2013 Audi S7 & 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT/Coupe

HI, I'M JOHN DAVIS AND THIS IS MOTORWEEK!

JOIN US AND FIND OUT IF THE BEAUTY OF THE AUDI S7 HIDES A BEAST UNDERNEATH.

PAT GOSS POPS THE HOOD ON A FORD PROBLEM THAT'S BREAKING BAD.

ROGER MECCA EXPLORES THE ROLLING LEGACY OF CARROLL SHELBY.

AND WE'LL GET A DOUBLE DOSE OF HYUNDAI WITH THE NEW ELANTRA COUPE AND GT.

SO COME DRIVE WITH US, NEXT!

CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION Announcer: MOTORWEEK, TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE.

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AGED OR YELLOWED LENSES REDUCE BRIGHTNESS OF HEAD, TAIL AND DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS.

THE 3M HEADLIGHT RESTORATION SYSTEM HELPS RESTORE LENS CLARITY FOR SAFER DRIVING.

BY NOW MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH AUDI'S S CARS.

IT INVOLVES A FORMULA OF PUMPING UP PERFORMANCE AND ADDING A SPLASH OF SPORTY STYLE TO AUDI SEDANS AND COUPES.

WHILE NOT NEARLY AS SERIOUS AS AUDI'S RS MODELS, THE S CARS ADD A NICE JOLT OF EXCITEMENT WITHOUT JARRING THE BALANCE OF COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE.

THE LATEST TO GET THE S TREATMENT IS OUR FAVORITE AUDI, THE A7.

SO LET'S SEE IF CHANGING THE LETTER TO "S" CHANGES OUR OPINION.

THE 2013 AUDI S7 MAY NOT BE AS POTENT AS THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED AUDI RS5, BUT FOR THE DAILY DRIVING THAT MOST OF US DO, IT'S A MUCH BETTER CAR.

SO, LET'S FIND OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO UP THE "7" FROM AN "A" TO AN "S"!

WELL, YOU WON'T FIND TOO MANY DIFFERENCES ON THE OUTSIDE, WHICH IS FINE BY US, AS IT WOULD BE A REAL SHAME TO MESS WITH THE 7'S BEAUTIFUL LINES.

SOME MAY NOT BE FANS OF LUXURY HATCHBACKS, OR 5-DOOR COUPES AS THE EUROS REFER TO THEM, BUT THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST LOOKING EXAMPLE WE'VE SEEN.

S MODELS ARE DRESSED WITH A UNIQUE VERSION OF AUDI'S "SINGLEFRAME" GRILLE WITH DOUBLE HORIZONTAL CHROME STRUTS, PLUS AERO TREATMENTS ON THE FRONT FASCIA AND DOWN THE SIDES, BLACK BRAKE CALIPERS, ALUMINUM-OPTIC SIDE MIRRORS, GRAY REAR DIFFUSER, QUAD POLISHED EXHAUST TIPS, AND V8T FENDER BADGES.

YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO INSIDE AND SPEND SOME TIME BEHIND THE WHEEL TO GET A TRUE SENSE OF WHAT S IS ALL ABOUT.

AND IN THE S7 THAT MEANS BETTER STEERING FEEL AND FLATTER HANDLING.

AND, OF COURSE, THERE'S MORE POWER TO BE HAD AS WELL, THANKS TO A TURBO-CHARGED 4-LITER V8 WITH CYLINDER DEACTIVATION, THE SAME ENGINE FOUND IN THE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT.

OUTPUT HERE IS 420-HORSEPOWER AND 406 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE.

ALL S7'S FEATURE THE MOST ADVANCED QUATTRO ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM WITH AN ACTIVE REAR DIFFERENTIAL THAT NOT ONLY SPLITS TORQUE TO WHICHEVER REAR WHEEL IS DEMANDING THE MOST TRACTION, BUT IT ALSO SHIFTS POWER TO THE OUTSIDE WHEEL WHEN CORNERING TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH WITH LESS STEERING INPUT.

A LOWERED AIR SUSPENSION WITH VARIABLE DAMPING AND BIGGER BRAKES COMPLETES THE PACKAGE.

