enjoy

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/06/2...ing-the-wagon/

Fear not, hatchback fans. According to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, the next-generation Hyundai Elantra Touring will debut in late 2012 as a 2013 model. Krafcik tells Autoblog that while the Elantra sedan is styled specifically for the American market, the Elantra Touring is being penned with European customers in mind. The company sells a long-roof version of the Elantra in the old country under the i30 banner, but from what we understand, American buyers will get a taste of the next-generation vehicle in about two years.

"We launched the Elantra touring a couple of years after we launched the Elantra and we're going to have the same model cycle for Elantra Touring here," Krafcik said. "We're going to get the next-generation i30 here in the U.S. market in a couple of years."

But don't expect the vehicle to share too much DNA with the old long-roof Elantra. Krafcik tells AB that the new Touring will be significantly different from the model on sale right now: "It's a great design. The Elantra Touring design actually came out of our California studio. We're going to go with the shorter five-door hatchback bodystyle instead of the larger wagon style we have now."

That means that when it debuts, the 2013 Elantra Touring will be squaring off against the likes 2012 Ford Focus and Mazda3 in a big way. While no one at Hyundai was willing to say exactly how much fuel economy we can plan on seeing from the five-door Elantra, we'd be surprised to see the figures slip much below the 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway of the sedan.

 

This makes me happy that we got ours when we did... I really like the added space (and styling) of the larger wagon.

==
Chris

 

Totally agree, and I wonder why Hyundai doesn't just offer BOTH variants of the i30 here in North America, as they do in the rest of the world, and let the customer decide. While they're at it, what about some more powertrain options? The 2.0l turbo diesel, which is quite a popular choice in Europe, would be a nice fuel efficient option here too....just a thought....

 

I like the look of the new one, but agree ... I bought the 2011 Touring for the cargo room. Otherwise I would have bought the Tuscon. But with AWD it gets pricey, and I'd miss the way the Touring handles a twisty road.

 

Such disappointing news from Hyundai. It is interesting that they say sales are low for the Touring. I was at the dealership last week and was told that the Touring sells quite well.

We have a business and had two Volvo 240 wagons we used to transport everything including sofas and dining tables... then we bought a cargo van.

I sold both Volvo 240's and bought my Touring so that I would get much better MPG and retain adequate space for smaller things... and my dog. I miss the space and quality of my Volvo wagons, but don't miss the frequent fill ups or repair bills when something goes wrong.

 

More info/pics on the next Touring: 2012 Hyundai i30 says, "Call me Elantra Touring"