Alfio Capicollo 
The Best Option on a Budget
The Hyundai Elantra is a car that balances well between offering a premium feel and staying within a budget. It is a car that is inoffensive and for that reason has been a mainstay in the Hyundai stable for so long.
The 2010 Hyundai Elantra is a particularly great car. Hyundai introduced two models that year, a sedan and a tourer. The sedan retained all the features of the Hyundai Elantra while the tourer had a sportier and edgier appeal to it. The car is a continuation of the 2007 Hyundai Elantra’s design language. It is far larger than the previous iteration and stays on a thin line between a mid-sized and a compact sedan. The 2010 Hyundai Elantra touring car on the other hand is a far sportier brother and comes with all the suave you can expect. It lends a more premium look and a very European demeanor. In many ways feels like a different car.
While the car may feel different, both the 2010 Hyundai Elantra GLS and the 2010 Hyundai Elantra tourer share the same platform and powertrain.
The Design
The base design for the Hyundai Elantra has always been the same throughout the years, albeit with a few changes for the 2010 model. The car is now taller and curvier. You get cleaner lines and a sculpted body. The car’s design will not stun or wow you by any means. It presents itself as is, an economy mobile. You do not get any pretentious design elements from the 2010 Hyundai Elantra and that plays particularly well to its strengths.
The tourer is a little more exciting. You get chrome accents, tinted windows, and the 2010 Hyundai Elantra tire size can go all the way up to a 17-inch version. These features give the car a little edge over the traditional sedan. The flow in the design is simply great, for all fans of a car that simply has to take you places the Elantra is the right choice.
The Performance
The 2010 Hyundai Elantra comes with a standard 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, 139 bhp engine. You can take your pick between a five-speed manual or an automatic transmission. The engine is powerful enough for your everyday commute. You will get the occasional grunt when you try to take it beyond its limits. You get a fairly smooth transmission system, irrespective of whether you pick out the automatic or the manual one.
The best part about picking up a 2010 Hyundai Elantra is that the efficiency is very good. You get 26 mpg in the city and it goes up to 35 mpg when you take the car out on the highway. The car is soft on the roads and you will hardly feel the bumps. The sedan version gives you a feel of a much larger car than it is. The touring car on the other hand lends a sportier ride. The car handles well and you will not face problems over long commutes.
The Comfort and Space
Despite the economical aspect of the car, the Hyundai Elantra feels more like a mid-sized sedan. You get a very roomy car and the leg space is sprawling. The interiors are very impressive for the price range. You get even more space in the touring car and it almost lends an SUV-like feel.
The main takeaway from the 2010 Hyundai Elantra is space. You get an abundance of space. The passenger seats can handle three normal-sized adults with plenty of headroom and legroom. It has by far the most space in its class. You also get class-leading trunk space, allowing you to house the luggage for you and your family.
The car also uses high-quality materials on its dash and doors. You do not get the cheap plastic that you might be accustomed to in budget cars. You get quality buttons, a soft-touch dashboard, and a woven texture on the ceiling. You simply do not get these features for the price.
The Problems
The 2010 Hyundai Elantra does not have a lot of issues to boot. The engine might be a little slouchy when you rev it higher and makes more noise in the high rpm range than it should. You also get some cheap plastic bits here and there.
Apart from that, the real problem would be with the recent 2010 Hyundai Elantra recalls. There were bizarre issues with brake lights, cruise control, and unserviceable brakes. Hyundai had to recall a whole lot of cars due to these issues.
There was also a second incident with the 2010 Hyundai Elantra problems, where moisture in the ABS caused short circuits in the electricals.
A Look at its Safety and Features
The 2010 Hyundai Elantra is rated very highly in crash tests. It gets five stars for frontal protection and four for side impacts. You get front, side, and curtain airbags as standard. You also get ABS and active head restraints as standard across all models. In addition to that, you also get stability control and brake assist.
You also get a ton of features as evidenced by various 2010 Hyundai Elantra reviews. Power windows, keyless entry, power locks, heated mirrors, and tilt steering are all standard. There is also an option for air conditioning and a 172-watt audio system on the base model. You also get a rear armrest, which is interestingly new for a car in this segment. The top-end model gives you options for heated seats and a sunroof, talk about economical.
In Conclusion
It seems fairly evident that the 2010 Hyundai Elantra is a car that is more than just an economical sedan. The features, the power, the design, and most of all the space all signal that this car is different. You get the most headroom and legroom in this budget and Hyundai has used some very high-quality materials. It is a car for that want to be frugal but also wants the features that come with mid-sized sedans. The 2010 Hyundai Elantra walks a fine line between being economical and being luxurious.
