Could this be the car that starts a sedan revival?
An everyday compact car masquerading as a premium sedan sounds like a winning formula, and a welcome one for buyers. Add fuel-sipping and performance-focused versions to broaden interest and the result is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra.
The nameplate was launched in the early 1990s as a budget oriented competitor to the established Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Ford Escort models, to name a few. Back then, the Elantra’s low price was its primary claim to fame: A new-car alternative to buying used.
Today, the Elantra is one of the top nameplates in a field that has suffered due to the growing popularity of the utility vehicles.
But where others — notably domestic-based automakers — appear to have given up on small sedans, Hyundai is doubling down.
The new Elantra’s design is, to put it mildly, jawdropping and follows the general shape of the larger Sonata. Most notable is the aggressively styled “jewel pattern” grille and enlarged air intakes. Also attractive are the side creases extending along the door and rear-fender panels that blend into a knife-edged trunk lid. Combined with a sweeping fastback roofline, the Elantra looks as good from the rear as from the front, if not better.
Compared with the previous-gen Elantra, the 2021 model is more than two inches longer, an inch wider and it gains close to an inch between the front and rear wheels. The car’s slightly lowered stance and roofline (with no loss in front or rear headroom) make it appear larger than measurements otherwise indicate.
The Elantra’s stronger and lighter platform has also allowed Hyundai’s design team to lower the car’s center of gravity to improve cornering agility.
The interior isn’t quite as dramatic as the outside, but it looks downright luxurious. An available 10.25-inch-wide screen for the communications, infotainment and navigationsystem is positioned directly beside the electronic gauge panel. A traditional T-shaped shift lever, instead of dials or switches, also speaks to the cabin’s conservative environment.
There’s also nothing too unusual about the Elantra’s base engine, a 147-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder that carries over from the previous model.
For the first time in an Elantra, however, a hybrid system is optional. It consists of a 1.6-liter fourcylinder with an electric motor that makes a net 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet.
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is linked to the base engine, while a quick-shifting six-speed automated manual is paired with the hybrid.
Final fuel-economy numbers haven’t been released, but Hyundai says the hybrid will achieve better than 50 mpg in combined city/highway driving. By comparison, the CVT equipped Elantra is rated at 33 mpg in the city, 43 on the highway and 37 combined.
In another first for the Elantra, there’s a performance-focused N-Line. It’s fitted with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that makes 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the N line, while a seven-speed paddle-shifted automatic is available. An independent rear suspension so
is standard in the N Line, as it is with the hybrid. The base Elantra uses a torsion-beam (solid) rear axle.
Pricing starts at $20,650 for the base SE trim. It arrives with dynamic-safety tech such as forwardcollision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, driver attention warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
The base hybrid ($24,550) receives a few more goodies such as dual dualzone climate control and hands-free trunk release. The N Line ($25,100) gets heated sport-style front seats (power-operated for the driver) and Goodyear summer tires wrapped around 18-inch wheels.
The variety of Elantra models and content is not dissimilar to what’s available from the top-selling Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, but a stunning design perhaps gives this Hyundai the edge.