Hyundai Elantra (US) review

Overview
What is it?

It's the Hyundai Elantra, a reliable compact four-door car from the Korean carmaker. This long-running sedan has been sold worldwide under various names since the early 90s, which means you've likely seen many of them by now. Whether you've noticed or not is another matter.

As a budget car, the Elantra doesn't make much of a splash, appearing only in dealerships and rental fleets. But we can say that the new model could make a big difference.

Wait, is the new Hyundai Elantra... spectacular?

Somewhat? The impressive makeover by car designer Luc Donckerwolke has done wonders in laying the foundation for the Elantra to become an attractive car. From now on, the Elantra is not only affordable, but also quite comfortable and, surprisingly, in some cases, fun to drive. Interestingly, there's also a new N Sport version, which we're still wondering about.

So, let's start at the beginning.

Happily, the Elantra is available in both hybrid and non-hybrid variants. The standard version features a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, which is sent to the front wheels through a variable transmission. The sporty Elantra N Line—as we'll explain in a moment, not N—features a turbocharged 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers up to 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Power is still sent exclusively to the front axle, but this time it's via a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The hybrid Elantra features the same 1.6-liter engine as the N Line, but instead of a turbocharger, it's powered by a 32-kilowatt electric motor and a 240-volt battery. The hybrid's combined power output is 139 horsepower, controlled by a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

What's going on with this N version?

That's it! First, Hyundai is copying Audi's annoying nomenclature with its N Sport division and N Line trim level. The Elantra N features a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine that produces 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque. It already has a six-speed manual gearbox, but if you prefer pedaling instead of rowing gears, an eight-speed dual-clutch option is also available. Power still goes to the front, but now there's an e-diff, electronically controlled suspension, wider brakes, and improved sport suspension.

To take advantage of all this, there's a special set of drive modes that give you better performance than the base model. And yes, launch control. There's an Elantra... with launch control. With the dual-clutch gearbox, Hyundai reckons you can take the car from 0 to 60 in 5.0 seconds, which puts the manual in the mid-6-second range, depending on how smooth your stick action is.