Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2013

Nissan and Ford led a strong month for the auto industry, with sales up 23.2% at Nissan and 17.9% at Ford thanks to big gains among both carmakers' strongest sellers. Nissan Altima sales gained 35.4% while Ford Escape sales spiked 52% — despite similar year-over-year incentives on both and lower dealership supply for the Escape.

It may seem bizarre that the Altima, then, isn't among the top 10 best-sellers. It's been there for ninth months straight, and in March it was the best-selling car (not truck) in America. But a year ago, sales were dismal — less than 17,000 in April 2012 — so even a healthy spike kept Nissan off April 2013's top 10.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord had higher-profile struggles. The Camry's sales drop could signal plateauing demand for Toyota's seventh-generation family sedan, whose year-over-year sales have declined for three straight months. The new Accord, meanwhile, is just 7 months old, and shoppers found significantly lower discounts versus the 2012 Accord a year ago. It's a factor that could affect Accord sales through autumn. Still, Ford didn't seem to have a problem with that. Anyone considering the new Fusion found a similar situation — lower discounts versus year-ago levels — but it didn't stop shoppers from flocking toward the popular sedan, whose sales boomed 23.7%.

Cars.com's Mileage Tests of Hyundai and Kia Vehicles In Line With EPA Results

In the wake of today's news that Hyundai and Kia will reimburse owners for bad mileage estimates, we've compiled the results of our mileage tests from Shootouts and other challenges we've conducted over the past few years that involved the affected cars and SUVs.

In September 2011, we took the previously 40-mpg-rated Hyundai Elantra and pitted it against special "fuel-saving" trims from the competition designed to eke out a few mpgs more to hit that vaunted 40 mpg highway figure. The Elantra's new highway rating is 38 mpg, and its combined rating dropped to 32 mpg from 33.

Our results put the Hyundai in last place.

Hyundai, Kia to Pay 900,000 Owners for Bad MPG Estimates

Hyundai and Kia announced today they would reimburse owners of about 900,000 vehicles for misstated mileage ratings.

The news came after an investigation by the EPA into complaints from consumers that the two companies' mileage claims were inflated. As a result, the stated mpg ratings for 75 different trim levels over three model years will be changed, and window stickers of cars on sale will be replaced to reflect the new numbers.

Cars.com's Mileage Tests of Hyundai and Kia Vehicles In Line With EPA Results

The investigation began when the EPA received complaints from owners of the 2012 Hyundai Elantra compact sedan who said that they were not seeing gas mileage near the stated numbers. Once the EPA’s investigators confirmed a discrepancy, they broadened the audit to the rest of the vehicles.

Hyundai and Kia are owned by the same parent company in South Korea but operate separately in the U.S. Both have seen phenomenal growth in the past few years, not just because of improved styling and quality, but also for their exceptional fuel economy.

The changes affect the 2011-2013 model years with mileage ratings dropping from 1 to 6 mpg on the highway. Combined mileage ratings were more accurate with seven of the 43 Hyundai models and four of the 32 Kia models seeing no change in combined mileage after the audit. Twenty-four of the 43 Hyundais showed a difference of 1 mpg combined, while 11 of the 32 Kias were within 1 mpg of the original rating.

The company explained the error this way: "The fuel-economy rating discrepancies resulted from procedural errors during a process called 'coastdown' testing at the companies’ joint testing operations in Korea. Coastdown testing simulates aerodynamic drag, tire rolling resistance and drivetrain frictional losses and provides the technical data used to program the test dynamometers that generate EPA fuel economy ratings."

The two brands will announce a reimbursement program for current and former owners of the vehicles. A personalized debit card will be issued that will calculate the difference based on fuel prices and miles driven, plus 15% as a mea culpa from the automakers.

Will it be enough to satisfy consumers? That’s a question that will be asked nationwide as owners digest the news.

Below are the breakdowns of every vehicle impacted in the change, provided to Cars.com by Hyundai/Kia. We’ll have much more on this story as it develops throughout the day and coming weeks. If you have a question you’d like answered, leave it in the comments below or email us at editor@cars.com.

What Does This Button Do?

Hyundai’s Blue Link is a feature-heavy communications system with services such as emergency response, voice-activated navigation and the ability to remotely operate the door locks or start the engine through a smartphone application. Blue Link could have many more confusing buttons than the one puzzling center button on the rearview mirror.

Among the system’s three buttons on the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT is a center icon showing a star at the end of a road. Were the Three Kings in the age-old Christmas-time story driving a Hyundai hatchback when they found baby Jesus beneath a star?

Nope, but it could help you find a store for holiday shopping. The button activates the navigation features of BlueLink.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT

The GT replaces the Touring in the Hyundai Elantra lineup for 2013. With the redesign, Hyundai's hatchback went from weird looking and lazy to stylish and sporty, according to Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek. It impressed with an interior full of premium materials and a fun-to-drive nature. It's not as roomy as the Touring, however, and costs considerably more than the sedan version, Bruzek says.

2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Review

2013 Hyundai Elantra GT: Car Seat Check

After a several-year hiatus, a hatchback returns to the Elantra lineup, replacing the unpopular Elantra Touring wagon for 2013. Given its hatchback body style, we figured the GT would be roomier than the Elantra coupe in terms of handling a couple child-safety seats. However, a small backseat and firm seat cushions made it hard to install our car seats.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Frequent Redesigns Leave Some Cars Behind

The steady pace of vehicle redesigns and midcycle updates has increased precipitously over the past decade as the competition for market share continues to get fierce. The average new car is redesigned or refreshed every 2.6 years as compared to 3.2 years just a decade ago, according to Merrill Lynch. Renewed competition among American, Korean and European carmakers has coalesced into a sort of friendly arms race in the automotive sector.

Nearly all of this is good for the consumer, but it does create some oddities. For instance, some older body styles that share nameplates with their newer, more popular brethren get left behind in the redesign process. One that comes to mind is the Nissan Versa hatchback. Now two model years removed from the Versa sedan's redesign, the hatchback is, arguably, the more refined and sophisticated of the two, though its asking price is much steeper and its gas mileage isn't as good.

Below we outline models that have been left astray from their more popular compatriots.

2013 Elantra Coupe Priced at $18,220

The 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe will go on sale later this month with a starting price of $18,220, including a $775 destination fee. That price is for a six-speed manual-transmission model; the six-speed automatic version will start at $19,220. The Elantra coupe is available in two trims: a base GS and upper-level SE.

The initial pricing puts the Elantra coupe above the 2012 Honda Civic coupe ($16,545) and the 2012 Kia Forte Koup ($17,950). The Hyundai comes with more standard features, however. They include fog lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, heated front seats and Bluetooth.

2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Priced at $19,170

2013 Hyundai Elantra GT will go on sale later this month with a starting price of $19,170, including a $795 destination fee. That price is for a manual-transmission base model; an automatic transmission version of the hatchback starts at $20,170.

The Elantra GT has competitive base pricing compared to others in the compact class: The 2013 Ford Focus hatchback starts at $19,995, including a $795 destination fee; the 2012 Mazda3 starts at $20,095, including a $795 destination fee; a four-door hatchback 2012 Volkswagen Golf with an automatic transmission starts at $20,565, including a $770 destination fee. The GT hatchback costs $1,700 more than a 2013 Hyundai Elantra sedan, but it comes better equipped. Hyundai hasn’t announced pricing for its 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe yet.