Hyundai Elantra – First Drive: In a previous position at a different publication where long-term cars were company-owned and not donated by the automakers' public relations departments, I vetoed a staff decision to lease a Volvo S60 instead of a Hyundai Elantra. This did not make me a popular person. We had just turned in a BMW 328i and my spoiled cadre of writers and editors wanted another luxury sport sedan to tool around in for two years. The new Volvo was a natural to fill the slot vacated by the BMW, they argued. However, Hyundai had just launched a redesigned Elantra with a terrific powertrain warranty, and it was my duty to keep the team and the content we produced sharply focused on the consumers who trusted us to tell them what cars to buy instead of what would make us look good rolling down Wilshire Avenue. To my knowledge, no publication had ever conducted a long-term test on a Hyundai so I decided that the time had come to test the Korean automaker's mettle. When our silver Elantra GLS sedan arrived, I gave the team this instruction: Beat on this car has hard as possible each and every time you drive it. Try to break it.

Aside from normal maintenance, which was cheap, nothing went wrong with that long-term Elantra unless you count the shift pattern decal which loosened and fell off the shift knob. After a wide variety of drivers with varying levels of driving skill had flogged it, my brother bought the Elantra at a deep discount and took it to Arizona. It spent four years in the heat and the dust, suffering indifferent care and infrequent oil changes. Yet it ran and ran and ran, needing only a new battery, tires, brakes, wiper blades, and other normal maintenance items over the years. There was a recurring "check engine" light problem, but unscrewing and then tightening the fuel cap reset the system most of the time. The car is gone now, traded for an Infiniti G35 that is babied rather than bullied, but that old Hyundai is likely serving another owner in the same unfailing manner it did my brother.

Proven durability is one reason I think the completely redesigned 2007 Hyundai Elantra is a terrific bet in the small car marketplace. Other reasons include its stylish sheetmetal, its comfortable and quiet interior, its impressive ride and handling, the quality of its construction, and its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Small cars are more popular than ever with recent fuel price fluctuations, but they aren't penalty boxes like they were ten years ago. Many cars in the sub-$20,000 price range are just as nice inside and drive just as capably as those approaching $30,000. The new Hyundai Elantra is one of those cars, and further evidence that the Koreans have figured out how to build world-class automobiles.

Hyundai expects half of all Elantra sales to be the entry-level GLS model equipped with the Preferred Package. That car will include standard GLS equipment such as power windows, power door locks, power heated side mirrors, remote keyless entry, a tilt steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver's seat, and a 60/40 split folding rear seatback. The Preferred Package will add air conditioning, a 172-watt stereo with a CD/MP3 player and XM satellite radio with a free three-month trial subscription, an auxiliary input jack for an iPod or similar device, cruise control, fog lights, dual illuminated visor mirrors, front sunvisor extensions, and a shade band on the windshield. A power sunroof is optional when the Preferred Package is ordered. A Hyundai Elantra GLS has a base price of $13,995 including the $600 destination charge, but that's the car without A/C or a stereo. We'd guess $16,250 for the volume model with an automatic transmission.

If that sounds too high, consider the level of safety equipment that comes on every Hyundai Elantra, as well as the fact that the EPA classifies this new model as a midsize sedan due to an interior volume measurement that exceeds 110 cubic feet. Every Elantra has six airbags – dual front, dual front side-impact, and side curtains. There's also a four-wheel-disc braking system with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution, and active front head restraints designed to reduce whiplash. Stability control is not available, but Hyundai says that future Elantras will get it.

In addition to the GLS, Hyundai offers the redesigned Elantra in SE and Limited trim levels. The Elantra SE starts at $16,295 and includes a leather-wrapped telescopic steering wheel, 16-inch alloy wheels wearing 205/55 all-season tires, steering wheel audio controls, and a trip computer. An optional Premium Package includes a power sunroof and heated front seats. Hyundai says future Elantra SEs will be tuned for sportier driving. The $17,295 Elantra Limited adds leather seating, heated front seats, and chrome decklid trim to the SE model. An optional Sun and Sound Package installs a power sunroof and a 220-watt premium sound system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer. Hyundai also plans to offer an optional Bluetooth wireless communications kit on the Elantra sometime next year.

For now, the redesigned Hyundai Elantra is offered as a four-door sedan. What happened to the five-door hatchback, you ask? Hyundai indicated that a more fun and functional Elantra was coming in the future, but was not prepared to delve into details. If you're looking for a replacement for your current "poor man's Saab," stay tuned.

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