2017 Hyundai Elantra: Level-up luxury hits compact car segment [First Look]

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — I used to be surprised when I got behind the wheel of a Hyundai. What do you mean you can get heated rear seats? Wait, the trunk just opens you when you stand behind the car? Satellite radio is standard?

Shut the front door!

Now, however, I expect the level-up luxuries that appear throughout the lineup.

After spending time with the 2017 Elantra last week, I'm pleased to report there are no surprises here.

The next-gen Elantra has all the great features you've come to expect, and it looks nice, too.

While the previous generation Elantra didn't look bad, this new model looks more refined -- even a bit elegant. I particularly like the front fascia, which opens up the face of the compact car. The wide-mouthed grille, well-defined hood lines and functional air curtains, give the new Elantra a bold mug that gets dressed up with available LED running lights.

The styling concept for the interior is simple, modern and driver-oriented. Hyundai achieves this by using easy-to reach controls, large colorful information screens and wide sweeping interior lines.

I spent about 5 hours in the car during the media preview, dividing time between the driver's seat and front passenger seat. I found the seats super comfortable, and was able to find a really good driving position.

All the test vehicles we had available to drive during the media preview were fully stocked, top-of-the-line Limited models, so in some respects, it's hard for me to speak to the base SE model. But I have to hope that Hyundai gave that model the same attention to detail, even if it has cloth seats and a smaller audio screen.

The 2017 Elantra will have two all-new powertrains. The main engine will be the 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, which delivers 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The base SE will have a standard 6-speed manual transmission, but it will be available with a 6-speed automatic, which is the only transmission available on the Limited. This engine will appear in the SE and Limited trims, and incidentally, it's the engine we tested during the media preview along with the automatic transmission.

My driving partner and I actually really liked this engine. It was smooth and peppy, and we both thought it acted like it delivered well more than 147 horsepower.

The second engine will be a 1.4-liter, 4-cylinder turbo that delivers 128 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque. This engine will be mated to the EcoShift 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and will appear exclusively in the all-new Eco trim, which will be available this spring.

I played around with the various drive modes during our tour of southern California, and I found that the Eco mode felt the most natural. Both Normal and Sport modes felt like they struggled a bit, searching for gears or holding a gear too long, whereas Eco was smooth and efficient.

Hyundai paid a lot of attention to Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) in this newest Elantra, including things such as enhanced floor carpet and sound-absorbing rear wheel liners to help ensure a quieter ride. It totally worked. For a car that bases under $20K, engine noise was minimal inside the cabin. And unless we were on rough pavement, road noise was also severely muted.

During the drive, we spent equal amounts of time on the highway and wending mountain passes. The Elantra was solid on the open highway, both competent and confident at 70 to 80 mph, and it was just as surefooted on the twisty bits.

On sale now, Elantra initially comes in two trim levels: the base SE ($17,985) and the top-tier Limited ($23,185). True to Hyundai form, there aren't a lot of piecemeal options, there are basically two packages per trim that offer you a lot of stuff and then more stuff.

On the SE trim you can get these two packages:

• Popular Equipment ($800): 7-inch display, Andriod Auto and Apple CarPlay, rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, steering wheel audio controls, cruise control, Bluetooth phone pairing, heated outside mirrors.
• Tech ($2,100): LED daytime running lights, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, dual climate controls, proximity key, push button start, smart trunk and heated front seats.

On the Limited, you can get these:

• Tech ($2,500): navigation, 8-inch touchscreen display, Clari-fi music restoration technology, Infinity premium audio system, power sunroof, heated rear seats (front are standard) and a power sunroof.
• Ultimate ($4,400): high intensity headlights with dynamic bending light technology, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian sensing, smart cruise control, lane keep assist integrated memory for driver's seat and side mirrors.

It is important to note that to get the more expensive of the two packages, you must also get the less expensive one.

What I really like about the Elantra is that you can get this compact car fully equipped with leather seats, navigation, heated front and rear seats, forward collision warning, lane keep assist and driver's seat memory positions for less than $28K.

Later this year, Elantra will also get two additional trims, an Eco and a Sport.

Few details are currently available for the Sport model, but we can tell you it should deliver around 200 horsepower and it will be available in Q4.

There are more details available for the Eco model, which will go on sale this spring. In addition to the 1.4-liter engine, it will have standard features such as blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, LED daytime running lights, rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, heated front seats, smart trunk, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Overall, I absolutely loved the new Elantra. It's one of those cars that caters to the driver completely. It has a lot of tech and safety amenities, it's relatively nice to drive, and it looks good to boot. You'd be proud to drive it to work, drive a boss to lunch or park it at a valet. Yet it's also super cost effective - lots of bang for your buck.

There is one decision Hyundai made with regard to the Elantra, however, that I find curious. And, that would be the rear heated seats. Hyundai flat out said they specifically decided to do the heated seats instead of a heated steering wheel. But when you climb into the back seat of an Elantra, it's completely bare bones - even in the limited model. No USB charging ports. Just rough vinyl - and, um, heated rear seats. Yet the front is completely decked out with driver-focused controls, the best heated seats I've ever experienced, a gorgeous 4-color infotainment screen and sumptuous leather seating surfaces. So why, again, did Hyundai all of the sudden decide to throw a bone to the back seat? I dunno, but I find it odd.

The competitive set includes the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda3 and Nissan Sentra, but as Hyundai is wont to do, it compares itself to the likes of Cadillac, BMW and Audi. And they do a good job of coming close to that mark.

While I haven't driven the new Sentra or Civic at the time of writing this review, I will say I like the Elantra better than the Cruze and Corolla. The Mazda3, however, has a soft spot in my heart with its hatchback option (which Hyundai has said it won't pursue in this next-gen Elantra) and manual transmission in up-level trims.

So, I'm holding out for the Sport in Q4, which I hope will go head to head with the Mazda3 sedan.

Bottom line, though: If you're looking at a compact sedan, this new Elantra should be on your must-test list.

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