Hello,
I am getting interested in buying an Elantra Touring for our family. It seems to fit our needs very well, being fuel efficient and with good cargo space, and comfortable rear seats.

I understand the Elantra sedan received poor IIHS Side Impact rating for driver torso area, which is a big concern for me. I understand the Touring should have a different structure, and perhaps the Elantra sedan rating is meaningless as a comparison.

Does anyone have any updated information on whether the Touring has acceptable side impact ratings from IIHS?

Thank you very much!

 

The Elanta Touring is not the same cars as the Elantra sedan. 100% totally different car and platform.

The Touring has the following ratings:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/hyun...22/safety.html
Passenger: 4 stars
Driver: 5 stars
Side Impact Front: 4 stars
Side Impact Rear: 4 stars
Rollover Rating: 4 stars

 

Thanks for the response.

I understand the Elantra sedan also had decent side impact ratings until IIHS did their test and discovered a major weakness in the driver torso area. I'm wondering if similar data has been determined for the Touring.

 

Again, the Elantra Sedan and Elantra Touring are not the same car. They are 2 completely different vehicles and platforms. You can't compare the 2. It's like saying:

"I understand the Elantra sedan also had decent side impact ratings until IIHS did their test and discovered a major weakness in the driver torso area. I'm wondering if similar data has been determined for the Genesis."

The Touring is not a wagon version of the sedan. The Touring is actually a version of the European Huyndai i30.

 

Yea, I understand that. It's unfortunate that they have the same name, and so it seems like I'm caught up with the similar name. In fact, your Genesis/Touring question is exactly the kind of question I'm trying to ask. Is it that ridiculous of a question?

Let me try to rephrase it: It is a concern to me that IIHS test results uncovered weaknesses that were previously not apparent in other test results for <FILL IN THE BLANK MAKE AND MODEL>. This led people to realize that their <FILL IN THE BLANK MAKE AND MODEL> was actually far less safe than other test results had previously implied.

The lesson I learned from the above (regardless of the name of the make and model) is that a vehicle can have high safety ratings from one test result, but that the more comprehensive IIHS result can uncover major weaknesses that should be considered.

The Elantra Touring has decent ratings for side impact, so far. But as I learned from the lesson above, the current ratings do not tell the whole story. Does anyone know:
a.) WHEN IIHS results will be available for the Touring
b.) If anyone knows any details about the Touring's test results and any conclusions we can make regarding its safety under side impact, perhaps comparing any comprehensive test data from the i30?

Please know that I am not caught up with the similar name between the Elantra and the Touring. I acknowledged the difference in my first post. Imagine the Elantra sedan result to be an entirely different make and model. I'm simply using it as an example of where test results were misleadingly positive until other test results came along with a contrary conclusion.

Thanks again.

 

Where are you getting your information about the Elantra sedan? Where did you get the idea that the Elantra is "far less safe than other test results had previously implied."

2007-09 Elantra Sedan side impact results:
- Car and Driver: 4 of 5 stars (source)
- Automotive.com: 4 of 5 stars (source)
- IIHS: Marginal (source) * it's the older 2001-2006 Elantra that was rated poor.

 

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=1079

The Driver torso area ranked poor on side impact (and this is for the 2007-2009 models). I'm just trying to uncover more comprehensive data and trying not to rely soley on the 4-5 star ratings that we see on Edmunds.

Also, this thread has a lot of discussion on the concern regarding the Elantra sedan: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/dir...w/.f14f38e/160

 

Then I guess the Elantra sedan and Touring aren't for you. Might I suggest this instead:

 

...sigh.
It was just a question. I think the Touring might be for me, except that there are a few unknowns regarding side impact safety, hence why I started this thread. I will find a friendlier forum to raise my concerns.

 

A friendlier forum? LOL. Don't you mean a forum that will agree with you?

Let's see, you came here with the belief that the 4-star rating for the Touring side impact is incorrect. You base that belief on the testing of a totally different car and on the "expert" opinions of people on a townhall talk forum.

Look, the Touring is currently rated at 4-stars for side impact. Now, you can believe that or not. That's your choice. I choose to believe it. No car is 100% safe.