes Beetle TDI features) + Panoramic sunroof with power tilt and slide + Six-speed DSG® transmission
TDI w/ Sunroof, Sound, and Navi manual auto	$26,195 $27,295	(Includes TDI w/ Sunroof features) + RNS 315 touchscreen navigation, Fender Premium Audio System + six-speed DSG® transmission
Destination	$     770	All Prices Exclude Destination Charge

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Eos, Golf, Golf R, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

“DSG”, “TDI”, “VW”, “Volkswagen”, all model names and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. “Bluetooth” is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. “Fender” is a registered trademark of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. “iPod” is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. “SiriusXM” and “SiriusXM Satellite Radio” are trademarks of SiriusXM Radio, Inc.

Where stated, fuel economy values (mpg) are EPA estimates. All other fuel economy values are forecast manufacturer values for the USA; those EPA estimates were not available at time of release.

MSRPs exclude taxes, title, options, and dealer charges.