2008 Hyundai Elantra - Styling Review

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Experts at TheCarConnection.com find the 2008 Hyundai Elantra's styling somewhat generic.

The 2008 Hyundai Elantra is the South Korean brand's compact sedan, slotting between the small Rio and the mid-size Sonata in the lineup. Completely redesigned last year, the current Elantra sedan is wider and longer, with more interior room than before--enough to make it a mid-size by some considerations.

Of this year's model, Cars.com says, "the new Elantra adopts a taller, curvier look," noting that "it follows the look of the full-size Azera sedan--which is not the most distinctive design." Rather than generic, Washington Post considers it "unpretentious," stating the Elantra "does not pretend to be hot, hip, sexy or wicked. Instead, it proudly presents its credentials as an economy-mobile."

Kelley Blue Book, on the other hand, praises the exterior of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, noting its similarity to its bigger sibling: "The impressive exterior styling, with its clean lines and sculpted body sides, borrows design characteristics from the larger and more expensive Hyundai Azera."

Matching Hyundai's other vehicles, the interior follows a soft--not edgy--design, with rounded borders and flowing curves. Switchgear and gauges in the 2008 Hyundai Elantra are straightforward and tactile, and the instrument panel's design, with the high-mounted sound and climate-control functions, is convenient.

Kelley Blue Book says the Elantra is "not necessarily an example of modern style," criticizing "the SE's somewhat dated-looking velvety seat fabric, the instrument panel with its expanses of plastic and the over-designed door panels [which] appear a little old-fashioned." Edmunds notes that the Hyundai's "interior quality is quite literally hit or miss," although "the overall design is attractive and pleasing, looking as if it belongs in a much more expensive car."