2017 Hyundai Elantra Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byTravis LangnessReviews Editor

　　Travis Langness has worked in the automotive industry since 2011. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career.

　　

What’s new

　　The Hyundai Elantra has been completely redesigned for 2017. Highlights include fresh styling, three new engines, a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a more upscale interior and a host of new technology offerings.

　　

Vehicle overview

　　Fully redesigned for 2017, the Hyundai Elantra gets a fresh new look, three new engines and a slew of impressive tech features. The 2017 Elantra is classier looking on the outside and more refined on the inside than ever before.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.04 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$125/mo  for Elantra SE

　　Elantra SE

　　SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) - $17,150 MSRPSE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A) (Most Popular) - $18,150 MSRPSE PZEV 4dr Sedan w/Prod. End 10/16 (2.0L 4cyl 6A) - $18,150 MSRPValue Edition 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A) - $20,250 MSRPEco 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) - $20,650 MSRPSport 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M) - $21,650 MSRPSport 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) - $22,750 MSRPLimited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A) - $22,350 MSRPLimited PZEV 4dr Sedan w/Prod. End 10/16 (2.0L 4cyl 6A) - $22,350 MSRP

　　vs

　　$164/mo

　　Avg. Midsize Car

　　For starters, ride quality has been improved, making the Elantra more livable during daily driving. The Elantra's three new engines include a new base 2.0-liter engine, a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine tuned for fuel economy, and a sporty 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder designed to raise pulses. Unfortunately, with a few early tests of the Elantra, we've found acceleration to be behind that of class leaders. Somehow that doesn't feel like such a big letdown, though, thanks to qualities such as a quiet cabin and a long list of tech features. At the top trim levels you can get items such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure intervention and forward collision mitigation. But no matter how you equip it, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra is as good as it's ever been and it's a strong contender in the compact car segment.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

　　The redesigned 2017 Hyundai Elantra is a compact sedan that provides more than just basic transportation. It gives you the value you expect from Hyundai, but in a new package loaded with high-tech features. If you were a fan of the Elantra in the past, things just got even better.

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions, although trim levels share many aspects. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the 2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco (turbo 1.4L inline-4 | 7-speed automatic | FWD).

　　

Driving

　　Your driving experience with the Elantra will largely depend on which trim level and engine you choose. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is a bit clunky, but handling and braking are better than average.

　　

Acceleration

　　The standard 2.0-liter engine is disappointing, with some of the slowest 0-60 mph times in the class, while the Eco has good midrange power and is a bit faster. Expect the Sport to be significantly quicker.

　　

Braking

　　The SE, Value Edition and Eco come with less sophisticated rear drum brakes, but on the whole the brakes perform with consistency. The pedal feel is good, and stopping power is easy to modulate.

　　

Steering

　　There's not much feel to be had through the steering wheel, but that doesn't take away from its accuracy. The modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) don't differ very much from one another, but Sport makes the Elantra's already strangely heavy steering almost comically difficult.

　　

Comfort

　　The Elantra is quiet, with comfortable front seats and an above-average ride quality. The Sport model will likely be a bit rougher around the edges, but overall this is a pretty cushy compact sedan.

　　

Seat comfort

　　Most trim levels come with cloth upholstery, and even without power adjustment (which is optional), the seats are accommodating and comfortable. The cloth offers enough grip to hold you in place and does not look or feel down-market.

　　

Ride comfort

　　The base SE and Eco trim levels both come with tall sidewalls on their tires. These tires absorb so many of the commonly encountered road irregularities. When the road is smooth and the speeds are high, however, the Elantra could use some better body control, especially in the rear.

　　

Noise & vibration

　　The Elantra is largely free of wind noise and vibration, even at elevated highway speeds. The tires, too, are quiet and keep unwanted ride harshness from the cabin.

　　

Interior

　　The Elantra's interior is definitely a top selling point. It's well built, attractive and spacious. In addition, the controls are logically placed, and getting in and out is a breeze.

　　

Ease of use

　　The Elantra's cabin is well laid out and easy to use. There's not much visual clutter, the buttons are all well marked, and the center screen is easy to read. The gauges are bright and simple as well, so they are easy to read at a glance.

　　

Getting in/getting out

　　The door openings are sizable, so it's easy to get in and out of the Elantra for both front and rear seat passengers.

　　

Driving position

　　With six-way-adjustable seating and a long-reaching telescoping steering column, the driving position can be tailored to suit a wide variety of people. It's easy to get comfortable behind the wheel with few adjustments.

