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What's it Got Under the Hood?
Both the Elantra coupe and GT share the same 148 horsepower 1.8L four-cylinder engine with the Elantra sedan. Buyers can also choose between a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. With the six-speed manual the Elantra models are rated at 40 mpg highway and 29 mpg in the city. The automatic equipped models are only slightly less fuel-efficient at 39 mpg highway and 28 mpg in the city.
How does it Drive?
For starters, since the Elantra coupe is in all cases basically an Elantra sedan with two less doors, it drives pretty much the same as the sedan, which is a good and bad thing. The Elantra coupe does everything pretty well without really excelling in any one area on the road. It's steering is a bit quicker than the sedan and thanks to a slightly different rear suspension the back end is a bit stiffer, but does it drive at all like a "sporty" coupe that it's styling would lead you to believe? Not really. Driving through the back-country roads just outside of New York City, the Elantra coupe lacked the confidence that you would expect from a sporty coupe. It was also largely let down by its engine. Although on paper 148 horsepower may seem like it would provide decent power, the Elantra coupe needs more.
Well what about the Elantra GT? Again since the Elantra GT has been designed for more European tastes, it has a more engaging driving experience than the coupe. It is powered by the same engine as the coupe, which means that it too could use a bit more power. The Elantra GT also gets a "sport" suspension that gives it better road manners than the coupe and sedan. The Elantra GT also has a unique steering set up that has three different modes: Comfort, Normal and Sport. The modes are selected by a button on the steering wheel, with the Sport mode providing the most "steering weight" out of the three modes.