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2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

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I’m not a huge fan of the faux-silver trim that has a prominent home on the dashboard and the doors; the design is interesting, but its appearance isn’t compelling and it feels low-grade when you grab onto it to close the front doors. The flat-black plastic surrounding the audio head unit looks a little low-rent, too, and the center dash vents don’t have on-off dials if you don’t want any air blowing at you from there. Like I said, it’s minor stuff.
 
In the end, my lasting impression of the Elantra is the car has all the necessary attributes to compete and win in its segment.

Senior Road Test Editor
Mike Hanley

Mike Hanley has more than 20 years of experience reporting on the auto industry. His primary focus is new vehicles, and he's currently a Senior Road Test Editor overseeing expert car reviews and comparison tests. He previously managed Editorial content in the Cars.com Research section.

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