2011 Hyundai Elantra Review

Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra Review-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 Sonata, but in the Hyundai Elantra it's a little more crisp and aggressive, a little more athletic. Hyundai boasts that the nav system has the largest screen size in this class.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra has been fully redesigned, with an attractive design, new features, an efficient 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and new six-speed transmissions.

For the fully redesigned 2011 Hyundai Elantra sedan, that moment is now. Beneath that dolled-up exterior, the new Elantra sports a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is a compact sedan that's offered in two trim levels. Options for the GLS include the Popular Equipment package that adds 16-inch steel wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control and a telescoping steering wheel. EPA estimates are 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra's list of standard safety features includes traction and stability control, antilock disc brakes, active front head restraints, front seat side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags that cover both rows. In Edmunds brake testing, an Elantra Limited needed 125 feet to stop from 60 mph -- a good distance for the segment.

Most new car updates take an incremental approach to improvement, but the Hyundai Elantra addresses its shortcomings with an aggressive eye toward performance, weight savings and fuel economy. A six-speed transmission, built in-house by Hyundai, is responsible for 4.1 percent of the fuel-economy improvement, and a smart alternator shaves an additional 2.5 percent. Weight loss adds a 1.8 percent improvement, while low rolling resistance reduces inefficiency by another 1.4 percent, aiding the car's claims of best-in-class fuel economy. Hyundai is also quick to point out that the only competitors that meet or exceed Elantra's 40 mpg highway claim are the 40-mpg Ford Fiesta equipped with the Super Fuel Economy Package—which runs a $2,765 premium over a comparably priced Hyundai Elantra—and the 42-mpg Chevrolet Cruze Eco, which is $1,900 pricier.

A manual-transmission Hyundai Elantra GLS Standard starts at $15,550, while an automatic transmission GLS Popular runs $17,800. Added features on the Limited version ($20,700) include leather seats with front- and rear-seat heaters, a sunroof and 17-inch alloy wheels.

We first sampled the base, six-speed manual-transmission-equipped Hyundai Elantra GLS model with a Popular equipment package. Cruising in sixth gear at around 80 mph with light throttle yields an impressive indicated average fuel economy of around 50 mpg—helped, in part, by a tall top-gear ratio of 0.633. More erratic driving at lower speeds lowered our average to just below 30 mpg—spot on with the EPA city estimate of 29 mpg.