"Powered by a 2 liter, DOHC MFI 16-valve 4-cylinder inline engine, the Elantra gets off to a good start. The engine is extremely quiet and rather punchy, producing 140 [email protected] 6000 rpm, and 133 lb-ft of torque @ 4800 rpm. Acceleration is good, if somewhat hampered by a horrible manual gearbox. Truly, it's up there with a Skoda I once drove, and that's saying something. Shifting from 1st to 2nd feels like a movement one might make on a trombone, but less secure, with the gearstick wobbling around as much when in gear, as in neutral. Took a bit of getting used to and detracted from the gutsy little engine.
And then there's the handling. Or rather lack-there-of. Pretty pathetic, I have to say. Minimal grip, road holding and cornering ability. Thank god they don't make SUV's. The Independent MacPherson strut front, and Independent multi-link rear axle suspension itself wasn't bad, giving a pretty firm ride, but the chassis could well have been made of 10 different parts, all moving individually of each other given the stability of ride achieved. The power assisted dual diagonal braking system was effective, if lacking in the delivery of a real punch, but did the job with relative smoothness."
That true or is the guy just being dumb?
And then there's the handling. Or rather lack-there-of. Pretty pathetic, I have to say. Minimal grip, road holding and cornering ability. Thank god they don't make SUV's. The Independent MacPherson strut front, and Independent multi-link rear axle suspension itself wasn't bad, giving a pretty firm ride, but the chassis could well have been made of 10 different parts, all moving individually of each other given the stability of ride achieved. The power assisted dual diagonal braking system was effective, if lacking in the delivery of a real punch, but did the job with relative smoothness."
That true or is the guy just being dumb?