AND IT'S STILL A HEAVY PACKAGE, AT 4,500 POUNDS, DESPITE HAVING ALUMINUM BODY PANELS WRAPPED ATOP ITS STEEL STRUCTURE.

SO, WHEN IT COMES TO ALL-OUT HANDING, THE S7 IS NOT IN M5 TERRITORY, BUT IT'S NOT FAR OFF EITHER.

AND LIKE MOST LUXURY SPORTS SEDANS, THE S7 COMES WITH SELECTABLE DRIVING MODES.

WHEN SET TO DYNAMIC, AUDI'S DRIVE SELECT SYSTEM FIRMS UP THE SUSPENSION SETTINGS AND ADDS MORE RESPONSIVE STEERING.

IT ALSO SETS THROTTLE RESPONSE TO IMMEDIATE.

WITH THAT THROTTLE TO THE FLOOR, THE S7'S REAR BIASED QUATTRO SYSTEM INSTANTLY HOOKS UP AND PROPELS YOU FORWARD WITH SOME SERIOUS THRUST.

IT TAKES ONLY 4.1-SECONDS TO HIT 60 MILES-PER-HOUR.

THAT'S OVER ONE AND A HALF SECONDS BETTER THAN THE A7.

AND 12.5 TO REACH THE END OF THE QUARTER MILE AT 110 MILES-PER-HOUR.

THINGS ARE SMOOTH AND STABLE THE WHOLE WAY, WITH NICE, FIRM SHIFTS FROM THE 7-SPEED DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION; AND A FEROCIOUSLY PLEASANT EXHAUST NOTE.

BRAKING PERFORMANCE IS EQUALLY FIERCE, HAULING THIS HEAVYWEIGHT DOWN IN A VERY SHORT AVERAGE OF 113 FEET.

AS FUN AS ALL OF THIS IS, THE S7 IS JUST AS ENTERTAINING TO DRIVE AT A NORMAL "GOING TO WORK" PACE.

OUR ONLY COMPLAINT, WHEN IN FULL AUTO MODE, THE TRANSMISSION IS A LITTLE JERKIER THAN WE'VE FOUND IN OTHER AUDI'S WITH SIMILAR TRANS, BUT IT'S MOSTLY NOTICEABLE BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE IS SO SMOOTH.

THE V8'S CYLINDER ON DEMAND SYSTEM IS VIRTUALLY UNDETECTABLE THANKS TO ACTIVE ENGINE MOUNTS THAT QUELL VIBRATION AND EVEN NOISE CANCELLATION INSIDE THE CABIN THAT ELIMINATES ANY AUDIBLE CLUES.

AND IT HELPS IMPROVE FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS TO 17-CITY, 27-HIGHWAY, AND 20-COMBINED.

STILL, BEING A BIG LUXURY CAR, THE ENERGY IMPACT SCORE IS ONLY AVERAGE AT 16.5 BARRELS OF OIL DEVOURED ANNUALLY, WHILE EMITTING 7.3 TONS OF CO2.

THE ONLY THING THAT GETS EMITTED INSIDE THE S7'S CABIN IS LAVISHNESS.

IT'S THE SAME GORGEOUS INTERIOR AS THE A7, ONLY SPORTING GREAT UPDATES LIKE SUPER COMFORTABLE VALCONA LEATHER SEATS WITH WELL-DONE CROSS-STITCHING, AN S-SPORT STEERING WHEEL WITH ALUMINUM FINISH SHIFT PADDLES, UNIQUE GRAY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, ALUMINUM PEDALS, AND ILLUMINATED S7 LABELED SILL PLATES.

AND IT'S MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY PACKAGE, IT'S A HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL ONE AS WELL, WITH AUDI'S FAIRLY INTUITIVE MMI INTERFACE, AND GOODIES LIKE ONBOARD WI-FI AND GOOGLE EARTH MAPPING.

BUT YOU DO HAVE TO PAY A PRICE FOR SUCH NICETIES, AND THE S7 IS NOT EXACTLY A PERFORMANCE BARGAIN STARTING JUST SHY OF THE M5 AT A STILL LOFTY $79,695.

IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY AUDI IS DOING SO WELL RIGHT NOW -- THEY'RE BUILDILNG SOME INCREDIBLY NICE CARS.

