I recently had the chance to rock around in a 2024 Hyundai Elantra for a few days. At the end of my time with it, all I could really think was how sad it is that there are very few small sedans available for sale here in the US anymore. At least brand new ones.
I frown in the general direction of my fellow Americans who wouldn’t dare to be seen in anything less than a 6000 lb SUV.
Compact cars (especially the Elantra) rule.
My full review of the 2024 Hyundai Elantra
The 2024 Hyundai Elantra came in four trim levels: SE (base model), SEL (mid tier), Limited (luxury focused), and N (track-focused sport package).
The car you’ll see in the following pictures is what I believe to be the SEL trim level. Nowhere does it say anything than “ELANTRA”, so I’m just going on a hunch. It sure as sh*t wasn’t the N model.
That’s me looking as satisfied as someone who has just found an extra fry at the bottom of the bag. Why? Because the 2024 Elantra is a damn good car, that’s why.
First impressions
When you’ve arrived at the rental car lot 3 hours late (because of delayed flights), and it’s raining, and you’ve still got more than an hour’s worth of driving to your destination, it’s kinda hard to be upset with the car that you’ve been given. You’ll take pretty much anything at that point.
I was plenty satisfied with the Elantra given the circumstances.
First impressions: despite all of the swoops and cuts, it’s the kind of car that screams to the world that I was being cheap and went for the cheapest rental car they had.Yeah, so maybe I was being cheap. And who cares if I went for the cheapest car that they had? The more that I walked around this thing, the more interesting it became. It’s pretty neat looking car IMHO. My feelings were mixed as I walked around taking pictures of this thing. On one hand, there’s no denying that it looks like a rental car. On the other hand, it definitely has some character. It’s not that generic.Here I am attempting to show you the car that I’m going to be driving for the next few days (but my alignment is a little off). If ever there was a picture to encapsulate all the reasons why Car and Driver and Motor Trend won’t hire me, this is probably it.
Styling and design
The styling and design of the 2024 Elantra takes some getting used to. It’s probably gonna seem a little bit weird (and jarring at first). Just wait though. It’ll start to grow on you, and you’re eventually going to like it. I promise.
The best way to describe the styling of the 2024 Elantra? It looks as if it was designed by young designer (fresh out of design school) who only took a job at Hyundai to wait for a position at Ferrari to open up. I mean, seriously. This thing has got more cuts and hard edges than a ninja’s scrapbook. She swoopy. AF. For the record, I grew more fond of the styling and design of this thing with each passing day. There are so many neat little design details everywhere you look.They even had fun with the design of the wheels for crying out loud. Even if you didn’t agree with me about the body lines being ninja-like, you have to admit that the wheels kinda look like throwing stars.The Elantra looks somewhat awkward from a distance IMHO, but seeing all of the design details up close makes me a believer. The headlight and front grill assembly is actually impressive.The rear end is impressive as well (featuring a very Mustang-like ducktail spoiler thingy). That’s my kind of booty.
The interior
Seems like it wasn’t all that long ago when Hyundai was the butt of everyone’s jokes – at least when it came to automotive interiors. I’m happy to report that the interior of the 2024 Elantra is nothing short of phenomenal. It looks good, it feels good, and it’s spacious enough for daily driver duty. Even the abusive kind.
Wait! Even if you absolutely hate the exterior styling, you need to give the interior a chance. It’s probably the nicest interior of any car that I’ve driven recently. No lie!Even the front seats have cuts and hard edges molded into them. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that this is ninja-like, but it’s safe to say that Hyundai was trying as hard as they could to prove to idiots like me that they know how to make a really good interior.And they’re really comfortable too! Shoutout to a certain family member (who shall remain nameless) for putting up with my tendency to review cheap rental cars. I’m weird like that. I know.Like many other cars in 2024, the dashboard consists of giant digital displays. The Elantra has three (which is about two too many in my opinion).Bad news: This digital gauge cluster is probably the cheapest looking part of this entire car. Good news: check out that mpg! More on that later… Physical buttons for the climate control and audio system do exist though. If I knew how to say “holy sh*t, thanks so much!” in Korean, this would be a great place to do it.It’s all fun and games until you try to get Apple CarPlay working. It wasn’t until the very last day (on the drive back to the airport) that we finally figured it out. Long story short: the connection is a lot more stable if you plug your phone into the USB port. Does anyone know some really good Korean curse words?Said USB port (located deep under the climate control system). They really make you dig for it.The 2024 Hyundai Elantra Apple CarPlay experience. Have fun dealing with that USB cable getting in the way of everything!I’m not kidding when I said that this is one of the better looking automotive interiors that I’ve experienced lately. Does the Elantra need a grab handle (similar to the one you saw in my review of the 2016 Corvette)? Heck no. Was I tempted to drive straight to the nearest Hyundai dealer and demand that they remove it? Pssh. I like it.Oh! I almost forgot to show you the back seats (which is probably really important in a review of a compact-ish car). Yet another reason why Car and Driver and Motor Trend have ghosted me probably. Compact car my a**. Trunk space is huge!
