Hyundai Elantra

The Hyundai Elantra is made by South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. The Hyundai Elantra is a compact car. There are several versions of the Hyundai Elantra, from a coupe to a sedan to a hatchback.

History

The Hyundai Elantra was first made in 1990. The Hyundai Elantra replaced the Hyundai Stellar in the Hyundai lineup. The first generation ran until 1995. The second generation ran from 1995 to 2000. The third generation was sold until 2006. The fourth generation came out in 2006 and sold until 2010.
A hybrid version of the Hyundai Elantra called the LPI Hybrid came out in 2009; the LPI stands for liquefied petroleum injected; the car was the first to run off liquefied petroleum gas. That version soon disappeared due to lack of demand and a design focus to improve the fuel efficiency of diesel powered engines.
The fifth generation started production in 2011. That model has the same “fluidic design” as the larger Hyundai Sonata.

Design

The Hyundai Elantra is available in several different body designs: a four door sedan, two door coupe, and 5 door hatchback. The five door hatchback version is called the Hyundai Elantra GT. The coupe is simply called the Hyundai Elantra Coupe. All versions are front wheel drive and have the engine in the front.
All of the Hyundai Elantras share a 148 horsepower 1.8 liter four cylinder engine, though the GT level has a two liter 173 horsepower engine option. The GT trim level, meaning “grand trim”, only applies to the hatchback version.
All versions of the 2015 Hyundai Elantra have heated front and back seats. The basic version of the Hyundai Elantra comes with cruise control, telescopic steering wheels, air conditioning, power windows, keyless entry, satellite radio, USB inputs, and Bluetooth wireless.
The Hyundai Elantra has an automatic transmission as the default; upgrading to a manual transmission adds around a thousand dollars to the price.

Performance

The Hyundai Elantra has above average reliability according to JD Powers and Associates.
The 2008 through 2010 Elantra SE trim lines were chosen as a top pick for compact sedans by the magazine Consumer Reports.
The 2015 version of the Hyundai Elantra sedans received a five star rating from the NHTSA and were IIHS Top Safety Picks.

Price

The Hyundai Elantra starts at around $17,000 and rises to around $23,000 new for the 2015 model.
The Hyundai Elantra for 2016 has a “value edition” with a combination of features from the limited trim line but coming in at $2,000 less than the most expensive package. The “Value” edition was still around two thousand dollars more than the starting base package of the Elantra.



Rivals

Rivals to the Hyundai Elantra include the Honda Fit, Kia Forte, Honda Civic, Kia Soul, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Focus, Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Cruze, Subaru Impreza, Nissan Altima, Acura RLX, Audi S8, Toyota Avalon, Scion TC, Fiat 500L, and Volkswagen Golf.

Trivia

In some markets, the Hyundai Elantra is also called the Lantra.
Hyundai had a naming dispute with Mitsubishi when the Elantra first came out. That matter was resolved; and the Mitsubishi Mirage of the 1990s is related (via shared parts) to the Hyundai Elantra.
The 2012 version of the Hyundai Elantra won the North American Car of the Year award.