2017 Elantra Sport

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GenesisGuy70

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Looking to find a new ride to replace my 2010 Taurus. The girlfriend bought the 2017 Elantra SE with a 2.0 Atkinson NA 4 banger with a 6 speed AT. The car drives and handles nicely and the smoothness in the transmission is enviable compared to my Ford. However, 147HP is just not enough. Luckily for me a Sport model is on its way over from Korea. Comes with a 201 HP 1.6 turbo Atkinson 4 banger mated to a 7 speed dual clutch AT pumping out 195-ft lb at 1,500 rpm. Other improvements are a new fully independent rear suspension, larger front rotors, rear sway bar, higher spring rates and trim exclusive 18" wheels.

What do we think? I'm looking forward to seeing how the dual clutch AT does, never driven one before. And with having the base model as my girlfriends daily driver I'll have a unique opportunity to really compare.

I'm typically not a fan of such small cars, especially after driving the huge Taurus but I'm looking for something sporty with better gas mileage.

Common rivals are the Mazda 3, which I find to be flat out boring on exterior styling and the Honda Civic-SI, which I also do not like the styling.




 
DCTs always look great on paper, but are often poor options in daily driving. Make sure you can take an extended test drive to decide if you can live with its quirks. There have been a lot of complaints about Hyundai's DCT
 
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If you do a lot of stop and go driving or are intending to use this car for a lot of lower-speed driving, avoid the DCT. From my experience driving a rental Focus with a DCT and my buddy trading his 1-series over its awful in slow driving DCT, this race-bred technology doesn't work well in real-life driving. They shudder on launch, shift harshly, and are less reliable than a conventional automatic.

Mazda has a great automatic that blends the best of a DCT and a torque converter auto. Other makes have decent automatics too.

Or, your driving could be all 55-70 mph highway everywhere, so the DCT would be in its element.
 
The hyundai dct is covered by the 10year 100000mile warranty so as long as you dont keep it longer than that..probably a good car.

Former elantra's including GT and touring have poor ride.

I'd definitely test drive it.

I drove the tucson 1.6t with the dct and it seemed fine
however they use the dreaded dry clutch setup.

A wet clutch or wet clutch with TC for low speed operation seems much better.
 
Golf/GTI
A step up in every direction. More functional hatchback body, higher quality interior, great chassis, solid powerplants. Yet very respectable mpg still. And discounts that price them near Elantras currently.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
What do we think?


147 hp isnt enough?!?

Lol

Not sure id want the liability of a DCT. Does the hyundai warranty cover it for 100k or whatever theirs is?

I hate the thought of 18" wheels on an econobox.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Throt
What do we think?


147 hp isnt enough?!?


Not enough to have fun.


Especially with expensive, and heavy 18" wheels/tires!


Golf/GTI - much better platform all around. GTI is a true daily driver with ample supply of sport, without being punishing to drive daily in. Golf S is a bargain for the interior quality and a peppy turbo engine with 200 lb ft of torque and 37 mpg hwy.
Can be had for similar price as an Elantra, thanks to Dieselgate. Drive them back to back and choose.
 
If you could get a new Elantra in a lesser trim with a 1.6T and a manual transmission then that would be the way to go as far as I'm concerned. In true Hyundai fashion, the Eco versions are sometimes the quickest. I remember the Sonata Eco 1.6T being quicker than the 2.0T Sport model.

The 1.4T Eco version of the new Elantra is faster than the standard 2.0 but you're again shackled to the DCT. I don't believe you can get a 1.4T with the 6-spd manual if you'd even consider it. I like the new Elantra but I'm not much of a fan of the engine/trans combinations which would likely either drive me to a lesser trim or another make. My 2013 Accent 6-spd manual commuter module is 400 plus pounds lighter than the standard 2017 Elantra while only having 9 less horsepower. Power to weight ratio definitely makes a difference.
 
Well I was looking forward to having a DCT because of how quick they shift but I did do some research on the problems Hyundai has had with them so I'm not sure. Maybe they've fixed all the problems? I do spend most of my time on the highway and only do city driving when I'm going to the store or something. I am annoyed by some of the trim levels. To get an Elantra with some of the auto braking and stuff like that you have to get a Limited. To get a nice audio system you can't get it in the Sport model. They need to reconfigure them.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Throt
What do we think?


147 hp isnt enough?!?


Not enough to have fun.


Econobox is just for point A to B driving.

If you want fun buy a BMW.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Throt
What do we think?


147 hp isnt enough?!?


Not enough to have fun.


Econobox is just for point A to B driving.

If you want fun buy a BMW.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Throt
What do we think?


147 hp isnt enough?!?


Not enough to have fun.


Econobox is just for point A to B driving.

If you want fun buy a BMW.

But it sounds like the OP wants a little bit of both.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
Well I was looking forward to having a DCT because of how quick they shift but I did do some research on the problems Hyundai has had with them so I'm not sure. Maybe they've fixed all the problems? I do spend most of my time on the highway and only do city driving when I'm going to the store or something. I am annoyed by some of the trim levels. To get an Elantra with some of the auto braking and stuff like that you have to get a Limited. To get a nice audio system you can't get it in the Sport model. They need to reconfigure them.


If you would consider a Kia in the guise of a leftover 2016, they have the 1.6T in the Forte5 SX and Koup SX with the 1.6T and 6-spd. manual. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem there's much variation on the Kia side of the house and you'll run into similar trim package restrictions although ( like they often do ) they seem to offer things that aren't available from Hyundai. That is, in the emergency braking/ forward collision / rear backing alert, etc. tech department. I think Kia offers a 164 hp/ 151 ft.lb. engine in some trim levels of the Forte for 2017 models but it seems it's only marginally more powerful in rear world terms than the regular 2.0. That said, I'd take a new Elantra over a Forte if my choice was limited to that or go to another make.

Your driving style/requirements would seem that a DCT would work well but I'd have my doubts about the fixes they've come up with so far other than being a work in progress in relation to the DCT. I wouldn't want to be saddled to that possibility and potential with a new car with the knowledge that there ARE issues.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


147 hp isnt enough?!?


Not enough to have fun.


Econobox is just for point A to B driving.

If you want fun buy a BMW.

But it sounds like the OP wants a little bit of both.


Then a golf or a civic si would be chosen.
 
The $2400 Premium Package for the 2017 Elantra Sport gets you the Infinity Premium audio system, navigation, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, and a couple of other goodies.
 
does the current or non-sport elantra not have independant rear suspension? the European equivalent has always had it?

Anyway, that car is the most involved driving of the hyundai range, but it's not at the top of it's class.
 
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