2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring vs 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Gts
If you are like the average person in the United States and are trying to picture what the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring and the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback look like you might be having a bit of trouble right now. These wagons are high on utility, have extra long warranties, are cheap to insure (due to being stolen much less often) and are more fun to drive than their sedan siblings but for some reason Americans prefer more sedate looking transportation. Something like a Toyota Corolla then, perhaps?
Realizing that most Americans would rather have a much less useful sedan over these Euro-chic mini-wagons, I do have to remind myself that there is still a small segment of the population that likes to think freely from the cute-ute SUV herd. These people take risks with their automotive choices and like to see their money last. You know, at least as long as a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty (which both Hyundai and Mitsubishi feature).
The Hyundai Elantra Touring and Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback offer more cargo room, passenger space and features for your buck than your average base-model SUV. And won’t you look extra cool to your friends driving one of those forward thinking “hatchbacks.” I am telling you they will be all the rage come model year 2019.
2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring SE—(Starting at $18,995)
With a starting price at least a thousand dollars below the most basic Lancer Sportback, the Elantra Touring also boasts a shade more cargo utility thanks to its upright roofline. There is also about as much cargo space in the back of an Elantra Touring SE model as there is in your average 2010 Nissan Murano (65.3 cubic feet with rear seats folded). That’s made all the more impressive when you consider that the Murano costs at least $30,000.
While there is a new stripped out GLS-model Elantra Touring ($15,995) for 2010, part of the sumptuously minimalist appeal of this wagon initially was the fact that it drove and felt like a decidedly European hatchback. The willing 2.0 liter 138 horsepower 4-cylinder has proven itself reliable in other Hyundai products over the years and the uniquely set-up chassis and steering racks give the Euro-engineered Elantra Touring a fun to drive air that few cars (especially Hyundais) can match at this price.
Available with either a standard five-speed B&M close shift manual transmission or an $800 optionally extra autobox, the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring also returns a healthy 23 miles per gallon city/31 highway. Every 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring SE model comes fully loaded with air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, 17-inch alloy wheels, thick and durable feeling cloth seats, iPod jack, heated front seats, a power driver’s seat, power moonroof and a 172-watt 6-speaker CD/audio system. Wow, hatchback wagons really can do everything. Except tell you how good they are.
2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS—(Starting at $19,190)
You might think the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring would be the default choice for family car buyers on a budget considering the value and economy on hand. But what if you want something even more “different” that is a bit more fun to drive? Well, if being fun to drive is at the top of your list of family car “must-have” attributes, you will no doubt love this rather uniquely styled hatchback known as the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS.
The Lancer Sportback GTS is powered solely by Mitsubishi’s excellent 168 horsepower MIVEC 2.4 liter 4-cylinder and this motor should be praised for its eagerness to rev and miserly 21 city/27 highway fuel economy rating (again, below the thrifty but lesser powered Elantra Touring). On the other hand, cargo space will be considered ample by most, but it still trails the Elantra Touring with just 46 cubic feet available with the rear seats folded.
You can also option up your Lancer Sportback GTS with luxury car features like an in-dash navigation system with Hard-Drive Song Storage, leather seats, a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system, Sirius satellite radio, 6-disc CD changer, power moonroof, heated seats, xenon headlamps and rain sensing wipers but this can push the price past $25,000. That price, however, puts it into contention with the “in-another league” 2010 VW GTI.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS is available with a sweet six-speed manual or an economical CVT automatic transmission and the feel of the car is much sportier with the manual. If you are looking for a new “utility vehicle” with a dose more pace, panache and frugality you really should check out the defiantly different 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS.
Which One Should You Buy?
I have to hand it to Hyundai, while the Elantra Touring isn’t quite as fun to drive it does have the Lancer Sportback GTS beaten in pretty much every category except performance. It really is a car to buy today and drive it happily into the ground over the next 15 years.