　　

Roominess

　　The compact Elantra makes good use of space and gives the driver and passengers plenty of room. Two passengers in the rear seat should find enough space and good visibility, but adding a third might cause some discomfort.

　　

Visibility

　　The low hood and thin windshield pillars give you good forward visibility, and the side windows are big enough to easily check your blind spot. The slightly high trunk line is a bit tough to see over, but the rearview camera alleviates that problem when parking.

　　

Quality

　　Fit and finish in the Elantra is on par with the class leaders. Material quality is generally good, even though you'll find some hard plastics here and there. Even the base cloth seats do not feel or look cheap, and the various buttons and knobs work smoothly.

　　

Utility

　　A large trunk, plenty of small item storage in the cabin, and decent room in the back for child safety seats make the Elantra very utilitarian. Competitors, however, offer hatchback configurations that offer more space.

　　

Small-item storage

　　There's no shortage of door storage, cupholders or other compartments in the Elantra. Just below the center console is a concealable compartment to plug in and hide your phone or sunglasses.

　　

Cargo space

　　Access to the trunk is good, the liftover height is low and the 14.4 cubic feet of storage is near the top of its class. Split-and-folding rear seats give you added flexibility, though you won't be hauling anything too large because of the sedan body style.

　　

Child safety seat accommodation

　　Good access to the rear seats, along with good rear seat legroom, makes for easy installation.

　　

Which Elantra does zzdcar recommend?

　　Though the entry-level Elantra SE doesn't have an abundance of standard equipment, if you add the Popular Equipment package you'll get some very desirable tech upgrades and you'll keep your monthly payments pretty low. That's the Elantra we'd get.

　　The Popular equipment package adds stuff such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio and a rearview camera. And if that's not enough, you can always upgrade to the Value Edition, which includes blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control.

　　

2017 Hyundai Elantra models

　　The 2017 Hyundai Elantra is a four-door compact sedan offered in four main trim levels: SE, Eco, Limited and Sport.

　　As the base trim level, the SE is sparsely equipped, especially if you get it with the standard six-speed manual transmission. It comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (147 horsepower, 132 pound-feet of torque), 15-inch steel wheels, air-conditioning, full power accessories, cloth upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a 60/40-split folding rear seatback, and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio and a CD player.

　　Automatic-transmission SE models also offer a Popular Equipment package that adds a lot of desirable features. It's our recommendation for the one to buy if you're getting into an Elantra. It includes 16-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, automatic headlights, cruise control, a 7-inch touchscreen (but no CD player), a rearview camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and smartphone integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

　　With the Popular Equipment package added, you can also get the SE with the Tech package. Those extras include LED daytime running lights, keyless ignition and entry, a hands-free trunk opener, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate control.

　　Next up in the Elantra lineup is the SE Value Edition. It's basically an SE with all of the above included as standard. It also has a sunroof.

　　The most fuel-efficient model in the lineup is appropriately named the Eco. It comes with the same equipment as the Value Edition but with 15-inch alloy wheels and without the sunroof. It also adds a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine (128 hp, 156 lb-ft) paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

　　To maximize the number of creature comforts in your Elantra, there's the Limited model. It comes with everything found on the Value Edition (including the standard 2.0-liter engine), plus 17-inch alloy wheels, additional chrome body trim, adaptive xenon headlights, LED taillights, leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver seat (with power lumbar adjustment), Hyundai's Blue Link system and a second (charge-only) USB port.

　　Limited models have two options packages: the Limited Tech package and the Limited Ultimate package. The Limited Tech package adds a sunroof, heated rear seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a bigger driver information display, an 8-inch touchscreen, voice commands, a navigation system and an eight-speaker Infinity sound system. The Limited Ultimate package (which requires the Limited Tech package) bundles adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and mitigation, lane departure warning and intervention, automatic high beams and driver-seat memory settings.

　　For a more powerful and sporty version of the Elantra, there's the aptly named Sport. It is equipped similar to the Limited, but it has a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (201 hp, 195 lb-ft), a six-speed manual transmission (the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional), 18-inch alloy wheels, sport-tuned suspension and steering, bigger brakes, special front and rear fascias, xenon headlights, and some interior touches such as alloy pedals and a black headliner. The Sport Premium package essentially adds the same equipment as the Limited Tech package.

　　

2017 Elantra Highlights

Trim: SESE PZEVValue EditionEcoSportLimitedLimited PZEVSE

　　

Base MSRP	$17,150
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	29 MPG
Cost to Drive	$125/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.4 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles