OK...prove that to me. I dare you. That is the most un-substantiated statement I've seen on here in quite awhile.

The old Elantra was an injection molded, unreliable hunk of crap. Ever drive one back to back with even a strippo Cobalt? I drove an Elantra GT back-to-back with a base '05 Cobalt on the lot here. The Cobalt rode better, was quieter, and got pretty much the same MPG.

So what made the Elantra better again?

 

I'm not trying to "prove" anything, just offering my thoughts and experiences with the cars... (what's up with the "I dare you" statement?)

Your experience may be different than mine, but,

In my experience, the Elantra is much quieter, has a much nicer interior, has a smoother ride, and gets about the same MPG. Looks are totaly subjective, and I don't find either to be great looking or terrible.

For what it's worth, As ImportedRoomate posted above, JD Power agrees with my experience. If you have access to Consumer Reports, you see that they also agree... Not that I'm suggesting that they are always right...

I very much hope that the Cruze proves to be better. I believe it will. I just hope that it's enough better to stay competitive as everyone else is also trying to get better.

 

I say I dare you because people on the internet love to do nothing more than "bench race," so to speak, with absolutely no proof whatsoever to back up what they're saying. At all.

To me, this 100% applies in this case. The last-gen Elantra was an also-ran from the very beginning. The Cobalt, while its aged now, compares VERY favorably to the old Elantra, on everything from styling to NVH to, well, you name it. I remember a Cobalt beating the Elantra in a C&D comparison test back in the day, on the same merits I'm quoting here.

Since when was the Cobalt that far behind the Elantra in JD Power? News to me...

 

Check Post 5 in this thread for links to JD Power reports on this subject.

I have no ax to grind with you sir, and am not "bench racing". Those are my thoughts based on my experiences driving the cars. (both are frequent rentals). I simply point to CR and JDP because they are a bit more scientific and have a better sample group than my experience.

For what it's worth, in the class of car I could get $3500 for my Z28 in the Cash for Clunkers program, I'd take the Malibu hands down over the Sonata, Accord, Camry, etc... Hopefully they'll put the Direct Injection 2.4 in the Malibu soon and put it even farther ahead of the competition.

 

I know its from Yahoo answers, but it illustrates the average consumers perception of quality in regards the Chevrolet and the Cobalt. When asked if someone should buy a Cobalt, Elantra or Focus, some responses were:

Again the average consumer's perception of value is the ultimate judge in what products and companies succeed. GM destroyed its perceived quality and value and ultimately consumer trust by producing horrid automobiles for years.

Thus regardless which car is "better" in side by side comparisons, the important matter is which car or company is perceived to be "better" by the consumer. Sales of Hyundai's cars have been increasing vs GM sales decreasing. Thus the consumer declares that Hyundai's cars are "better" than GM's by voting with their dollars.

It is not that complicated people.