[grinsaplenty]

Would be interested in hearing how this car compares to others, ie. Civic SI. I test drove allot of compact cars last spring and find that my Sport feels as nice as a Mazda 3 or Golf, (non gti version just the grocery getter). I do not have allot of experience with cars that are above the normal day to day variety. The Sport is providing me with what I desire, a small efficient practical car that is still fun to drive. Therefore not lusting after anything else just curious as to where this fits. It on paper is on par with the new SI, 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque for the new SI. Also handling comparisons from your personal experiences.

 

[Drewberry]

I don't think the ES is as "sporty" as a civic si but it definitely fills a nice void in the car market. (It's the cheapest sedan with over 200hp). The closest real rival to this car is the volkswagen GLI but it starts 5-6k more than the sport.
This car is really a great cheaper alternative to the gli.
It's also going to be slower than the new SI. Honda has been pretty conservative with their power figures recently, and the si will probably weigh 200+ lbs less than the Elantra. I don't really see them in the same class of car honestly. It's more like the civic sport, which is a closer rival (in power and in price) but it's a hatch so, you gotta get past that.

 

[R1600Turbo]

I'd disagree to be honest. This car is right in the mix with the Si, GLI, and the Sentra NISMO. (of which was developed alongside the previous two) Obviously the Sport is a little limited without an LSD, but other than that it's right there with the others as far as power and features.

 

[grinsaplenty]

Cars I considered

Before Hyundai released this car, I was leaning towards a Mazda 3 GT, with the 2.5l. Had thought about a GLI, but with VW's corporate draining to their bottom line the last couple of years I figure something will need to be sacrificed for them to stay profitable. IE. customer support for warranty and such. They are a large company but billions going out of bottom line is still billions no matter how large you are. Will be interesting to see the ES and SI in a model vs model comparison on some of the You Tube channels. Would love to hear of how the driving dynamics compares to other as well. From folks on here and their personal experiences. I am looking forward to the break in period to be done. I have allot of asphalt secondary roads around that are twisty. (Early early morning and not many houses) time and place for playing.

 

[lkaufmann19]

The GTI, Focus ST, Si, WRX, etc. are all faster than the Elantra Sport, handle better, have better steering feel, etc.

But I still picked the Elantra Sport. I am not going to track this car, I use it to commute and it does a great job of injecting fun into that commute. None of the cars I test drove offered all the features that this car offers at this price point. It is the perfect balance for me. The seats are super comfortable, yet supportive without being intrusive. Everything feels very high quality. It still handles very well and never beats you up on a long ride but still pulls hard and takes on/off ramps at high speed with ease. This car can be a civilized family sedan when you want and a car that can hold it's own in the twisties.

That is what makes this a great choice and value. I believe it will meet or exceed your expectations, just as it did for me!

 

[nels0300]

The GTI, Focus ST, Si, WRX, etc. are all faster than the Elantra Sport, handle better, have better steering feel, etc.

Yeah, that's probably true considering the times the Veloster has posted. I don't think any of the big car mags have done instrumented testing on the Elantra Sport yet. Car and Driver's times are estimates that seem pretty optimistic.

The thing is though, the street prices of the Elantra Sport are not in the same ballpark as the GTI, WRX, ST, or Si.

The Elantra Sport can be had for $18K. This is the sporty-ish competition at $18K, I know, I shopped them:

-VW Jetta SE 1.4T. most likely slower, no xenons, less reliable, and comes with all of the VW baggage

-Mazda3 Sport 2.0L no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, made in a new factory in Mexico

-Civic LX 2.0L ugly, has plastic wheel covers, no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, and WORSE Consumer Reports ratings

-Corolla Im 1.8L no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, painfully slow, cramped back seat

This is why Car and Driver completely missed the point of the Elantra Sport. The STICKER price of the GTI is $4K more than the Elantra Sport and the delta grows when you look at street prices. Sure, the Elantra Sport isn't as good as a GTI, but the GTI isn't as good as a Focus RS....

When you look at the Elantra Sport in the context of REALITY (unlike Car and Driver), you see it's one of the best sporty cars you can buy for around $20K.

And for what it's worth, even if the GTI was the same price, I STILL wouldn't choose it over the Elantra Sport. These car mags only have to live with their test cars for a short time, the reviews would be quite different if the car mags had to actually own and maintain the test cars, you know, like in the real world. I'm sure GTIs are awesome if the only ones you ever drive have less than 5K miles on them.

 

[lkaufmann19]

Yeah, that's probably true considering the times the Veloster has posted. I don't think any of the big car mags have done instrumented testing on the Elantra Sport yet. Car and Driver's times are estimates that seem pretty optimistic.

The thing is though, the street prices of the Elantra Sport are not in the same ballpark as the GTI, WRX, ST, or Si.

