We spend a week in the all-new compact sedan from Hyundai and discover it's an improvement in every way over its predecessor.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited front 3/4 view

Pros:

Fuel economy

Exterior styling

Fit and finish

Cons:

Steering feel

Lane keep assist system needs some fine tuning

Road, tire and engine noise at freeway speeds

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited rear 3/4 view

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited

Hyundai has always been known as a purveyor of affordable transportation, and the all-new Elantra mostly continues that tradition. We say that because loading one up can push the sticker price uncomfortably close to $28,000, but more on that later.

For 2017, Hyundai has given its best-selling sedan a complete makeover. Although its platform architecture, wheelbase and height remain unchanged, overall length is up by 0.8 inches at 179.9, while overall width is up by an inch to 70.9 inches. Its coefficient of drag is now an impressive 0.27.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited side view

Exterior

The exterior of the Elantra features Hyundai's latest "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" design language that, for some reason, it looks much better on the compact Elantra than the midsize Sonata.

Up front, the former 2-tier setup has given way to the brand’s new signature larger and more upright trapezoidal grille, giving the Elantra much more of a presence. The outer fog lamp pods now house vertical LED daytime running lights. From there, narrower headlamp enclosures terminate sooner down the front fender.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited front fascia

Both the front and rear wheel wells feature flared openings while, along the sides, a prominent body crease begins forward of the leading edge of the front door and sweeps back, ending at the leading edge of the rear tail lamp lens. Meanwhile, a lower character line above the door sill begins at the leading edge of the front door and tapers off as it reaches the trailing edge of the rear door.

The cab-forward greenhouse features a steeply-raked windshield and peaks at the B-pillar where it begins its downward sweep that ends with a spoiler effect at the trailing edge of the trunk lid.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited front seats

Interior

Like the Sonata, the sixth-generation Elantra's interior is decidedly more conservative than the outgoing model. The symmetrical twin cockpit has been eighty-sixed in favor of one with a horizontal theme and a more driver-oriented gauge layout.

Widening the center stack enabled designers to place the various buttons and knobs in a more intuitive fashion. The HVAC system, in particular, is more straightforward with a pair of round knobs (instead of two pairs of arrows) controlling temperature functions.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited dashboard

Storage cubbies abound. In addition to a decent-size storage box under the armrest that houses a 12-volt power outlet, the center console contains two cup holders as well as a covered storage area in front of the shift lever which also houses two 12-volt outlets as well as AUX and USB jacks and features a cover that slickly glides shut.

In addition, two cup holders for rear seat passengers are built into the rear fold-down center arm rest.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited rear seat

The gauges are clear, easy to read and within easy reach of the driver. They’re also simple to use. The turn signal lever has a handy flash to pass feature while the touch screen-equipped infotainment system has dedicated on/off/ volume, tuning/enter, radio, media, seek, track, map, phone, BlueLink and setup buttons. It doesn’t get much easier to operate than this.

Up front, the leather-covered SoyFoam seats are nicely bolstered and very supportive. Both front seat occupants will find plenty of head, leg, shoulder and hip room, even in models equipped with a sunroof. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, there’s a nicely-placed real dead pedal for the driver and the turn signal lever has a handy tap to pass feature. The power driver's seat on our tester also featured power lumbar as well as two memory settings.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited cockpit detail

In back, up to three adults will find generous amounts of head shoulder and leg room for a compact sedan.

Thanks to fairly narrow A-pillars and lots of glass, the view out the front and sides is really good. Views out the rear three-quarters and back, however, are somewhat compromised by the sloping roof, thick C-pillars and high deck lid.

By the numbers, passenger volume is now 95.8 cubic feet, while cargo volume in the trunk is 14.4 cubic feet. With a total interior volume of 110.2 cubic feet, this puts the new Elantra in the EPA midsize sedan classification.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited 2-liter Nu engine

Under the hood

Two all-new powertrains are offered in the 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The Eco model comes with Hyundai’s 128 hp Kappa 1.4-liter turbocharged GDI inline-four that also produces 156 lb.-ft. of torque between 1,400 and 3,700 rpm. It's mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Both the base SE and uplevel Limited now come with a 2.0-liter Nu MPI Atkinson four cylinder engine producing a peak 147 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 132 lb. ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm (estimated). SE buyers get a standard 6-speed manual, while optional on the SE and standard on Limited models like this tester is a new 6-speed automatic that Hyundai says is 3.3 percent more efficient.

