Auto News 5

I had the chance to drive the Elantra Touring shortly after it came out in 2009. That car had a peppy four-banger with a lively chassis and a communicative clutch; sadly, this Elantra Touring was not that car. Two years on, the Elantra Touring still has plenty of around-town pickup from its 2.0-liter I-4, but the formerly lively chassis now suffers with body roll and the clutch has zero feel. The car's character -- or lack thereof -- begs for the automatic transmission, even if it is a few cogs short of the competition with only four forward speeds.