2004 Hyundai Elantra

The 2001-2006 Hyundai Elantra is the XD generation and the car that began Hyundai's shift from a budget brand to a mainstream competitor in the compact class. It is powered by a 2.0-liter Beta II four-cylinder paired with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, driving the front wheels. Body styles were a four-door sedan and, from 2002, a five-door GT hatchback with a more sporting specification.

The XD was the first Elantra sold with Hyundai's ten-year powertrain warranty in the United States, a marketing move that did as much as the engineering to change how the brand was perceived. Equipment levels were generous for the price, though interior materials and refinement lagged the Japanese competition. The HD generation that followed in 2007 improved quality substantially.

As a used buy, surviving XD Elantras are very inexpensive and mechanically uncomplicated. The 2.0-liter Beta II uses a timing belt that requires scheduled replacement and is an interference design, so a missed service is catastrophic rather than inconvenient. Crankshaft position sensor failure causing intermittent stalling is a commonly reported fault. Corrosion and general age-related wear dominate the condition of most remaining examples, and the original warranty is long expired.