THE 2013 AUDI S7 MAY NOT BE A HARD CORE PERFORMANCE SEDAN, BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR LONG DISTANCE COMFORT WITH A DEFINITE PERFORMANCE EDGE, WRAPPED IN AN EXTREMELY STYLISH AND HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL PACKAGE, THE S7 IS CLEARLY A GREAT PICK!

FEW PEOPLE HAVE HAD AS MUCH INFLUENCE ON AUTOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE AS CARROLL SHELBY.

HE WAS A WORLD-CLASS RACE DRIVER UNTIL A HEART PROBLEM FORCED HIM TO PULL INTO THE PITS FOR GOOD.

BUT HE DIDN'T SLOW DOWN.

FOR 50 YEARS, HIS NAME WOULD BE SYNONYMOUS WITH SPEED AND AMERICAN HORSEPOWER.

NOW, CARROLL PASSED AWAY THIS PAST MAY, BUT AS OUR OWN ROGER MECCA EXPLAINS, EVEN THOUGH HE'S GONE, HIS NAME AND HIS CARS WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

Roger: CARROLL SHELBY'S LIFE WAS AN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY.

A SELF-MADE MAN, HE USED GRIT, DETERMINATION AND A CAN'T-FAIL ATTITUDE TO BUILD AN AUTOMOTIVE EMPIRE.

AND WHILE HE'S NO LONGER WITH US, HIS LEGACY LIVES ON HERE AT THE SHELBY AMERICAN COLLECTION.

SITTING IN THE SHADOW OF THE ROCKIES IN BEAUTIFUL BOULDER, COLORADO, THE MUSEUM IS A SHRINE TO THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD LOOKED AT SPORTS CARS.

AFTER ACQUIRING A VAST COLLECTION OF SHELBY CARS, PARTS, AND MEMORABILIA, MUSEUM CO-FOUNDERS BILL MURRAY AND STEVE VOLK BEGAN A FRIENDSHIP WITH CARROLL SHELBY THAT WOULD LAST FOR DECADES.

KNOWING THE TWO OF THEM HAD SUCH A LARGE COLLECTION JUST SITTING IN A WAREHOUSE, SHELBY OFFERED A SUGGESTION -- A VERY PERSUASIVE ONE.

Bill Murray: HE HAD CALLED UP AND LEFT A MESSAGE ON STEVE VOLK'S ANSWERING MACHINE ONE DAY AND BASICALLY HE SAID, "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH ALL THOSE ---- COBRAS.

YOU OUGHTA START A MUSEUM!

STEVE PLAYED THAT FOR ME, AND IT WAS A REAL SHORT MESSAGE LIKE THAT, AND WE JUST KINDA LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SAID, "OK." I GUESS WE GOT OUR ORDERS FROM THE KING, SO WE DID IT.

Roger: SO WITH THE HELP OF OTHER SHELBY FANS AND FRIENDS IN COLORADO, THE MUSEUM OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1996.

SINCE THEN, GEAR HEADS AND CAR NOVICES ALIKE HAVE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT THE TEXAN CAR BUILDER'S LIFE.

FOR THE MUSEUM'S FOUNDERS, THE COLLECTION SERVES A VERY IMPORTANT PURPOSE: SHOWING EVERYONE WHO WALKS THROUGH THE DOORS THE IMPORTANT INFLUENCE SHELBY HAD ON AMERICA.

Steve Volk: IT'S IMPORTANT TO US THAT EVERYBODY WHO COMES THROUGH THE MUSEUM REALIZES THAT THIS MAN, HE HAD A HUGE IMPACT.

HE DID A LOT FOR AMERICA.

HE WON THE WORLD MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP.

HE MADE AMERICA SOMETHING IN RACING.

Dr. Robert Kern: HE FACED ADVERSITY IN RACING, HE FACED ADVERSITY IN HEALTH REASONS BUT HE OVERCAME IT, PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE AND STILL WAS A DRIVING FORCE RIGHT UP TO HIS FINAL YEAR.