As you might expect from a compact, fuel economy remains one of the Elantra's strong suits. The EPA rates it at 28/37/32 city/highway/combined; while our own observed fuel economy in a mix of suburban and highway driving was a very respectable 34.6 mpg.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited transmission selector lever

On the road

Not only is its body new, the 2017 Elantra now sports a more rigid chassis that is manufactured with 53 percent advanced high-strength steel, compared to 21 percent for the outgoing model. Not only that, the way the body is put together also differs. The body of the outgoing model featured about 10 feet of glue bead compared to 394 feet for the new one.

The rear suspension has also been massaged with a redesigned geometry that modifies the angle of the rear shocks and changes the position of the coil springs on the torsion beam axle for reduced body roll.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited drive mode button

The result is that especially around town, the new model feels more planted on the road, with better isolation from larger bumps and road imperfections. Body roll is still evident, but not as much as before. The steering has a better weight to it, although, like the outgoing model, it still doesn’t offer much in the way of feedback to the driver. The brakes, on the other hand, were easy to modulate and there was excellent feedback through the brake pedal.

With only 132 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, you might expect the automatic transmission to do a lot of gear hunting, but this isn’t the case. Interior noise around town is also much improved.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited 17-inch alloy wheel

On the expressway the Elantra felt composed with no need to constantly make corrections to the steering. On one particular trip, however, we noticed that it was affected by strong crosswinds. In addition, we also noticed that the combination of strong crosswinds and the lane-keep assist system made steering inputs difficult. The solution was to disable the system. Another negative was the notable increase in engine, tire, road and wind noise at freeway speeds.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited rear fascia detail

Trim levels

For 2017, Hyundai Elantra sedans come in three trim levels –entry-level SE, top-level Limited and the new ECO model.

Standard safety features include stability and traction control, front disc and rear drum brakes with brake assist, ABS, EBD, brake assist and seven airbags (including driver's knee).

Equipment highlights that can hardly be considered basic include, on all trim levels, such niceties as power windows (with driver's auto-down), locks and outside mirrors as well as remote keyless entry. Air conditioning, an audio system with CD, satellite radio with USB and audio input jacks are also standard as is a tilt and telescoping steering wheel with cruise controls.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited 8-inch touchscreen

Limited trim models get a standard 6-speed automatic with drive mode select, 4-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome grille, leather seating, power driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment, Hyundai’s Blue Link Telematics System, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, rear view camera with dynamic guidelines, hands-free smart trunk, heated side mirrors with turn signal indicators, chrome exterior trim, LED daytime running lights and taillights, door handle "approach" lights, proximity key with push-button start, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, BlueLink connectivity, dual automatic climate control, steering-wheel-mounted audio, Bluetooth and cruise controls and Bluetooth hands-free phone system with voice recognition.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited dual-zone climate control system

2017 Hyundai Elantra prices

2017 Hyundai Elantra sedan pricing starts at $17,985 for a manually-equipped base SE and can top out at just over $28,000 for a fully optioned-and-accessorized Limited model.

Our Scarlet Red Limited tester came oh-so-very close to that top figure with a base price of $23,350. Adding the $2,500 Technology Package (nav system, 8-inch touchscreen, Infinity audio, 4-inch TFT color instrument display, power sunroof, heated front and rear seats), the $1,900 Ultimate Package (HID headlights, automatic emergency braking, smart cruise control, lane keep assist, driver's seat and outside mirror memory) plus $125 for floor mats brought the total MSRP, including $835 for freight and handling, to what hardly can be considered an entry-level $27,710.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited dash, blind spot, lane keep assist and traction control buttons

The Bottom Line

There’s a lot to like about the latest Hyundai Elantra sedan. It’s an affordably-priced (if you can stay away from the high-end bits), nicely-styled compact with a high-quality interior and room for up to 5 adults. It also has a more supple ride and good fuel economy. On the other hand, even with the improvements Hyundai has made, its ride is far from sporty, steering feel could be better and road, tire and engine noise still find their way into the cabin at freeway speeds.

The bottom line, though, is that if you keep the options to a minimum, the Elantra still offers buyers a lot of bang for the buck and should certainly be near the top of the list for consideration by compact car buyers.

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited rear fascia