2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring--photos

We'll admit that we had low expectations for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring. After spending time with the little blue wagon, we were still disappointed by the lack of tech, but surprised by its performance.

Powering the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring is a peppy, but not powerful, 2-liter gasoline four-cylinder engine. Making 138 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque, the Elantra's performance won't blow your socks off, but it never feels out of breath.

Shouldering part of the blame for the Elantra's relaxed performance is the archaic four-speed automatic transmission, which also hurts fuel economy. Save your $800 and get the five-speed manual, which should wake that engine up.

The Elantra Touring makes no high performance pretenses, but within its limits, the handling is quite responsive. Pushing beyond the Elantra's limits will be met with progressive and easily correctable understeer.

The Elantra's firmly damped suspension keeps the body flat in the corners, but also transmits large bumps into the cabin. Expect lots of bouncing around over expansion joints and uneven pavement.

Choosing the options on your Hyundai Elantra is simple because there almost aren't any. The interior can be trimmed in tan or black cloth. The dashboard's plastics are soft, high quality, and generally on par with the competition from Honda.

The simple instrument panel features a monochromatic LCD displaying fuel economy, current gear, and a trip computer.

The single option stereo features six speakers, AM/FM/XM Satellite radio, and a single-disc CD player with MP3 compatibility.

Also standard is an 1/8-inch auxiliary input and a USB port for connecting external devices.

To use an iPod with the stock system, a $30 cable that occupies both the digital and analog connections is required.

There's no GPS option on the Elantra, but Bluetooth hands-free can be added via this $325 dealer-installed roof-mounted voice controlled system. Functionality is on par with a $100 Bluetooth speakerphone. We'd skip this option and get a GPS device with built-in Bluetooth.

Though not equipped here, an optional premium package is available, which upgrades the wheels to 17-inchers and adds a power sunroof.

Standard projector-style headlamps do a good job of illuminating the road ahead and feature a neat blue surround.

The most obvious reason to choose the Touring model over the standard Elantra is the increased storage space behind the passenger compartment.

The Elantra Touring features excellent all-around visibility.