Skip to main content
  • Related content

  • Related Video

  • Related content
  • Related Video

But the Elantra’s appeal can quickly fade, depending on how well you decide to equip it.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Side
Credit: Reviewed.com / Keith Barry

From the side, it's been tweaked and tightened. Inside, there's more room for passengers and cargo.

Step up to the Limited trim (MSRP $22,350) and you get luxurious extras like leather, heated seats, bigger wheels, and LED lamps. To get truly groundbreaking tech, though, you have to add the $1,900 Ultimate Package for Limited.

Related content

  • review

    2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid Review: Be Mindful
  • feature

    This 'fun utility vehicle' puts a new spin on electric vehicles

Take that step, and blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert will keep an extra pair of eyes out for oncoming cars, and Active Lane Keep Assist will keep an invisible hand on the wheel. As long as you’re traveling on a well-painted road above 40 mph, it steers the Elantra along curves and makes sure it stays between the lines. (If you leave your hands off the wheel for too long, the system disengages.)

2017 Hyundai Elantra Dash
Credit: Reviewed.com / Keith Barry

The dashboard of the 2017 Hyundai Elantra has been updated.

With emergency braking assist, forward collision warning, and smart cruise control, it’s an impressive option list—but Hyundai’s overall setup isn’t as slick as, say, Subaru’s excellent EyeSight system—or what Honda has on offer.

For instance, the Elantra’s dynamic cruise control is good for long highway slogs, but it’s useless in stop-and-go traffic.

Unlike cars with a “low-speed follow” option that automatically works even in the heaviest traffic, the Elantra disengages its smart cruise control and sounds an alarm whenever it dips below 6 mph. That leaves the driver to hit the brakes, and then manually reengage the cruise control after accelerating. It’s a shame, since traffic jams are where semi-autonomous technology can prevent both fatigue and fender-benders.

{{ photo_gallery name="Infotainment" }}

Another downside: You can only get the Ultimate Package for Limited in tandem with the $2,500 Tech Package for Limited, which adds a nav system, premium audio, heated rear seats, and a color display in the center cluster. Considering that the Elantra is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—which are far better than even the best automaker-designed navigation systems—the extra options don’t seem like a great value.

Yes, you also get a few other goodies: On the off chance that song data doesn’t display on the 8-inch touchscreen, the built-in SoundHound app listens to and identifies whatever music is playing. Additionally, Harman’s Clari-Fi music restoration technology makes highly compressed MP3s sound better.

But put it all together, and the total MSRP increases to just a hair below $28,000—a lot of coin for a compact, and about the same price as a similarly equipped 2016 Civic Touring.

{{ photo_gallery name="Active Safety" }}

Another plus for the Civic: Honda also doesn’t force you to buy other packages in order to get safety features like lane keep assist or an adaptive cruise control system (which has the low-speed follow function the Elantra lacks).

If it’s just safety and CarPlay/Android Auto you want, you can get all the tech you’ll find in a $28,000 Elantra in a $22,875 Honda Civic EX—though your rear passengers won’t be able to luxuriate in warmed leather.

The new Elantra is a great car and definitely worth a look. But if you want a la carte tech options or a fully-loaded compact sedan, the Honda might be the better bet.

{{brightcove '4693497756001'}}

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next