[NovaResource]

I've been thinking about getting an Elantra as a winter/second family car because the Tib only holds 4 and I'm married with 3 kids. Just something to take the whole family in that gets better mileage than our van, especially when we don't need all that room. So I'm a fan of the Elantras especially that they are close cousins to the Tib.

I've been a member of 2 Elantra boards for about 2 years or so and today a guy there was thinking about trading in his Elantra for a Tib. I told him the Tib was faster stock for stock but if he modded his Elantra more it would be cheaper and faster than any new, stock he would buy. Well, that ruffled some feathers. 2 guys in particular. One with a modded Elantra claimed the Tib GT is a slower car (straight line and auto-x), a bad design because of torque steer and that it's just a heavy pig. Another guy (who drives a Ford Focus ZX4 SES and a Malibu Maxx) claims both his cars are better, quicker, and handle better than the Tib. Here are some quotes:

From the Elantra owner:

Don't forget the wierd Delta Torque curve (read: Non-existent low end tq). ANd the lack of stock hp. And the inability to actually carry people.

I know Nova is a tib owner and loves his, but personally I have never been impressed with the Tib. More like underwhelmed. Looks decent (for a chick car) but seriously lacks the performance.

OK, so to make the Tib GT a serious "sports coupe" You need : Better suspension, more power and an LSD. What happens to the Elantra when you do the same thing?

Nova, I mean no disrespect, but the Tibs have always been overrated IMO. 90% of our Tib owners were college girls.

FActs have been laid out. As a base for performance the Elantra is better suited due to: Better weight dist and less weight. It has the same Beta for a base allowing turbos, supers, nitrous, whatever. Same bolt ons as your Tib, but less weight means more power actually beng used to go fast, not lug around the extra poundage.

Face it, the Tib was outdated when it was introduced. A weak, peaky V6 and a clunky 6-spd known to tear itself to bits and a weak clutch don't make a "performance" vehicle.

Now, for your comparisons of STOCK Elantra GT to a STOCK Tib GT. . . how ludicrous is that (go ahead, look it up again)? One was made to be a 4-5 person people hauler that is a great touring car. The other was "supposed" to be a "sports" car. Considering how close the EGT is, I'd say the Tib was a sorry excuse. They needed something to compete with the Eclipse and the Celica, also both "chick" cars.

From the Focus and Malibu Maxx owner:

Yea but a Tib is a nose heavy over weight pig. At least the Elantra has a respectable curb weight and better front to rear balance. And you also still have that overly annoying torque steer from the Tib V6 under full throttle that requires a white knuckle grip. No mods can fix those problems.

A respectable car that was engineered correctly will have minimal torque steer. The Tib does NOT fall into that segment however.

Oh, I was at a Hyundai dealer for 5 years and can agree 100%. The Tib is a chick vehicle. I would say that close to 80% of the owners were women.

Ok lets debate this.

Tiburon vs Elantra pros and cons.

Tib chick car, Elantra not
Tib overweight, Elantra not
Tib rattle trap, Elantra not
Tib torque steer, Elantra none
Tib terrible sight lines, Elantra great
Tib gas guzzler (V6), Elantra not
Tib clutches suck (6spd), Elantra does not
Tib tranny internals fail (6spd), Elantra does not
Tib doors sound like a Daewoo when closed, Elantra does not
Tib suspension clunks and bangs, Elantra does but to lesser degree
Tib has decent 1/4 mile time 15.8 stock, Elantra does not
Tib does not feel tossable, Elantra does not either
Tib seats 2 comfortably, Elantra seats 4
Tib sunroofs work when they feel like it, Elantra always works

That is a good start

Lets see, My Focus SES stock will outhandle the Tib. Ford did an incredible job with the 2006 SES suspension setup. 22mm rear sway bay above avg "sport suspension", precision steering feel, 205/50/16 rubber stock. 2700lb curb weight and excellent suspension hardware and geometry add up to an incredible handling setup and great ride quality all in one package. Oh and I get 28mpg in around town driving, no highway at all. I would put my car against a Tib driver at an autocross any day.

Malibu Maxx, will easily run with a Tib V6 and even handles much better than expected. Being based on the Sigma platform is part of the reason. The Sigma is a European platform designed for better handling car than what the old Malibu once was. Utility the Maxx offers makes the Tib or Elantra an non compareable car. The sliding folding rear seats, huge rear leg room and hatchback design make the car priceless for the way we use it.

I'm not listing the board because I don't want anyone going over and starting trouble (the thread got locked anyway). I just find it strange because I would think that because we are all in the Hyundai family and share similar platform cars, we'd get along better. I guess not.

 

[Adi0o0o]

i dont care what anyone says....

tib > elantra


BY FAR..


and the ford focus is made by ford. and its ugly....


call the tib slow..

but i love the 6 speed and lines to the car....nice looking car...elantra is just a fam car. and focus is just ugly.

