2011 Hyundai Elantra

The new Hyundai Elantra is the first small car in Hyundai’s lineup to get the responsive six-speed automatic, which was in my test car. My test car had wide 45-series tires on 17-inch wheels, which doubtlessly helped handling. Available are 15-, 16- and 17-inch wheels.

In short, the Hyundai Elantra is a home run in the compact segment, allowing more drivers to happily enter a fuel-efficient future.
The 2011 Elantra sedan is available at Hyundai dealerships now and is offered in two trim levels: base GLS and upscale Limited.

Hyundai has definitely met its goal, as the Elantra's styling is as dynamic as it gets in this class.
Like the Civic, the Elantra's front roof pillars have been stretched toward the front fenders, resulting in a windshield with greater rake.

Automakers have been racing to produce small cars that get great gas mileage using conventional engines, and Hyundai has succeeded on that front with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, which is powered by a new 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder that gets an EPA-estimated 29/40 mpg city/highway with either the manual or automatic transmission. There's no denying the Hyundai Elantra is a modestly powered car, but so are most of its competitors, including the Honda Civic, Chevy Cruze and Toyota Corolla. We were, in fact, hustling the car pretty aggressively.

Contributing to the Elantra's thrifty fuel use and good drivability is its optional six-speed automatic, which is a new Hyundai-developed transmission.

Before driving the Hyundai Elantra, I had my reservations about its driving dynamics. Some of Hyundai's other small models, like the Tucson crossover, don't offer the best driving experience, and I wondered if Hyundai had figured things out with this car. One of the most interesting aspects of the Elantra is how willingly it tackles curving roads. I also got a feel for the car in more mundane driving, like highway cruising. The car has very good straight-line tracking. The Elantra's exterior sets high design expectations, but the cabin gets a fair dose of style itself. For a small car, the front of the Elantra's cabin feels spacious, easily accommodating my 6-foot-1 frame. The Limited trim has heated rear seats — an uncommon feature in this class.

Standard safety features include all-disc antilock brakes, side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags and an electronic stability system. The stability system is part of the car's standard Vehicle Stability Management technology, which also uses the electric power steering to help keep the car on its intended course.

The smaller Hyundai Elantra follows much the same formula. Like the Sonata, the Elantra is a car that will make people sit up and take notice — and competing automakers should, too.
The compact-sedan class has hardly been an area of innovation in the auto industry, but Hyundai has pushed past rivals like the Toyota Corolla with a very stylish, well-detailed, and technologically advanced new version of its Elantra sedan. While holding the line on performance compared to previous versions, the Hyundai Elantra achieves much-improved fuel economy—40 mpg highway over the entire model line, as well as improved passenger comfort and interior refinement.

From the back you might mistake the "Hyundai Elantra" for its large Sonata sibling; but with the Hyundai Elantra an even smoother take. The exterior builds on the automaker's Fluidic Scupture theme that applies to the mid-size Hyundai Sonata, but in the Elantra it's a little more crisp and aggressive, a little more athletic. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra has an interior that's almost mid-size caliber—almost if it weren't for the tight headroom in back that's so often the mark of a compact cabin. Ride quality is excellent; the Elantra soaks up road noise better than most small cars, and wind noise is well-muted at 70 mph—at the level you'd expect in a mid-size sedan.
Hyundai boasts that the nav system has the largest screen size in this class.