The Elantra Sport can be had for $18K. This is the sporty-ish competition at $18K, I know, I shopped them:

-VW Jetta SE 1.4T. most likely slower, no xenons, less reliable, and comes with all of the VW baggage

-Mazda3 Sport 2.0L no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, made in a new factory in Mexico

-Civic LX 2.0L ugly, has plastic wheel covers, no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, and WORSE Consumer Reports ratings

-Corolla Im 1.8L no xenons, no Android auto/Apple car play, no leather, no heated seats, painfully slow, cramped back seat

This is why Car and Driver completely missed the point of the Elantra Sport. The STICKER price of the GTI is $4K more than the Elantra Sport and the delta grows when you look at street prices. Sure, the Elantra Sport isn't as good as a GTI, but the GTI isn't as good as a Focus RS....

When you look at the Elantra Sport in the context of REALITY (unlike Car and Driver), you see it's one of the best sporty cars you can buy for around $20K.

And for what it's worth, even if the GTI was the same price, I STILL wouldn't choose it over the Elantra Sport. These car mags only have to live with their test cars for a short time, the reviews would be quite different if the car mags had to actually own and maintain the test cars, you know, like in the real world. I'm sure GTIs are awesome if the only ones you ever drive have less than 5K miles on them.

I felt the same way about the C&D column. I read that and said to myself "they are really nitpicking this car and holding it up to other vehicles that cost more and have a mission to be a true-to-form performance compact". The point of this car is to offer more fun in a comfortable and affordable car with nice everyday appreciated features.

I definitely agree with all of your points, the Elantra is the best value when you look at the big picture (which is why I got one). I test drove the GTI and Civic Sport too. The GTI was a great car but did not trust the reliability and was a little more than I wanted to spend. The Civic Sport was great but the styling was a bit much and the Elantra's standard features put it to shame. I just wanted to state that I don't think it compares with those performance icons since the OP mentioned the Si and also because C&D thinks this is supposed to be a race car lol.

 

[rdaex1]

The only actual comparison to this car is the Civic Turbo... and good GOD who would want to be seen in that pile of puke on wheels?!

GLI is nice, but you cant even buy a CPO model for anything close to prices charged for the ES.

 

[Drewberry]

I'd disagree to be honest. This car is right in the mix with the Si, GLI, and the Sentra NISMO. (of which was developed alongside the previous two) Obviously the Sport is a little limited without an LSD, but other than that it's right there with the others as far as power and features.

I'll stick to my original post and agree with the other guys here.
This car is not in the mix with an si or gli. It's only "in the mix" if you are giving it a severe handicap because Hyundai is basically giving them away at 20k.
This car was not meant to be a wrx, focus st, civic si fighter.
They are true performance compacts. The ES is a **** of a car, but it's not near the rest of the market.
By that I mean it's not "only missing an lsd".
Let's just target the focus st because we already know it's specs.
It's got over 25% more power. It's got a far better tuned sport suspension. Better brakes. Better steering feel. The list goes on. What the Elantra gives you is 75% of that driving experience with more standard options and will save you tons of $$. (Gas, insurance, and outright price). But again, price aside, this is not yet a real sport compact like the competition. But I don't think it's trying to be something it's not it's just a solid DD with enough sportiness to keep you happy and wanting to drive it

 

[R1600Turbo]

I'll stick to my original post and agree with the other guys here.
This car is not in the mix with an si or gli. It's only "in the mix" if you are giving it a severe handicap because Hyundai is basically giving them away at 20k.
This car was not meant to be a wrx, focus st, civic si fighter.
They are true performance compacts. The ES is a **** of a car, but it's not near the rest of the market.
By that I mean it's not "only missing an lsd".
Let's just target the focus st because we already know it's specs.
It's got over 25% more power. It's got a far better tuned sport suspension. Better brakes. Better steering feel. The list goes on. What the Elantra gives you is 75% of that driving experience with more standard options and will save you tons of $$. (Gas, insurance, and outright price). But again, price aside, this is not yet a real sport compact like the competition. But I don't think it's trying to be something it's not it's just a solid DD with enough sportiness to keep you happy and wanting to drive it

I compare cars based on features and power numbers. I never bring price into the mix. Obviously Hyundai is giving these things away, and that's their deal. In my honest opinion, it does compete with the GLI , Si and NISMO. I never said it competes against the WRX or ST so I'm not sure why you are arguing about that, and I would agree with you that it doesn't. Think 200hp, maybe 220 max FWD sedan and it is definitely a competitor. Anything above that is not.

 

[Drewberry]

I compare cars based on features and power numbers. I never bring price into the mix. Obviously Hyundai is giving these things away, and that's their deal. In my honest opinion, it does compete with the GLI , Si and NISMO. I never said it competes against the WRX or ST so I'm not sure why you are arguing about that, and I would agree with you that it doesn't. Think 200hp, maybe 220 max FWD sedan and it is definitely a competitor. Anything above that is not.