Engine and transmission
This SEL model featured a dual overhead cam 16 valve 2.0 L in-line four-cylinder featuring 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. It proudly says “Smart Stream” on the top, which is an odd name for an engine IMHO. If it were up to me, I’d probably go with something along the lines of “Lowered Expectations.” It ain’t all that fast, and it kinda sounds like a lawnmower.
There’s actually not a lot to say about this 2.0 L engine other than it looks neat and tidy here in the engine bay. It’s not all that powerful, so I certainly won’t mention anything about that. I especially like the fact that there’s not a huge plastic shroud covering everything. All the important bits are exposed, which leads me to believe that this engine should be fairly easy to maintain. Should we be concerned that the battery (and even the dang air intake box) occupy about half as much space as the engine itself? Nope. It’s funny though, which is why I’m pointing it out.
Probably the most interesting thing about the powertrain is the fact that the SEL (along with the SE and the Limited) features a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). If you recall from my recent review of the 2023 Nissan Rogue, I’m not a fan of CVT’s in general.
Honestly, I didn’t even know the Elantra has a CVT until I sat down to write this review. In normal driving conditions, I couldn’t even tell.
Driving impressions
I actually quite liked the way that this thing drove. It tracked dead straight on the freeway at high speeds. The suspension was stiff enough to be fun in tight corners, yet soft enough to be comfortable on long drives.
Vroom vroom (not to be confused with zoom zoom)! Sitting in the driver’s seat of the Elantra actually feels good.
The driving position felt sporty. Steering feel was a little vague, but it’s to be expected of any car in this class.
Did I appreciate all of the different drive modes available? Hell yeah. Do I use anything other than “comfort”? Hell no. This thing felt plenty sporty in the default mode IMHO.
Braking power is decent enough, and outward visibility is excellent in all directions. It basically the perfect daily driver IMO.
Oh Yeah? How ’bout YOU wrap your paws around a thick steering wheel without getting a really perverted look on your face. In all seriousness, I quite liked how the Elantra drove on all types of roads. It just as nimble and sporty as it is comfortable. Handling (and road noise) would be greatly improved with a better set of tires IMHO. These Kumho Solus (souless?) 205/55R16 tires will probably be OK for most drivers, but anyone who drives like an a**hole aggressively is going to be disappointed.
Gas mileage
Somehow I managed to eke out over 44 mpg in this thing – which is shocking considering how aggressive I can be when pulling away from stoplights sometimes. Not only that, it was a mix of both city and highway driving. Driving in traffic doesn’t usually bode well for those coveted mpg’s, but somehow I (I mean it) managed to pull it off.
Topping it off with gas just moments before dropping it off at the rental car lot. The way that it looks may be questionable, but there’s no denying that the mpg is phenomenal. What a great little car.
Pros and cons
There’s a lot to like about the 2024 Elantra. Yeah, there’s some stuff not to like as well, but the good outweighs the bad IMHO. Pro tip: be sure to read my list of Kia K5 pros and cons to be absolutely sure if the Elantra is the car for you. The K5 is awfully competitive.
Pros
I absolutely love the driving position. It’s sporty!
Gas mileage from the 2.0 L four-cylinder is very good.
I hate CVT transmissions, but I didn’t even know that this thing had one until I got home and did the research for this review. It’s tuned very well.
Cons
It’s maybe not the best looking car on the road, OK?
Scott is a San Diego based automotive enthusiast who never wastes an opportunity to drive something new. Don’t let the fact that he's owned 3 Mustang GT's (and 2 Pontiac 6000's) fool you – he appreciates all brands equally!
