Hyundai Elantra – Review, Specs, Pricing, Videos and More

Hyundai remains committed to sedans. That’s the brand's messaging as the North American version of the heavily updated 2024 Elantra is shown for first time.

While many automakers have abandoned the sedan market, especially compact ones like the Elantra, Hyundai sees stability and potential growth in the segment. That’s why the manufacturer has thoroughly overhauled the four-door for the new model year.

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Spoiled. That’s what we are. Flat-out spoiled. Just look at what we’ve gathered together for the latest Best Performance Car AutoGuide shootout brought to you by WeatherTech.

At our disposal is a Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla, Volkswagen Golf R, and Hyundai Elantra N. All four vehicle are based on sensible compact commuters, but have incredible levels of power, performance, and thrills behind the wheel. Although they may all target the same mission, they’re actually quite different.

Body style, cylinder count, and drivetrains differ from car to car. But more importantly, each car feels different to drive. Each has its own character and charm. We honestly could see ourselves owning any one of the following four cars. But this is an AutoGuide Shootout and a winner must be chosen. So we spent a week driving these high performance compacts back to back on city streets, the highway, and the track at Toronto Motorsports Park.

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Fun, affordable, practical. It’s the car version of the Iron Triangle, but with sport compact cars, you don’t have to pick two qualities. Here, you’ve got all three.

The Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen Golf GTI are hardly unknowns. They’ve been on our roads, and in our hearts, for decades, melding compact car usefulness with added turns of speed and poise. Both saw new generations touch down in 2022, so naturally we’d have to get them together.

Then Hyundai crashed the party. The Elantra N is an altogether wilder proposition, the most hardcore small sedan we’ve seen. It doesn’t try to hide it, either. Pumped up and featuring one of the best four-cylinder soundtracks out there, The Elantra N nonetheless continues Hyundai’s tradition of serious value for money. We already know it’s good on the track, but can it impress in the real world?

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Front-drive sedans aren’t supposed to act like this.

I’m in the middle of a quintet of Hyundai N cars snaking around the rolling hills of Sonoma Raceway. The track is damp, but even still, it’s clear that the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N ahead is hanging its tail out in nearly every corner. Did Hyundai stuff an AWD system under there after all?

Nope. While the Elantra N might be a front-drive sport compact, it’s far from a buttoned-up, conservative drive. The newest member of the segment comes correct with an engaging chassis and muscular powertrain, combining for a sizzling drive on the road and track. It’s just a little wild, and shouldn’t that be what this class is all about?

The basic ingredients that make up this concoction are pretty well-known quantities. Take one Elantra, drop in the raucous 2.0-liter turbocharged mill from the Veloster N, and stand back for a real Coke-and-Mentos-like display.

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We are big fans of the latest batch of Hyundai N cars.

The Elantra N had us smitten at its first drive, on track at the challenging Sonoma Raceway and along the fun roads surrounding it. Same goes with the Kona N, an unlikely mini-SUV-turned-hot-hatch. More recently, the Elantra N outshined the Volkswagen GTI and Honda Civic Si in a three-car shootout, its combination of pugnacious performance and tremendous value earning it the title.

With both N cars being so similar, it’s an all-too easy question: which one is best? During a recent event with both, at one of North America’s fastest circuits—more on that soon—we refamiliarized ourselves the Elantra N and Kona N, discovering what we love about them all over again. If you’re in the market for either, there are a few important differences that might sway you either way—but let’s be clear from the beginning, there’s no wrong choice here.

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It’s hard to pick faults with the regular models of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra lineup.

We said it “sets a new standard for the compact car class” when we crowned the Elantra our AutoGuide 2021 Car of the Year. If push came to shove, it’d be the Elantra’s lack of shove that would top my own list of demands. Hyundai’s engineers have done their level best to make 142 horsepower feel adequate, but that on-paper figure is still less than most of the competition’s base engine stats, nevermind the optional engines.

The Elantra N Line seeks to rectify this. A muscular turbocharged engine, a rejigged suspension setup to handle it, and a list price below that of a loaded Elantra 2.0? The ingredients are all here for a great budget sport sedan.

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This is going to be a close one.