Mark Obermann: FOR SOMEBODY WHO STARTED BASICALLY FROM NOTHING, AND THEN TO RACE, AND THEN TO BRING THE RACE TECHNOLOGY TO CARS THAT EVERYDAY PEOPLE, LIKE MY WIFE AND I CAN DRIVE, I THINK THAT REALLY IS THE MOST SPECIAL THING.

Roger: THE CAR SHELBY WAS MOST PROUD OF AND MOST WELL KNOWN FOR WAS THE COBRA.

IT WAS BORN OUT HIS DESIRE TO COMBINE A NIMBLE BRITISH CHASSIS WITH AN AMERICAN V8.

AND IT ALSO JUST SO HAPPENED TO COME ALONG AT THE PERFECT TIME FOR HIM TO CEMENT HIS NAME IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY.

Bill Murray: HE KNEW WHAT PEOPLE LIKED.

THEY WANTED A SPORTS CAR, THEY WANTED A CAR WITH A LOT OF HORSEPOWER, AND THEY WANTED SOMETHING THAT WAS EASY TO SERVICE.

MY NAME'S CARROLL SHELBY, AND PERFORMANCE IS MY BUSINESS.

Steve: HERE'S A GUY WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY USHERED IN THE MUSCLE CAR ERA.

FROM THE COBRAS CAME THE SHELBY MUSTANGS, AND THEN ALL THE OTHER MAJOR MANUFACTURES GETTING INTO THE CHEVELLES AND THE CHARGERS.

HE STARTED IT.

HE PUT AMERICA ON THE MAP.

Roger: THIS IS BY FAR AND AWAY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND TERRIFYING CARS I HAVE EVER DRIVEN.

THE NOISE, THE WEIGHT OF STEERING, THE HEAVINESS OF THE CLUTCH, THE ACCELERATION...

IT WAS CLEARLY BUILT THOUGH BY SOMEONE WHO LOVES TO DRIVE CARS.

Dr. Kern: THE SHELBY MACHINES ARE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, PERFORMANCE VEHICLES.

THEY NEVER LOST FOCUS ON THAT PARADIGM.

Roger: AND THAT FOCUS ON DRIVING EXCITEMENT CONTINUES TO ATTRACT NEW GENERATIONS IN A WAY SHELBY LIKELY NEVER SAW COMING.

Steve: THE FACT THAT A SHELBY MUSTANG AND A SHELBY COBRA ARE FEATURED IN MOST ALL OF THE CONTEMPORARY VIDEO GAMES TODAY -- WE HAVE KIDS THAT COME IN, WANNA BUY MODELS, WANT POSTERS, WANT TO SEE THE REAL CARS.

Bill: YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HEARD THAT TERM "I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT HE HAS IT."

THAT'S WHAT CARROLL HAD.

HE JUST HAD THIS MAGNETIC WAY ABOUT HIM.

John: LET'S CHECK IN WITH PAT GOSS, WHO HAS THE RIGHT ADVICE ON A TOUGH FORD ENGINE ISSUE.

Pat Goss: NORMALLY, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU LEAVE SPARK PLUGS ALONE IN AN ENGINE UNTIL YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED.

BUT THERE IS AN EXCEPTION.

AND THAT'S ON V8 AND V10 FORD THREE VALVE CYLINDER HEADS OF CERTAIN YEARS.

THEY'RE HEADS THAT USE A TWO PIECE SPARK PLUG.

YOU CAN TELL THESE PLUGS, THEY HAVE THIS LONG, SMOOTH BODY ON THE END OF IT.

THAT'S FITS INTO THE CYLINDER HEAD, INTO A HOLE IN THE HEAD, AND THE HOLE IN THE HEAD IS VERY TIGHT AROUND THE SPARK PLUG.

NOW, WHAT HAPPENS IS, AS YOU RUN THE ENGINE, CARBON BUILDS UP BETWEEN THIS PORTION OF THE PLUG AND THE CYLINDER HEAD, AND IF YOU DON'T DO THINGS RIGHT, YOU CAN LITERALLY BREAK THE END RIGHT OFF OF THE PLUG.

NOW, THERE'S A TOOL, BUT IT'S A HUNDRED DOLLAR TOOL, AND IT TAKES ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR PER SPARK PLUG TO REMOVE THE REMNANTS.

