Initial thoughts: Hyundai Elantra Touring

We recently received a 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring into the Top Speed test fleet. Starting at only $17,800 this Vivid Blue beauty is easily one of the most stylish Korean cars we have seen in a while. The front end is made up of aggressive curves that create sharp lines that keep your eyes glued to the little five door hatchback. Not only is the body attractive but also tasteful thanks to the vehicle’s design team using just the right amount of chrome trim to dress up the car without making it look gaudy. We especially love the $1,500 Premium Sports Package that includes a set of 17 inch, dual finish rims. In theory it sounds like a very tacky item, but the Elantra is able to pull it off well, quite possibly because of that blue body.

Inside the Elantra, the Premium Package benefits s----over in the form of a power sunroof and heated seats, which is interesting considering that they are still wrapped in cloth. One thing that is impressive about the interior of the Elantra Touring is that despite the vehicle’s rather small footprint it is extremely spacious on the inside. The audio serves up tunes in the form of AM/FM/XM radio with an in dash CD player and a very convenient AUX input for any MP3 storage device that you may own. The trunk offers a hidden shelf underneath the floor and plenty of storage with the back seats up and a whole lot more when they are down.

Continued after the jump.