• Should you buy a 2010 Hyundai Elantra or wait for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra? Buy a 2010 model, especially if you’re interested in the sedan. The 2012 Elantra sedan will leave behind today’s competent but unexciting engineering and graduate to a version of the European-bred chassis that underpins the Elantra Touring wagon. That means the 2011 Elantra sedan will be a lame duck with soon-to-expire looks. The Touring won’t be replaced until after 2012. It joined the lineup for model-year 2009, and though it represents only about 15 percent of Elantra sales, it’s a hip 15 percent. If you’re turned on by the Touring, you’ll not be shortchanged by going for a 2010 or 2011 version. Any Elantra you choose will be covered by Hyundai’s strong warranty: 5-years/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper, 10/100,000 powertrain, and 5/unlimited roadside assistance.        

2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA CHANGES

• Styling: The 2010 Hyundai Elantra styling changes are slight and confined to the sedan model. It gets a slightly revised grille and a slash of chrome trim on the trunklid. The 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon carries over visually unchanged, though it does add a lower-priced new base model. The current-generation Elantra sedan was introduced for 2007. Come model-year 2012, it will get all-new sheet metal to go along with its new engineering. The Elantra Touring wagon was essentially plucked from this South Korean automaker’s European lineup, where it sells as the Hyundai i30, a car designed to satisfy demanding German drivers. The Touring wears a sleeker skin than the sedan and has a trendy, big-mouth grille and taillamps that climb the rear roof pillars, Volvo-like. Image-conscious Hyundai insists the Touring is a five-door hatchback. But it shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit the Touring is a four-door wagon – and an exceptionally roomy one at that: its 65.3-cubic-feet of cargo volume with the rear seats folded shames many midsize wagons and matches some compact SUVs. In fact, both the 2010 Elantra sedan and Touring wagon are among the compact-class leaders for passenger space. They benefit from some of the longest wheelbases in the category – 104.3 inches for the Elantra sedan, 106.3 for the Touring. Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axles and largely determines how much of a car’s structure is available for cabin space. There are few styling distinctions between the 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan’s three models: Blue, GLS, and SE. The Blue edition’s body does get some “blue” insignia and the SE can be identified by its alloy wheels versus the other models’ 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers. The new 2010 Elantra Touring model is labeled GLS. The carryover 2010 Touring SE model has 17-inch alloy wheels, plus roof cargo rails that are optional on the Touring GLS.

• Mechanical: The 2010 Hyundai Elantra’s main mechanical changes are the fuel-saving “Blue” tricks shared by all the sedan models. The spearhead is the 2010 Elantra Blue sedan. It’s part of Hyundai’s “Blue” campaign to tweak specific models for maximum fuel economy (the subcompact 2010 Hyundai Accent also gains a Blue edition). Every 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan and Touring model has 138-horsepower dual-overhead-cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. But only the sedans get the Blue treatment. This includes alternator management that results in less engine drag, lower friction engine components, revised transmission gear ratios, and engine calibration changes. The 2010 Elantra Blue sedan is limited to a five-speed manual transmission fitted with special fuel-saving gear ratios (and an instrument panel light to indicate when it’s most efficient to change gears). Hyundai says the 2010 Elantra Blue sedan improves fuel economy by 8 percent in the city and 6 percent on the highway compared to a 2009 manual-transmission Elantra sedan without the Blue treatment. The 2010 Elantra GLS and SE sedans come only with a four-speed automatic transmission, but it gains a revised lock-up torque converter to maximize fuel economy at highway speeds. Hyundai claims fuel-economy increases of up to 4 percent over previous automatic-transmission Elantra sedans. As for the 2010 Elantra Touring, both the GLS and SE models are available with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic; fuel-economy ratings are unchanged from 2009. Every Elantra has a fully independent suspension. And like all cars in this class, they’re based on a front-wheel drive design. That puts the weight of the engine over the tires that power the car. Front-wheel drive benefits component packaging and traction on slippery surfaces. But it isn’t optimal for sporty handling. Rear-wheel-drive cars better distribute the powertrain’s weight front to rear, and they don’t require the front tires to propel the car and steer it at the same time.

• Features: The 2010 Hyundai Elantra competes with the lower-priced cars in the compact segment, and though it can be outfitted with heated front seats and other upscale items, some amenities aren’t available. These include leather upholstery, but the most conspicuous omission is a navigation system, a gadget increasingly common in similarly priced small cars. That’s not to suggest Elantra skimps on features. To the contrary, even the entry-level Blue sedan comes with a height-adjustable driver’s seat and split folding rear seatbacks -- plus the aforementioned heated power mirrors, remote keyless entry, and power windows and locks. Safety equipment standard on every 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan and 2010 Elantra Touring wagon includes four-wheel disc brakes with antilock control to combat skidding in emergency stops. The SE sedan and both of the Touring models add a trio of additional safety features: traction control for better-managed starts; brake assist that automatically applies full stopping power in emergencies if the driver fails to fully depress the brake pedal; and an antiskid system. Also known as electronic stability control, an antiskid system modulates engine power and individual brakes to mitigate sideways slides. Optional on the Blue sedan and standard on all other 2010 Elantras is a satellite-radio-ready audio system that includes USB and auxiliary-jack links for iPods. A power sunroof is standard on the Touring SE and optional on other Elantra models except the Blue sedan.

2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA PRICES

• Base prices for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra range from $14,865 for the 2010 Elantra Blue edition sedan to $20,515 for the 2010 Elantra Touring SE with automatic transmission. (Prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee; Hyundai’s fee is $720 for 2010.)

• In addition to features already noted, the 2010 Hyundai Elantra Blue sedan includes variable intermittent windshield wipers, a tachometer, tinted windows, two 12-volt power outlets, and a tilt steering wheel. If you want air conditioning, cruise control, or a radio, you’ll need the $1,700 Elantra Blue Comfort Package. This option gives the Blue the same audio system found in the other Elantras. It’s a six-speaker 172-watt satellite-radio-ready single-CD setup and includes the USB interface that recharges your iPod and displays its file data on the car’s radio screen.

• The 2010 Hyundai Elantra GLS sedan has a base price of $17,615. This includes all the equipment of an Elantra Blue optioned with the Comfort Package and adds automatic transmission, fog lamps, cruise control, and dual front illuminated vanity mirrors with sunvisor extensions. The only option for the 2010 Elantra GLS sedan is a $900 power sunroof.

• The 2010 Hyundai Elantra SE sedan’s base price is $18,565. It includes all the GLS sedan equipment, plus antiskid and traction control, 16-inch alloy wheels, sport-tuned steering and suspension, a leather shift knob, telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls, and a trip computer. The 2010 Elantra SE sedan’s only option is the $1,150 SE Premium Package, which adds a power sunroof and heated front seats.