In the one corner, Hyundai’s dramatic Elantra. This compact sedan is the reigning AutoGuide Car of the Year, offering buyers a healthy dose of big car space, modern tech, and surprising refinement for not a lot of cash. If you’re not about that SUV life, the Elantra makes a good case for itself as all the car you’d reasonably need.

Facing off with the Elantra is the latest Honda Civic. A juggernaut of the segment, the Civic is a perennial best-seller year after year. The last one was still one of the better options in the segment even as it rode off into the sunset. The 11th-generation model has dialled back the Gundam styling for a simpler look, and brought in more modern tech. Is that enough to take down the current champion? Let’s find out.

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On Tuesday night, CBC’s Kim’s Convenience came to an end after five seasons.

Centered on a Korean-Canadian immigrant family in one of the world’s most diverse cities—Toronto is composed of 51.5-percent visible minorities per a 2016 study—the show found fans across the globe once Netflix picked it up. Packed with clever writing, relatable scenarios, and an authentic cast of characters that more closely resemble the people watching, Kim’s Convenience worms its way into your heart without you even realizing. It’s … a sneak attack.

That’s how I feel after a week with the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid. Like a clever Umma, this battery-assisted sedan is subtle in its influence. It’s so good at sneak attacking, it doesn’t even know it’s sneak attacking. You expect excellent fuel economy in a hybrid, sure. What truly sweetens the deal here however, is a better ride than not only the rest of the hybrid pack, but even the regular Elantra.

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Last year in the US, the Corolla outsold the Elantra at a rate of over 2 to 1.

The Corolla is a global sales juggernaut: in 2016, Toyota figured over 44 million Corollas had been sold around the world over its lifetime. By our estimates, that puts the total at around 50 million by now.

All that is to say Toyota’s darling is the target for Hyundai’s latest Elantra. We’d say the Honda Civic is—what with it being the segment sales leader in both Canada and the US—but it’s in the process of being replaced. Besides, last time the Civic and Corolla faced off, we gave the nod to the ‘Rolla. Now it must defend its crown.

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Being a car critic is hard. Don’t believe me? Drive the new Hyundai Elantra.

Don’t let the title confuse you. The week that I spent in the 2021 Hyundai Elantra was a handful one. And partly the car is to blame. Being an automotive journalist requires you to be critical and objective at all times. Praise a car too much and you risk being labeled biased, too little, then you’re short-sighted. Every opinion, good and bad, needs to come from a place of knowledge and understanding.

I mean, no car can be perfect right and we as auto journos have an irrational fear that if we don’t pick a fault with a car, we’re not being thorough enough. And a car like the 2021 Elantra doesn’t make it any easier.

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Manufacturers still care about enthusiasts and we have proof.

Sedans cannot match up to the utility and road presence of a crossover. True. Also true, a crossover can’t handle nearly as well as a sedan or look good while doing it. While the sedan has fallen out of favor among buyers in favor of the crossover, it’s heartening to see automakers still care enough about it (and us) to make sportier versions of their regular ones.

Volkswagen’s Jetta GLI has been around forever and is by far the best Jetta in the lineup has to offer. Plus, hailing from a brand that has produced greats like the Golf GTi and Sirocco R, the Jetta GLI will be a tough nut to crack for the rookie. But can it go toe to toe with the veteran or is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line a second fiddle at best.

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The Hyundai badge on the new 2021 Elantra’s nose is about seven inches wide, give or take.

It’s a big badge for what’s a big deal of a car, and one Hyundai is understandably proud of. Cars may be playing second fiddle to SUVs these days, but the compact car segment is still an important source of sales. With the recent departures of competitors, Hyundai is looking to pick up the extra slack. Its target? No less than the Honda Civic, the reigning sales champ.

Hyundai has come to the fight prepared. The Elantra is bigger, safer, more fuel efficient, and filled with more tech than any model that’s come before. Not that you’ll notice that first: you’ll notice the avant-garde, angular styling. I could give you the old story about how far the Korean brand has come, but if we’re being honest, Hyundai’s has been putting out daring designs for years now. The Elantra is the latest, and that seven-inch badge is a seal of approval, a vote of confidence.

Luckily, the Elantra is more than just a daring, multi-faceted face.

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