YOU CAN DO IT, BUT IT'S WORK THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO DO, IF YOU DO THINGS RIGHT.

NOW, THE FIRST THING OF COURSE IS TO USE THE PROPER TOOLS.

HERE WE HAVE A 3/8 INCH DRIVE RATCHET, NOT THE GREAT BIG 1/2 INCH DRIVE.

THAT APPLIES TOO MUCH FORCE TO THINGS.

AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO TO REMOVE THESE PLUGS IS, YOU'RE GOING TO TURN THEM IN THE REMOVE DIRECTION, VERY CAREFULLY, ONE QUARTER OF A TURN.

THEN YOU'RE GOING TO USE A CARBURETOR CLEANER PRODUCT, SUCH AS THIS FORD PRODUCT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE.

YOU'RE GOING TO POUR THAT IN AROUND THE SPARK PLUG AND LET IT SIT FOR A FEW HOURS.

THAT CHEMICAL WILL WORK ITS WAY DOWN AROUND THE PLUG AND CLEAN THE END OF THE PLUG TO GET RID OF THE CARBON, AND THE PLUG COMES OUT WITHOUT BREAKING.

BUT NOW HERE'S THE TRICK, AND THIS IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE THE CARBON BUILDS UP.

AND THAT IS TO USE ANTI-SEIZE COMPOUND, SUCH AS WE HAVE RIGHT HERE.

WE PUT THIS, A VERY THIN COAT OF IT, ON THE ENTIRE END OF THE PLUG.

SO THAT ONCE IT'S DOWN IN THE ENGINE, THE CARBON CAN'T BUILD UP, THE PLUG DOESN'T SEIZE, AND THE PLUG DOESN'T BREAK.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE WHEN YOU DO IT THAT WAY.

NOW, SOMETHING ELSE YOU WANT TO KEEP IN MIND, IS THAT THESE ENGINES ALL USE COIL ON PLUGS.

SO, THE COIL, AND THEN YOU HAVE THIS BOOT, AND THEN THE SPARK PLUG.

WHEN YOU PUT THIS BACK TOGETHER, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO TAKE IT APART TO GET THE PLUGS OUT, WHAT YOU DO IS USE SOME DIELECTRIC SILICONE GREASE, RIGHT ON THE END OF IT, TO KEEP MOISTURE AWAY FROM THE PLUG AND OUT OF THE BOOT, AND TO PREVENT MISFIRING.

DO IT RIGHT, YOU WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, PLUGS WILL LAST A LONG TIME, ENGINE WILL RUN GREAT, AND YOU WON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES.

AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, DROP ME A LINE RIGHT HERE AT MOTORWEEK.

John: MAZDA'S FUEL SAVING SKYACTIV CONCEPT HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION.

IT SQUEEZES MORE MILES PER GALLON WITHOUT RESORTING TO HYBRID OR ELECTRIC HARDWARE.

OUR 2013 CX-5 COMPACT CROSSOVER USES THE SKYACTIV APPROACH, AND SO FAR WE THINK IT'S PAYING OFF.

AFTER 8 MONTHS AND NEARLY 10,000 MOSTLY URBAN MILES OUR CX-5 IS AVERAGING 27.3 MILES PER GALLON.

THAT'S 10 TO 15% BETTER THAN WE'RE SEEING IN THE SIMILARLY SIZED HONDA CR-V.

SO WE'RE SPENDING LESS TIME AT THE GAS PUMP AND MORE TIME DOING OTHER THINGS SMALL CROSSOVERS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO WELL, LIKE HANDLING AND CARRYING MORE PEOPLE AND CARGO THAN IT SHOULD FOR ITS SIZE.

WHAT WOULD MAKE IT EVEN BETTER?

WELL, MORE PADDING TO THE FRONT SEATS AND A SMOOTHER FOLDING MECHANISM FOR THE SECOND ROW.

BUT DON'T CHANGE THE BOSE AUDIO SYSTEM.

IT SOUNDS SWEET!

AND THE MAZDA CX-5 SURELY IS.

OUR REMAINING TIME WITH THIS 2012 HYUNDAI ACCENT SE 5-DOOR IS GROWING SHORT.

FOR 10 MONTHS, AND ABOUT 10,000 MILES, WE'VE BEEN HAPPILY RUNNING AROUND TOWN IN OUR ELECTROLYTE GREEN ACCENT.

DESPITE ITS SUBCOMPACT SIZE, THE ACCENT IS ONE SOLID LITTLE CAR.

IT'S SPACIOUS, STRONG, AND CITY NIMBLE, WHILE ALSO BEING SURPRISINGLY COMFORTABLE.

AS TO FUEL ECONOMY, OUR ACCENT'S STOP-AND-GO AVERAGE OF 32.5 MILES PER GALLON OF REGULAR IS ACTUALLY BETTER THAN ITS COMBINED GOVERNMENT RATING OF 31.

THE 1.6-LITER AUTOMATIC DRIVETRAIN HAS BEEN WITHOUT HITCH -- EVEN THOUGH AT TIMES IT IS NOSIER THAN WE'D LIKE.

BUT ASIDE FROM A COUPLE OF NIT-PICKS, OUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE HATCHBACK HYUNDAI ACCENT COME UP ALL GREEN!

WE'LL GO TO THE LOG BOOKS OF OUR SUBARU IMPREZA AND THIS HONDA CR-V ON OUR NEXT MOTORWEEK LONG-TERM ROAD TEST UPDATE.

OUR FIRST DRIVING IMPRESSIONS THIS GO AROUND FOCUS ON ONE OF THE MOST STATUS-DEFINING VEHICLES EVER, THE THOROUGHLY RE-WORKED, AND RE-THOUGHT 2013 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER.

BILLED AS THE FIRST SUV USING AN ALL-ALUMINUM UNIBODY, THE NEW RANGE ROVER DRIVES AS IF A HUGE WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED OFF ITS STILL RECOGNIZABLE SHOULDERS.

AND IT HAS, SOME 700 POUNDS OF STRUCTURAL MASS IS NOW HISTORY.

BUT PURISTS NEED NOT WORRY, THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF ROVER DNA INFUSED THROUGHOUT.

STARTING WITH THE CARRYOVER 5.0 LITER V8 MATED TO AN 8 SPEED ZF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.

NATURALLY ASPIRATED MODELS PUMP OUT 375 HORSEPOWER, WHILE SUPERCHARGING BLASTS OUTPUT TO 510.

WHILE THAT'S THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, TWO ADDITIONAL GEARS AID THE WEIGHT REDUCTION IN BOOSTING ON-ROAD PERFORMANCE AS WELL AS FUEL ECONOMY.

OVERALL EFFICIENCY GROWS BY ABOUT 10%.

Ben Davis: LESS WEIGHT AND BETTER GEARING MAKES THIS NEW RANGE ROVER MORE CAPABLE OFF-ROAD TOO.

ADD A REVAMPED TERRAIN RESPONSE 4X4 SYSTEM, MORE GROUND CLEARANCE, AND A BIG INCREASE IN WADING DEPTH, AND YOU HAVE ONE ALMOST UNSTOPPABLE STATUS SYMBOL.

John: BACK ON PAVEMENT, WE FOUND THE NEW RANGE ROVER TO ALSO BE A MORE CAPABLE FAMILY HAULER, THANKS TO THE ADDITION OF NEARLY 5 INCHES OF REAR LEGROOM, AND A SIMPLIFIED, MORE ELEGANT DASH SCHEME.

THE PREMIUM LEATHER, NO STRANGER TO RANGE ROVER, SOMEHOW FEELS EVEN BETTER.

IT IS TRULY RARE WHEN A VEHICLE CAN LOOK AND FEEL AT HOME ALMOST ANYWHERE FOUR WHEELS CAN GET YOU.

BUT AFTER OVER 40 YEARS, AND NOW ENTERING ITS FOURTH GENERATION BY SHOWING UTILITY RIVALS HOW TO GO ON A DIET, THE 2013 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER KEEPS ITS PLACE AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ASPIRATIONAL SUVS.

AND IF YOU ARE SO INSPIRED, PRICES START AT ABOUT $84,000.

AND WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME WITH MORE CAR KEYS FIRST DRIVING IMPRESSIONS!

John: WE LIKED THE 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA COMPACT FROM THE FIRST MOMENT WE SAW AND DROVE IT.

IT HAD THE STYLE OF THE GROUND BREAKING MID-SIZE SONATA, BUT WITH A SMALLER PRICE, AND 40 MPG FUEL ECONOMY.

IF THERE WAS ONE DRAWBACK, IT WAS THAT THE ELANTRA WAS SEDAN ONLY, WITHOUT A SPORTY COUPE OR VERSATILE HATCHBACK FAVORED BY YOUNGER BUYERS.

WELL, THAT SHORTCOMING DISSOLVED WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE 2013 ELANTRA COUPE &THIS ELANTRA GT.

SO LET'S TAKE THEM BOTH OUT FOR A SPIN!

LET'S START WITH THE 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA COUPE.

THIS TWO-DOOR TAKES THE BRAND'S FLUIDIC SCULPTURE DESIGN LANGUAGE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

THE LINES LOOK PERFECT ON THE COUPE AS THEY SLICE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE BODY SIDES INTO THE SEVERELY WRAPAROUND TAIL LIGHTS.

WE DARE TO DECLARE THIS CAR AS BEAUTIFUL, AND CERTAINLY NOT ONE THAT SELLS FOR UNDER $20 GRAND.

AND THAT THEME CONTINUES INSIDE; AS WHEN YOU GET IN, YOU REALLY DO FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN A HIGH-END AUTOMOBILE.

EVERYTHING FROM THE LONG BUT LIGHT DOORS... TO THE DASH... INFO SCREENS... AND TRIM BELIES THE LOW PRICE POINT.

THERE ARE STILL SOME HARD PLASTICS, BUT THEY'VE BEEN CLEVERLY DISGUISED WITH BRIGHT ACCENTS AND VARIOUS SHADES OF TRIM FROM GRAPHITE TO PIANO BLACK TO SILVER.

THERE'S A GOOD LIST OF STANDARD FEATURES, AND WE LIKE THE MANUAL SHIFTER'S TRIGGER STYLE REVERSE LOCKOUT.

THE BACK SEAT IS SURPRISINGLY ROOMY FOR A COMPACT COUPE, AND ACCESS IS GOOD.

THE TRUNK AREA IS NEATLY FINISHED IF, HERE, A BIT CHEAPER LOOKING, AND THERE ARE TRUNK MOUNTED RELEASES FOR FOLDING THE 60/40 SPLIT SEAT BACKS.

BEHIND THE WHEEL, THE ELANTRA COUPE IS A HUGE STEP UP FROM THE SUBCOMPACT ACCENT, MUCH CLOSER TO THE MID-SIZE SONATA.

AND, IN THIS COUPE, ROAD NOISE IS IMPROVED OVER THE PREVIOUS ELANTRA SEDAN WE TESTED.

INSTEAD, WE WERE GREETED WITH A LOVELY ENGINE SOUND AND AN OVERALL PERFORMANCE ORIENTED FEEL THAT MADE COMMUTING FUN!

AT OUR TEST TRACK, WE ALSO FOUND THE COUPE TO BE MORE ENTERTAINING THAN THE SEDAN, WITH AN EAGERNESS TO TURN IN, THANKS TO A TWEAKED SUSPENSION AND SUPER-GRIPPY TRIES.

DESPITE AN OVERALL SOFT FEEL AND SOME UNDERSTEER, IT IS VERY COMPETENT AND CAPABLE.

BOTH 0 TO 60 AND QUARTER-MILE TIMES WERE A BIT QUICKER THAN THE SEDAN AT 8.1-SECONDS TO 60 AND 16.4 FOR THE QUARTER MILE, WITH A SPEED OF 86 MILES-PER-HOUR.

WE CHALK THAT UP MOSTLY TO THE 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, AS AT 2,687-POUNDS, THE COUPE IS NOT THAT MUCH LIGHTER THAN THE SEDAN... AND SENDS THE SAME 148-HORSEPOWER AND 131 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE FROM THE 1.8-LITER I4 ENGINE TO THE FRONT WHEELS.

