There are many kinds of drivers. There are the sporty types who want the feel of the road, riding fast and furious. There are car enthusiasts who want to the best experience. There are techs, who look at the car inside out looking at how it was made and how it can be maintained. There are long drivers, who cruise the roads for hours on end. There are also base drivers, those who drive to work in the morning, and drive back home, and do about 10 miles running errands during the weekends. There are also reviewers who have checklists. The Hyundai Elantra 2017 does not have a customer avatar, and tries to fit in for all of them.
Engine
The Hyundai Elantra 2017 is a normally aspirated double-overhead cam, 16-valve Atkinson cycle inline 4, transverse front-mounted, front-wheel drive. It has struts, coil sprints and anti-roll bar front suspension, with a torsion beam and coil springs for the rear. 11-inch vented disc brakes are located up front with 10.3-inch disc brakes are in the rear. It also has partially defeatable, traction off stability control.
This car was not designed for enthusiasts, nor for sporty type drivers. It was not designed for old fogeys who like to drive manual speed muscle cars or Beetles, driving like Nikki Lauda: safe and mechanical on back roads; fast and maniacal on the track. It was designed for the driver’s comfort and convenience.
Mileage
The engine was designed to be used for hybrids. This is a gas engine, however, without any electric motor hybrid components. It still delivers good mileage at 28mpg/35mpg for city/country driving with the 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission however, does not perform as well when downshifting or revving up. It spends a lot of time hunting the correct fuel-efficient gear ratio.
Performance
Acceleration is good at 8.3 seconds to hit 60mph, and 22.2 to get to 100mph. There are no figures for 120mph, even though its rated top speed is 122mph. Besides, compacts are seldom expected to go beyond 60 anyway.
Comfort and Convenience
A Hyundai Elantra 2017 review will be a point of comparison with either older Elantra models or with other cars. It is better and more comfortable than older models, but it does not fare as well when compared with others in its class.
The 2017 incarnation of the compact sedan is a contradiction in terms. Technically, it is large enough inside not to be considered as a compact. The seat are not the best designed seats, there is a lack of springiness and padding. However, the driver feels comfortable driving the car for two or three hours straight. The back seats can be a hassle for passengers and are not designed for long drives. Tall passengers might even hit their head on the sloping roof when getting on or off.
The main takeaway from the interior is that there is a lot of plastic. Black monochromatic plastic was used in major areas of the interior. Contrast this with the well-placed buttons and controls, and you are left wondering if there were too many designers on this car. Speaking of electronics, the audio system runs Android Car, but is not upgrade-able. The entertainment system was not designed to be up gradable.
The exterior is also a toss up. Some don’t like the lines, others do. The headlights and running lights have been revamped. The front grills and vents have been changed a bit. However, the vents do have a purpose, they are meant to direct the flow of air through the wheels and down the sides. There is also the roof which slopes continuously from the windshield to the back. The car is more aerodynamic than it seems.
It has a hands-free trunk, although it takes a while to respond and the springs don’t take it to the fully open position; you still need to raise the trunk to put your bags and things inside.
Overall
This is a staid static car. It is solid and is an upgrade from the prior Elantras. However, when stacked with the established compacts, there is still a lot of work required. It is running in the middle of the pack but well worth the price.
