Best sport wagon 2009 Subaru Outback *Est. $22295
Best premium station wagon 2009 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon *Est. $36025
Budget seven-seat wagon 2009 Kia Rondo *Est. $17495
Compact, fuel-sipping wagon 2009 Pontiac Vibe *Est. $16735

See All Station Wagons

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

*Est. $18,495 to $20,795

Good value
As roomy as a full-size wagon
Quality interior finish and controls
Low cost-to-own
Fuel economy
Standard electronic stability control
Long warranty

Dull styling
Not agile
Side-impact crash ratings

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Our Analysis

March 2009. The 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon somehow manages to cram a full-size cargo bay into a relatively small, inexpensive and very fuel-efficient package. Although this newly introduced Hyundai wagon had not yet been fully tested by most sources, we found no complaints about passenger space, either. In fact, Car and Driver calls the interior "roomy."

While it shares its moniker with the Hyundai Elantra sedan, which experts consider a reliable budget car (read more about the Elantra in our report on economy cars), the five-passenger Hyundai Elantra Touring is actually Hyundai's European-market i30 station wagon, renamed for the North American market. The Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon is actually an inch shorter than its namesake sedan -- sized between the smallish 2009 Kia Rondo wagon (*est. $17,495 to $22,295) and the truly compact 2009 Pontiac Vibe wagon (*est. $16,735 to $21,510) -- but its cargo bay is a full 65 cubic feet with the 60/40 split rear seat folded. That's as big as the cargo bay on the full-size 2009 Subaru Outback (*est. $22,295 to $32,095). However, the Elantra Touring can't offer quite as much cargo space as a full-size wagon when the rear seat is in use.

Although it's not as fuel-efficient as the class-leading, diesel-powered 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (*est. $19,075 to $23,870), the Hyundai Elantra Touring's EPA fuel economy ratings -- 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway (30 mpg with the automatic transmission) and 26 mpg combined -- are among the best you'll find in a wagon. The EPA estimates that the average Hyundai Elantra Touring driver will spend only $959 a year on fuel. Among true wagons (not tiny hatchbacks), that's second only to the base-engine Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix (*est. $16,290 to $21,950), both of which offer less cargo space than the Hyundai station wagon.

On the downside, all of the other wagons we've mentioned get better safety ratings than the Hyundai Elantra Touring. Critics appreciate that the Elantra wagon includes standard electronic stability control -- important for helping to avoid crashes -- and side-curtain airbags. Still, the Elantra Touring gets slightly lower scores in federal side-impact crash tests than most other wagons (although its scores are still good). An independent crash-test organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, had not yet tested the Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon when we checked. However, its test of the Elantra sedan found that the car did a poor job protecting the driver's torso in a side crash. If a pickup or SUV hit the Hyundai Elantra sedan side-on at 31 mph, "rib fractures and/or internal organ injuries would be likely" despite the standard side airbags, IIHS found.

Like the Elantra sedan, the Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon gets kudos for a nicely fitted interior. It comes with either a five-speed manual transmission (*est. $18,495) or a four-speed automatic (*est. $19,295). All Elantra Tourings include a 138-horsepower, 2.0-liter engine that -- like the bland exterior -- has absolutely no pretense of sportiness, according to Car and Driver. Reviewers say handling is adequate, but hardly agile.

Hyundai loads the Elantra Touring with standard features -- including heated mirrors and an alarm system -- that would cost extra on most other wagons, especially in this price range. A $1,500 Premium-Sport package adds a power sunroof, heated front seats and 17-inch alloy wheels. The Elantra Touring is covered by Hyundai's five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which are longer than most other wagons' warranties.

ConsumerReports.org had not yet tested the Hyundai Elantra wagon when we checked, but its examination of the Elantra sedan is so comprehensive, it is still a useful source of information for buyers considering the wagon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have run tests on the Elantra Touring wagon, providing essential safety and fuel-economy information. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had tested only the Elantra sedan when we checked, but its side-crash results are important to note. Car and Driver briefly passes judgment on the Elantra Touring's performance and styling, but ConsumerGuide.com only lists the wagon's major features and specs.

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2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

Our Sources

1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe

ConsumerReports.org reviews the Hyundai Elantra sedan, but although editors mention that a wagon is offered for 2009, they had not yet tested the wagon when we checked. Because the wagon is based on the sedan, ConsumerReports.org' exhaustive research should give a good indication of its basic quality and reliability.

Review: Hyundai Elantra, Editors of ConsumerReports.org

2. SaferCars.gov

Although the Hyundai Elantra Touring gets good safety ratings in government crash tests, it is not quite as safe as some other wagons. The Elantra Touring gets a perfect five-star rating in frontal crash tests, but only four stars in side-crash and rollover tests, according to this National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Review: 2009 Hyundai Elantra 4-Dr. Wagon, Editors of SaferCar.gov

3. FuelEconomy.gov

The Elantra Touring ranks among the best 2009 small wagons for gas mileage, according to this website run by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. Links lead to separate pages for the manual-transmission Hyundai Elantra Touring and the automatic-transmission model, which include more detailed information.

Review: 2009 Small Station Wagons, Editors of FuelEconomy.gov

4. Car and Driver Details/Subscribe

Editors give the Hyundai Elantra Touring the same ratings they give most station wagons: Six points (out of 10) for consumer appeal, but only two points for enthusiast appeal. This very brief overview lists a few of the Hyundai station wagon's highs (such as a roomy cargo bay) and lows (such as boring styling).

Review: 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring, Editors of Car and Driver

5. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

This chart shows how several small cars compare in crash tests. The Hyundai Elantra models are not among the best. They protect occupants well in a frontal crash, but they are merely "acceptable" in rear-end crashes and "marginal" in side crashes. The tests were conducted on a 2008 four-door Elantra with standard side airbags; editors use those results to rate the 2009 models.

Review: Small Cars, Editors of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

6. ConsumerGuide.com

ConsumerGuide.com recommends the Hyundai Elantra, but editors had not yet tested the Elantra Touring wagon when we checked. This review lists some of the Elantra Touring's basic specs and features.

Review: 2009 Hyundai Elantra: Overview, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com