MotorWeek | Road Test: 2017 Hyundai Elantra

When we last left the Hyundai Elantra, its styling may have impressed us; but when it came to road manners, we thought it was more of a step back in time for this fastly progressing brand. Well, Hyundai certainly hasn’t gotten to where they are today by ending with a cliff hanger. Well, now there’s a new gen Elantra for ’17. So let’s tune in, and find out what happens next.

The Hyundai Elantra sedan has had its ups and downs since going on sale here in the early 90s. And despite our misgivings over the last generation, sales have skyrocketed of late to well over 200,000-units per year. Sounds like a lot, but that’s about 100,000 less than either the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. So needless to say, Hyundai is eager to boost their sales further with this 6th-generation 2017 4-door.

Styling is perhaps not as daring as last gen, but it’s still a compact looker and fully in line with larger 4-door stablemates, Sonata and Genesis. Especially up front, where it now shares their larger grille and available signature DRLs.

Same basic platform as before, but it’s had a complete onceover; with a stiffer structure, progressively more isolated suspension, and a modest increase in overall size.

It’s 1.0-inch wider; and just shy of an inch longer, though wheelbase remains the same. 17-inch alloy wheels come with Limited trim, base SEs are equipped with 15-inch “steelies”.

Most appreciably, things are a lot quieter inside, thanks to thicker glass and additional sound deadening materials.

Helping too is a new, standard 2.0-liter I4 that’s a bit more powerful than the previous gen’s 1.8-liter; at 147-horsepower and 132 lb-ft. of torque.

It’s smoother, quieter operation is readily apparent at cruising speeds. A 6-speed manual transmission is available, but only in base SE trim. A 6-speed automatic is fitted to our Limited tester.

A 128-horsepower 1.4-liter I4-powered Eco model is also available for maximum efficiency, up to 40-highway; though truth be told, the 2.0-liter is not bad in that regard either.

2.0 Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 28-City, 37-Highway, and 32-Combined. We averaged a very good 35.6 miles-per-gallon of Regular. Thus the Energy Impact Score is a good one at 10.3-barrels of oil used annually with C02 emissions of 4.7-tons.

Front seats are plenty wide and offer above average for its class comfort. Likewise in the rear, there’s adult-size room and adequate coziness.

Trunk space is fine at 14.4 cubic-ft., but it’s cheaply finished and the deck lid feels very flimsy. However, we liked the hand-free opening smart trunk.

Limited trim delivers a display audio system with 7-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android auto. Adding the Tech package ups it to 8-inches and adds navigation and Infinity premium audio, as well as heated seats.

Gauges are clean and simple with a 4-inch color TFT info display. The interior has definitely moved upscale in appearance, with the Ultimate package adding seat memory plus the latest in safety including blind spot detection, cross traffic alert, and even emergency braking.

Useful room is up too, so like Civic and Corolla, the Elantra is now classified as midsize by the government.

But middling is how we found full-throttle acceleration, taking 9.3-seconds to hit 60 miles-per-hour with lots of 4-cylinder wail. But, acceleration does remain steady; thanks to minimal lag between shifts. So the Elantra feels faster than the numbers; which were 17.3 in the ¼ at 83 miles-per-hour.

Things certainly have improved in the handling department. There is plenty of grip at a moderate pace; and a playful amount of understeer when pushed harder. The car reacts quickly to steering inputs; and a nicely responsive throttle enabled us to easily keep it right on the edge, inspiring confidence as speeds increased.

Brakes were another pleasant surprise. Panic stops from 60 took a good 123–feet with minimal fade; along with a nicely firm, short travel pedal.

So with all of the improvements, the Elantra’s value proposition is also stronger than ever, as base SE pricing is actually reduced by 90-bucks to $17,985. Limited trim starts at $23,185.

Far more competent, more refined, and more consistent with Hyundai’s increasingly upscale ambitions; plus an outstanding warranty; all things that help make the 2017 Hyundai Elantra a vehicle worthy of your compact consideration. One that might finally be ready to give Corolla and Civic a real run for your money.

[johnfranklin]

Update, my 17 elantra is 3 year's old now and has 52.000 miles on it. Still absolutely flawless, o repairs, 0 issues, and original tires still have decent tread on them. Love this car.