NOW, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A LITTLE MORE PRACTICALITY IN YOUR ELANTRA, THE 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GT SACRIFICES LITTLE WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE OR PERFORMANCE, YET OFFERS LOTS MORE ROOM FOR YOUR STUFF.

THOUGH THE DESIGN SAYS THAT IT IS CLEARLY PART OF THE ELANTRA FAMILY, THE GT IS ACTUALLY BASED ON HYUNDAI'S I30 HATCHBACK THAT'S POPULAR IN EUROPE AND ELSEWHERE.

SO THE INTERIOR, WHILE IT HAS THE SAME OVERALL THEME, ALSO HAS A FEW DIFFERENCES, LIKE THE CENTER STACK, WHICH FEATURES UNIQUE CONTROLS, A DRIVER'S KNEE AIR BAG, AND, OF COURSE, A DIFFERENT REAR SEAT AND CARGO COMPARTMENT.

FOLDING THOSE REAR SEATS DOES REQUIRE THE EXTRA STEPS OF LIFTING UP THE SEAT BOTTOMS AND REMOVING THE HEAD RESTS, BUT THE RESULT IS A NICE FLAT LOAD FLOOR WITH A WAGON-LIKE ROOM OF 51.0 CUBIC-FT.

THOUGH NOT AS DYNAMIC LOOKING AS THE COUPE, THE GT IS NO SLOUCH.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU CHOOSE THE STYLE PACKAGE, WHICH ADDS 17-INCH ALLOY WHEELS, A PANORAMIC SUNROOF, TURN SIGNAL MIRRORS, LEATHER SEATS WITH POWER FOR THE DRIVER, ALUMINUM PEDALS, AND UNIQUE SUSPENSION TUNING.

PUTTING THAT SUSPENSION THROUGH ITS PACES YIELDS AN ENTERTAINING AND SPIRITED RIDE.

WE WOULDN'T QUITE PUT THE GT UP THERE WITH THE MAZDA3, BUT IT'S CLOSE.

DRIVER SELECTABLE STEERING MODES NOT ONLY ADJUST THE AMOUNT OF ASSIST, BUT ALSO ON-CENTER FEEL, SO YOU CAN MATCH YOUR "WHEEL FEEL" TO YOUR DRIVING TYPE OR CONDITIONS.

THE GT ALSO SHARES THE SEDAN AND COUPE'S 148-HORSEPOWER 1.8-LITER I4.

SO, POWER IS ADEQUATE, BUT NOT MUCH MORE.

AS FOR GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS, THE SLEEKER COUPE DOES JUST A LITTLE BETTER AT 29-CITY, 40-HIGHWAY, AND 33-COMBINED.

WE NEVER SNIFFED THOSE CLAIMS OF 40 MILES-PER-GALLON, BUT DID AVERAGE 33.1 MPG IN MIXED DRIVING.

GT NUMBERS ARE 27-CITY, 39-HIGHWAY, AND 31-COMBINED.

THE COUPE'S ENERGY IMPACT SCORE IS VERY GOOD, USING JUST 10.0 BARRELS OF OIL PER YEAR WHILE EMITTING 4.5 TONS OF CO2.

WE THINK THE ELANTRA COUPE, WITH ITS BASE PRICE OF JUST $18,220, IS THE TRUE BARGAIN OF THE TWO; GT PRICING IS ALSO NOT BAD, STARTING AT $19,170, BUT THERE ARE OTHER HATCHBACKS WE WOULD CHOOSE FIRST.

MORE CHOICE IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING, AND BY ADDING MORE ELANTRAS TO THE LINEUP, HYUNDAI HAS MADE A SMART CHOICE EVEN SMARTER.

SO WHETHER IT'S PERFORMANCE OR PRACTICALITY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, HYUNDAI NOW HAS AN ELANTRA JUST FOR YOU.

WELL, I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US AGAIN FOR MORE MOTORWEEK, AS WE CHECK OUT ALL THAT'S NEW AT DETROIT'S 2013 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW!

THEN TEST FORD'S LATEST FAMILY-SIZE FOUR-DOOR, THE FUSION.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, I'M JOHN DAVIS.

WE'LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE ON MOTORWEEK.

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