The 2-litre twin-cam engine is very smooth, refined and quiet and at idle is almost imperceptible. Much of this is owed to the eight counter-balance weights on the crankshaft, the air intake resonator and the hydraulic engine mounts. This engine is much smoother and easier revving and more refined than any of my other two Elantra engines.

Cruising at 70 mph sees the engine turning at 3000 prm, and the noise level is very low enabling occupants to chat at a normal level or listen to music, even with the moonroof tilted open. With the moonroof fully open the wind noise becomes excessive at that speed.

Punch the accelerator to pass and the engine eagerly jumps to the task. After all, you are in the power band of the engine and it just loves to live over 3000 rpm. Over 4000 prm the engine comes on cam, and the engine really sounds ready for some truly spirited driving. This is truly a sweet engine.

There is a valve in the exhaust system that opens and closes depending on exhaust gas pressure. At low speed the inside of the muffler acts as a sound chamber and reduces noise by 3 to 4 db compared to the previous model. At higher engine speeds, the valve opens and allows the engine to breathe freely with less exhaust restriction.

Driving to and from work in north-western Houston, at highway speeds of 70 mph I manage to get just over 28 miles per gallon. This is just about where it should be given the manufacturer's estimate of 25 city and 33 highway. I have used Regular (89 octane) unleaded in the GT, but I suspect that it gets slightly better mileage and performs slightly better using Supreme (92 octane). Not surprising given the fairly high compression ratio of 10.3:1.

With four wheel disc brakes, the GT exhibits impressive stopping performance, even using the standard Michelin H-rated tires. MotorWeek managed to haul the car down from 60 mph in 124 feet without ABS. While I have never measured mine, I can vouch for their numbers. I suspect that my ABS system might give slightly shorter distances.