[stevefranklin]

Update, owned my 17 Elantra 2 years this month. 33.000 miles now, been flawless, o problems. Still very happy with my purchase.

[MandusahRamirez]

This Gen is really the best looking Elantra ever

[stevefranklin]

I have had my 2017 elantra for 1 year now . a little over 14000 miles and O problems. as that should be. a new car shouldn't have any problems. it is very comfortable, handles well . I can set the cruise at 80, 85 mph on my trips to Vegas and it does not feel stressed. even at that speed, gas mileage is still very good. I am in so calif. Ac is cold in summer, heat is hot in winter, and the heated seats work great. I am very happy with my purchase.

[joshitheyoshi]

I really like the exterior styling. Looks much better than a Corolla or Civic.

[zaidsaadabduljalil]

This car's front look so futuristic

[chuckers]

I got my new Elantra with the Popular Equipment package and 16 inch wheels two weeks ago. I love it. There is nothing "compact" about this car. It's roomy, quiet and it can move. It's about the size of the current Honda Civic. Don't sleep on this vehicle and it's corporate cousin the Kia Forte.

[redneon]

I just bought a 2014 Limited. Tan leather seats, pearl paint, beautiful car! Paid just a little over 16k when it was all said and done. It’s a fancy feeling car even tho older to get extras. Gas mileage is great! Always above 35. It only had less than 19k miles with one leaser. I’m very happy!

[johnfranklin]

Update, 67.000 miles now on my 17 Elantra, 0 repairs, 0 issues. Everything works like new, and uses no oil, always at full when time to change it. Love this car.

[jeffbauer]

I love this show and host. Been watching the reviews on this show lately and it takes me back to the 80s !!

[robbflynn]

Bought the basic SE model with auto transmission. Really pleased with it, feels roomy inside, I always drive in Eco mode and average just shy of 40 mpg. It was a year old when I bought it and had 44, 000 miles, now has 55, 000. There are holes in the plastic skid plate below the engine to facilitate easy oil changes. I would say it is probably a little behind the Honda and Toyota in terms of refinement and quality, but expected this as I only paid a little over $11, 000 out the door from a non Hyundai franchised dealer. If you're looking for a basic no frills commuter then I would definitely recommend the Elantra. Our other vehicle is a 2019 Subaru Forester Premium, would recommend this also!

[KamalaTheClown]

A bit over five years and the only issue was the coil pack at 20, 000 miles covered under warranty. Other than that it’s been flawless

[nathancouture]

I can’t even explain how happy I am with my Elantra it’s so perfect

[johnson_brandon]

I miss my mom's '06 Elantra so many good memories.

[roadriderjohn]

Video does not even mention two of the best features of the fully loaded Limited trim- driver memory seats and dynamic aiming headlights (turn slightly with steering). Those 2 features are not even offered by other compacts.

[sportsMike]

Big grills are the popular element currently.

[jaxandmore]

I bought my 2018 Elantra SEL new and currently have 18k miles on it. Issues aside, I really love this car. It's a nice balance between all the pros of an economy, such as low price and running costs, combined with upscale looks, good built quality, comfort and nice all around performance. Reliability has been a sore point for me though. This generation Elantra is known to have defective ignition coil packs on the 2.0L engine, causing poor running performance at random. One minute mine feels great. The next minute the engine hesitates, sputters and pings while accelerating. The dealership has been no help either.

[na-tvrn]

5 years into a 2018 Elantra GL SE. Just hit 100, 000kms, so far just oil changes, front brakes, a faulty hood latch sensor and 3!! Cracked windshields. Other than that flawless. And that's in harsh East Coast Canadian climate. Cold, moisture, and road salt....

[davidaubin]

I like the styling looks better here than Sonata. Noise is much lower than last gen over bumps. Interior quality is vastly improved on limited trim, even the SE's cabin is nothing to sneeze at. More rear legroom is also a +, but the trunk like you said is cheaply finished. And 14.4 cubic feet is actually down a bit from 14.8 cubic feet in the last gen.

[sailordave]

Waiting for the track test of the Eco and Sport model.