Well I agree that the Nissan is definitely a competitor but I don't think it's really competition. Just because the si has the same power as the Elantra I don't think it's a competitor. The si will be faster, handle better, and will probably be a much better drivers car. The only thing the elantra will be competitive on is features.

 

[R1600Turbo]

Well I agree that the Nissan is definitely a competitor but I don't think it's really competition. Just because the si has the same power as the Elantra I don't think it's a competitor. The si will be faster, handle better, and will probably be a much better drivers car. The only thing the elantra will be competitive on is features.

Oh I agree on the Nismo, and I even work for Nissan. Seeing the direction they were going with it made me decided to skip it and go with the ES. I wish we could get some reviews of the ES with instrumented testing so we have some hard numbers to work off of. I would bet that it holds it's own the the current (or previous) Si. Only time will tell with the new one, but really the only advantage I see from that car so far is that it has a LSD.

 

[Drewberry]

Oh I agree on the Nismo, and I even work for Nissan. Seeing the direction they were going with it made me decided to skip it and go with the ES. I wish we could get some reviews of the ES with instrumented testing so we have some hard numbers to work off of. I would bet that it holds it's own the the current (or previous) Si. Only time will tell with the new one, but really the only advantage I see from that car so far is that it has a LSD.

You would have to drive one to get what I'm saying. I I've driven both 8th and 9th gen Si (personally prefer the 8th, it's more dramatic). Well have to really wait and see when the si actually gets released. I'm just saying they behave like a sport compact. The ES feels way more "Audi" than sport compact.
The steering isnt there. The braking isn't there. The handling isn't there. Just cause their 0-60 times are close says nothing about how the car drives. And I'm not even saying the ES isn't sporty. It is. like as sporty as the civic sport is I don't think it's on the si level as a drivers car.

 

[rdaex1]

Every single thing Ive seen about the Sentra NISMO (an embarrassment to the name) has been EXTREMELY negative. No thanks Nissan.

 

[R1600Turbo]

The ES feels way more "Audi" than sport compact....The steering isnt there. The braking isn't there. The handling isn't there.

I'm gonna have to disagree on that. To each their own.

 

[cannon]

I felt the same way about the C&D column. I read that and said to myself "they are really nitpicking this car and holding it up to other vehicles that cost more and have a mission to be a true-to-form performance compact". The point of this car is to offer more fun in a comfortable and affordable car with nice everyday appreciated features.

I definitely agree with all of your points, the Elantra is the best value when you look at the big picture (which is why I got one). I test drove the GTI and Civic Sport too. The GTI was a great car but did not trust the reliability and was a little more than I wanted to spend. The Civic Sport was great but the styling was a bit much and the Elantra's standard features put it to shame. I just wanted to state that I don't think it compares with those performance icons since the OP mentioned the Si and also because C&D thinks this is supposed to be a race car lol.

The CD article seems to be completely out of step with every other review of the car. I now own one (replacing my ST) and yes it is not in the same ballpark as the ST but we are not comparing the same cars

 

[lkaufmann19]

The CD article seems to be completely out of step with every other review of the car. I now own one (replacing my ST) and yes it is not in the same ballpark as the ST but we are not comparing the same cars

They definitely didn't realize that this is meant to be a mild sport compact. I replaced a Focus ST with this and couldn't be happier. This car feels way more upscale and high quality even though the steering and handling is lacking compared to the ST. This car still handles very nicely and I am looking forward to an instrumented test to see the real numbers.

 

[grinsaplenty]

0-60 and a good review

2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Review and Road Test | Detailed in 4K UHD! This is on Youtube. Claimed they measure the 0-60 and braking. A good review that seems to be unbiased and even. Thank you all for the thoughts.

 

[Drewberry]

I'm gonna have to disagree on that. To each their own.

I guess so I mean I came from a speed3 to this car. And it's just not anywhere near that level.
I do think it handles well and is quick. (Vs say a regular Elantra) but it's just not quite that next level. If you are used to driving boring cars then sure this car will be very sporty. But if you come from a focus st, speed3, gti, gli, even a civic si it's just not there.
Again I love this car it's and it's perfect for what it is, but it's just not on that next level.

 

[R1600Turbo]

I guess so I mean I came from a speed3 to this car. And it's just not anywhere near that level.

I didn't say it was near the level of a Speed3 either.

If you are used to driving boring cars then sure this car will be very sporty. But if you come from a focus st, speed3, gti, gli, even a civic si it's just not there.

I come from several Sentra SE-R's, a turbo Miata, and a handful of RX-7's. I know sporty.

Again I love this car it's and it's perfect for what it is, but it's just not on that next level.

Again, never said it was. It is however on the level with the GLI, Si and NISMO for sure.