 

[aLiEn_sPoReZ]

That's sad... I actually quite like the Elantra. If I were to get one I'd turbo that mother out the wazzoo with the SFR Stage 2 Super Turbo kit and have a giant-killer with tons of room for me, the wife and kids.

My take on it is that it is simply guys trying to make themselves feel better about having a 4-door economy car (which the Elantra is classified as) instead of a 2-door sport coupe (which the Tiburon is classified as).

 

[1boostedxd]

So I am a Elantra owner and I for one like Tibs, I actually bought a 2003 GT 6 spd, loved the car wouldve kept it if insurance wasnt so bad for me, but I instead got rid of it and boosted my XD and did about 10-12000 worth of mods to it . I do believe we should all stick together (Hyundais that is) just my .02

 

[deez337]

sooo a guy with a 4 door family car and another guy with 2 4 door family cars talking trash...

Malibus, Elantras and Focus's are jokes when it comes to basic modding peformance. period

Sure with enough money you can do sick things but these guys have nasty cars with big hopes, maybe they will realize that one day.....

 

[yg17]

I've driven both an Elantra (I4 Auto) and of course my I4 Auto Tib...both the same engine and possibly the same transmission (Anyone know if the trannies are the same?). Stock vs Stock, the Elantra seems just a little bit faster because its a couple hundred pounds less...hardly noticeable though. But V6 Tib against I4 Elantra stock vs stock? No contest.

 

[HokieTib]

They were forgetting two big things. Our cars look far better than theirs. And I mean FAR better. And second, our V6 engine (either in GT or SE) crushes their "Elantra GT". Case closed.

 

[AnthonyNTC3]

wierd thing is...they say its a chick car, but my mom and
sister both have elantras. also at my highschool, there were 4 chicks with elantras, and only one guy. my family has four hyundai's. we have a 2002 elantra, 2005 elantra, and a 1999 elantra. the beta motor is not as smooth as our v6. these guys are just jealous. also they do not handle like pigs. bet they didnt know a GTV6 out slaloms and brakes a rsx type-s. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. also, our 1999 elantra had the auto tranny changed twice. btw, those malibu maxx's put up nice numbers though.
the guy with the focus needs to be reminded he drives an economy car, and should not even compare it to a tib. wasn't it the 170hp SVT focus that ran a blistering 16 second 1/4mile. :3_plzdie:

 

[tibin-in-ricon]

I for one couldn't care-less what they think. (seriously I really couldn't)

 

[Diode Dynamics]

Yeah I really don't care either. I simply don't agree with even comparing anything they drive to the Tib. They're two different cars for two completely different purposes.

 

[cheeester19]

they have no idea what they are talking about.

my dad has a malibu and i enjoy driving it but its not what i would use to mod at all.

 

[DarkSouledSRT]

Focus owner talking smack. Thats funny. His car is garbage and can be found on road dead. And a Malibu owner talking trash. Malibu's are for grandma's. Sure the tib may not be the best performance car on earth, but at least it'll get you laid unlike the elantra,lol.

 

[heatfan5]

to bad the elantras prior to the 07 were possibly one of the ugliest cars on the road I would be embarassed to be seen in one thats how ugly they were.

 

[Tiburon628]

im a member over on eclub also, my user name is Hyundai628 and as you can tell i was very involved in that thread. i made a thread here about that thread over on eclub before and it got locked for no reason.

bobzilla AKA bob and gmtorque AKA jay over on eclub are as*holes that hate on the tiburon because they just dont like them.. i dont get how jay can hate on the tiburon when hes driving a focus and a mommy malibu.. lol and as for bob.. he just gets male PMS and doesnt know when the right time is to shut his mouth.

its funny because if you look at my sig i owned 2 elantras and i liked them very much but the tiburon and the elantra are 2 different cars and i wont bash on either, unlike those 2 guys over on eclub.com

 

[Rick]

I'd have to concede to the torquesteer arguement, but any trash talk from an Escort owner should just be ignored. Escort continues the "fine" lineage of the Maverick and Pinto. I.E. disposable cars....

I've learned to live with the torquesteer, but I've yet to drive a FWD car that manages it to my liking.

As for the weight issue..... I've been over, under, and through my tib, and I can't understand why it weighs a ton and a half?????? Where are all these pounds coming from?

 

[ArunSenior04]

Dont worry about Bob, he is a PITA on both Elantra boards. He feels that because he is a parts dealer with some experience, his opinions and statements are superior to everyone elses.

Alot of Elantra owners, think low of the Tib because of the fact that they are nearly the same car, except for the V6. I think another thing that boosts this ideal is the I4s capability to take a beating, and boost.

IMO, its not the Elantras, or Tibs, pushing the performance "envelope" per se, but the Accents that continue to blow both of us away.

 

[05Tib]

im ok with driving a "chick car".... its a good ice breaker when i see some hot blonde get out of hers and im getting out of mine and can tell its modded

 

[nemo]

the elantra is ugly as balls, who cares.

 

[Raven]

05Tib, nice point! +1

 

[05GT]

They're just mad they didn't get the Tib to start with.