HYUNDAI CONTINUES TO ADD FEATURES

TO ELANTRA SEDAN, ITS TOP SELLER

Although SUVs and crossovers seem to be taking over the automotive world, at least one manufacturer seems to be bucking that trend.

South Korean automaker Hyundai’s best seller remains the Elantra, a compact sedan that outsold the company’s best-selling SUV/crossover, the Tucson, by over 58,000 units in 2018.

Sales of the Elantra hopped up to 200,415 last year from 198,210 in 2017 while the Tucson came in at 142,219 and the Santa Fe SUV at 117,038 for 2018. (Yes, combined the Tucson and Santa Fe outsold the Elantra, but adding the Sonata’s total of 105,118 to that of the Elantra, Hyundai still sold more sedans as opposed to the recent trend toward SUVs.)

Hyundai reports that over 9 million Elantras have been sold since its launch in the U.S. in 1991.

Early last year I had the pleasure of driving the 2018 Elantra SEL, a model introduced following the redesign of 2017, and was impressed with the number of safety and convenience features it offered for its class.

Trickle down apparently is not just an economic theory but applies to car development as well. Features introduced on high-price luxury models eventually find their way down to more affordable vehicles like the ones in the compact sedan segment where the Elantra resides.

Hyundai didn’t quit with the changes for 2017, however. For 2019, the company gives the Elantra a new hood, front fenders, front fascia, grille, and headlights along with a new trunk, taillights and rear fascia. The 16- and 17-inch wheels get new designs, and the Eco trim has new 15-inch alloy wheels. Top-of-the-food-chain Limited and Sport trims come with LED headlights as standard.

Inside the Elantra has a new center cluster and new instrument housing and controls, and the Limited trim gets Infinity Premium Audio with 8 speakers.

SEL and above models get the Smart Shift Drive Mode that adapts to your driving characteristics to enhance your overall experience. I opted for Sport mode most of the time.

All but the base SE model also get as standard a suite of safety features labeled SmartSense that includes Forward Collision Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Driver Attention warning, Blind-Spot Detection, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision warning.

With the base SE model, the most exotic safety system is a blind-spot mirror.

All Elantras get as standard a rear-view camera features dynamic guidelines to give you a better picture when you are backing, stability and traction control systems, anti-lock brakes, and front and side-impact airbags for the driver and front-seat passenger. 

Power trains vary. Most Elantras come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, but the Eco trim gets a 1.4-liter turbo-4 and the Sport gets a 1.6-liter turbo-4.

The 2.0L offers only 147 horsepower and 134 pound-feet of torque, but fuel economy numbers are good — 28 miles-per-gallon city, 37 highway, and 32. You get less horsepower (128) but slightly more torque (156) from the 1.4-liter and more of both (201/195, respectively) with the 1.6 turbp in the Sport.

A 6-speed automatic with Shiftronic (manual gear selection) is available on the SE, adding $1,000 to the MSRP for the manual SE. The automatic is and standard on SEL Value Edition, Limited models. The Eco and Sport models are equipped with a 7-speed Eco-shift dual clutch transmission with Shiftronic, and you can also get a 6-speed manual transmission with the Sport.

SE Elantra manual models carry a base MSRP $17,985 (including destination and delivery). Pricing tops out at $24,385 for Sport models with the dual-clutch tranny. The Limited, which served as my test vehicle for the week, carries a starting MSRP of $23,485.

What I liked about the 2019 Hyundai Elantra Limited: It comes with a plethora of technological and safety features, many of them standard and all of the very user-friendly.  I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating. Unlike some European manufacturers, Hyundai makes technological features, like say navigation, easy to operate.

What I didn’t like about the 2019 Hyundai Elantra Limited: I’d like to see a little more in the way of performance for a more fun driving experience. For that, you probably need to take a look at the Sport trim or, if you will accept a hatchback, the Elantra GT Sport with similar power numbers (201/195).

Would I buy the 2019 Hyundai Elantra Limited? Yes. Bigger families may want a vehicle with more room for passengers and their stuff, but if that’s not you, the Elantra has a lot of offer in a stylish package.