s2kpdx01

arguing over these kind of cars is like arguing over who's hotter rosie o'donnel or Roseanne barr. if i was blindfolded and led around a parking lot in any of these cars I could probably not even tell the difference.

JonBoy

Yes, we matter more than the people that actually are buying them, twice as many of which are buying the Civic as compared to the Elantra....

I do agree that the interior is a step back and styling is certainly not very good (Si looks good, though). I don't call that "losing its way", just "disappointing". The car still performs great and will be reliable and safe.

slusoccer00

Wow... As one of the toughest market segments, there should be debates. Each car has their pros and cons. I'm sorry the car is not up to your "high" standards and but there's actually a difference, let us common folk duke it out.

JonBoy

Oh c'mon - you don't think you'd immediately notice the difference between the sensuous curves of an Elantra and the horribly boring three-box shape of a 9th gen Civic? Surely you'd feel the difference between the high-dollar interior of the Elantra and the mouse-fur upholstery of Honda's latest failure!

JonBoy

My thoughts exactly. There, we agree on something. Quick, lock the thread!

In all seriousness, if Hyundai gave us Canadians a 10yr/100K mile powertrain warranty like the USA, I think the Elantra would be a clear choice over the Civic (as it sits right now). By the time you hit the mileage/age limit of the Hyundai warranty, both cars would be fairly worthless anyways (a few grand is probably not a big deal at that point) and the Hyundai's heated rear seats and nicer-looking interior would probably trump any potential issues with the powertrain (covered under warranty). I do value reliability, safety and fuel economy but of the three, only fuel economy is a real variable between the Civic and the Elantra.

s2kpdx01

ok, it was a little tongue in cheek, but seriously I'm sure 95% of the public if put in a honda (civic) or a hyundai (elantra) and somehow didn't know what brand it was would be about as happy in either one. they are basic transportation and are basically (see what i did there) the same.

There are some slight differences in HP/mpg, etc and the bodys look different, but both pretty plain and boring.

Not trying to act like i'm better. I do have a 2000 CR-V and it's a piece of crap, but I paid $4k for it so that makes sense. It turns on when I move the key in clockwise direction, goes (slowly) when i push the pedal on the right, stops (slowly) when i push the pedal in the middle, and changes gears when i push the pedal on the left.

It is amazing though that two people could be so passionate about econoboxes to argue for 2+ pages about them.

(I added the 2+ as I figure this thread will hit 3 pages and you guys will be arguing on it)

JonBoy

We're passionate about cars, all cars, any cars. This is, afterall, CAR talk.

s2kpdx01

This used to matter when the cars in the segments were light years apart. They are very close now. Pretty much any of the top 4 are all very good cars so just pick one out of a hat. That's my advice.

JonBoy

Rosario, perhaps you could share your experience in selling them. The Civic is selling very, very well. Are people buying them DESPITE the interior or are most of them not really noticing it? Have any of them said "I tried the Elantra but I'm buying the Civic"? If so, what were their reasons?

My impression is that the car mags and Consumer Reports especially don't like the interior changes (I concur) and the better damped, slightly softer ride but my feedback from some of my Honda salespeople/friends is that consumers really aren't noticing much difference (if any).

Thoughts?

slusoccer00

I had an Si, the one that got laughed at, EP3. I loved that little car because it separated itself from everyone else. The shifts, even though thought to be awkward, weren't at all. Extremely reliable, although this has no relevance to today's Si, I liked them. I really think a lot of people are sticking with Honda based off past experiences and couple that in with crazy incentives, people are then buying them.

It's like an old favorite sandwich shop, this sandwich shop was amazing growing up but another one was built across the street. Went about their ways for a period of time and then started noticing the competition gaining a larger market shares because of customer appreciation programs, in response then started cutting some higher quality materials/options (Coke Product/Pepsi Product... cheaper price - I don't drink either so flame on, or specialized paper products to generic paper products) to hold their margins. Majority of customers deal with it and continue to go but lose some customers to across the street, quality of cheeses/meats is then reduced, lose even more people. Coupons introduced and people return but find the product is not worth the coupon and return to across the street. Overall image damaged. I hope I make sense.

Since we are on the topic Civic vs Elantra, I would like to find how many Elantra's were bought in 2011/2012 vs prior years and do the same with the Honda Civic. Considering Hyundai has just started changing from Top to Bottom we really won't really see how the market has shifted till another year or two, even if it has at all. If Hyundai has grown (don't actually know) say 30%, someone had to have taken a hit. Who is that car company? What did Elantra owners previously drive? My brother bought a new Elantra, he had 2010 Accord EX.