The front seats are terrific, offering precise adjustments. They are large and neither too soft nor too hard, providing adequate support without inflicting pain. The driver's seat adjusts for height both front and rear, and both front seats have adjustable lumbar support. The front shoulder belts are also height adjustable (a feature shorter people will appreciate).

The rear seats in the Elantra sedans are roomier and more comfortable than those in the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Mazda Protege, and Ford Focus sedans. Hyundai provides a combination lap/shoulder belt in the center position, whereas the class standard remains a lap belt only. Certainly, your outboard rear passengers will be happier if the center spot is empty, but that's true in all compacts and in some far more expensive cars, such as the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

The gauge binnacle and control panel sweep in front of the driver and down toward the center console. The gauges themselves are backlit with a purplish light on GT models. The purple glow adds interest, and the speedometer and standard tach are quite legible at night or in full mid-afternoon sunshine.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are adjusted with rotary controls, rather than the cheaper, more difficult sliding type; and the dials are set in the preferred location, that is, below, rather than above, the stereo. The stereo buttons are on the small side (we've rarely found buttons that are too big), but they are as large and easy to operate as those in some more expensive cars (the Volkswagen Jetta, for example). Switches for the headlights, wipers, and cruise control are mounted on stalks. A remote trunk/hatch and fuel-door release are standard.

Hyundai will probably emphasize the new GT sedan in its promotion and advertising, but in our view, the more desirable Elantra is the GT hatchback. The five-door design makes particularly good sense for young families that own only one car and must use it for multiple tasks. After a week of running errands in hatchback Elantra, we can't understand why Americans have saddled this body style with such a negative connotation. With the rear seat up, there's room enough in the cargo compartment for beach gear or all the sundry stuff that kids on a day trip seem to require. With the seat folded, the rear side doors make access to cargo much easier.

It's remarkable what you can squeeze into the Elantra five-door's cargo bay. We fit a dozen 10-foot pieces of wood molding and a couple of two-by-fours entirely inside the car, with the hatch closed. Then we did it again with plywood sheets cut to 40 X 70 inches, including the remnants. With the hatch tied partway open, the possibilities include full sheets of plywood or a 27-inch TV in its carton.