2017 Elantra SE or 2017 Civic LX

[DevilsRule]

Originally Posted By: JavierG
Definitely the Civic. You also have to consider the depreciation and resale value of both cars. Stay away fro Cruze and Focus. I have the Civic in Modern Steel Metallic. Love it! So fun to drive!


Why stay away from Cruze and Focus? Do you have any experience with these vehicles?

 

[BigBuck]

Originally Posted By: stower17
It will come down to personal preference as always. With that being said I personally like the elantra better. Hyundai and Kia are on a mission to be best auto manufacturer they can possibly be and it really shows. They are clearly on an upward trend and building momentum.

Happy choosing!




^truth.

Looking at truecar, you can get the Elantra for at least $1,500 less. That is money you can use for gas, accessories, or moving up a trim level. Civic looks like its trying to be too futuristic/cool to me. Might've been interested when I was a teenager. Elantra looks clean and professional.

I'd pick the Elantra 100 times out of 100.

 

[flinter]

Big Buck,

I see VERY little teenagers driving the new Civic, mostly 30-50 year olds. VW GIT I see younger! My 77 year old neighbor has a 2016 Civic LX!

 

[BigBuck]

Originally Posted By: flinter
Big Buck,

I see VERY little teenagers driving the new Civic, mostly 30-50 year olds. VW GIT I see younger! My 77 year old neighbor has a 2016 Civic LX!


I know. I was a service advisor at a Honda dealer for 3 years, I have seen who drives them.

 

[dlayman]

Originally Posted By: BigBuck
Originally Posted By: flinter
Big Buck,

I see VERY little teenagers driving the new Civic, mostly 30-50 year olds. VW GIT I see younger! My 77 year old neighbor has a 2016 Civic LX!


I know. I was a service advisor at a Honda dealer for 3 years, I have seen who drives them.


The previous generation Civic, while largely panned by the auto press, was actually a very good car. The problem was, it deviated from previous Civics and was kind of a smaller Accord. Compliant ride, lots of room, comfortable driving position, not tech savvy, and inexpensive. Just what this 55 year old driver wanted. The new Civic goes in the opposite direction, too much so IMO. I like the 10th Civic, but until they get the bugs fixed, I won't consider one. From a lifetime major Honda fanboy. Love both my 03 and 15 Civics. But far from sold on the 10th generation, or the Hyundai for that matter. Hyundai has a bloody nose for how it's handled the engine problems it experienced and knew about and continued to produce and put the onus on its customers to produce FAULTLESS maintenance records in order to cover the defects.

 

[flinter]

In the Central NJ area, for every 17 Elantra I see (which is NOT MANY), I see 10 16/17 Civics! They are ALL over the place here!

Any idea why 2017 Elantra sales have been so abysmal??

 

[Colt]

If you're going to keep the Elantra a long time,then go Elantra.If not,go Civic.
I just traded in a '15 Sonata and Hyundai resale value is horrible.

Consumer Reports knocked the Civic for having a complicated touchscreen interface,lack of a radio volume knob, lack of options/packaging, or availability.
The '16 did have a big recall and stop sale on an 2L engine issue but all is fine now.

I'd go Civic but I do prefer Japanese badges.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

I have the 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE. Just bought it 5 weeks ago and have approx 1950 miles on it right now. I also have to say that I got a pretty good deal on it. My local Hyundai dealer had a huge sale, so I ended up getting the Elantra for not too much more than a nice used car. I opted for the Platinum warranty so it jumped the price up to just under $17,000. Got it with the tech package upgrade that deleted the SE badge and added the 7" touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and alloy wheels. No regrets at all buying it. We took it on a short trip, under three hours each way, and the MPGs were pretty sweet. Best shown on the dash was 46.7 MPG, with a mixed driving average of 39.6. The ride is pretty good and the seats are comfortable.

L8R,
Matt

 

[Bud_One]

I say Civic, but I'm biased.

 

[GMBoy]

I must be the only person who doesn't give a rat's behind on resale value. Buy what you like the BEST today and enjoy it for years. If that car happens to have good resale value good, but I am not going to choose a car that is not as nice or I don't like just because I may get a little more come trade in time. If the Elantra is the better car TODAY than that's the car you need to buy. Forget the Honda just because it "MIGHT" have better resale many years later...That's just my opinion.

 

[flinter]

I love the both the exterior and interior of the Elantra just a bit more than the Civic, its just a shame that the Elantra suspension is slight a bit harsh. The difference, to me, is night and day compared to the Civic LX.

 

[flinter]

Im gonna give the Elantra another shot with a more extensive test drive this week. I am thinking that the car I tested may have had dramatically overinflated tires, thus the kinda harsher ride. The 2017 Elantra is NOT known for harsh ride, so im thinking that may be the issue.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: flinter
Im gonna give the Elantra another shot with a more extensive test drive this week. I am thinking that the car I tested may have had dramatically overinflated tires, thus the kinda harsher ride. The 2017 Elantra is NOT known for harsh ride, so im thinking that may be the issue.


Good thinking. I know we over inflate our tires to take into account shipping, waiting in lots etc. I would bet with the long shipping times coming from Korea they would overinflate.

 

[knerml]

I will never say that any Hyundia or Kia I've owns have great ride quality. Especially compared to the various Audis I've owned.

However, every Honda and Acura I've owns has had rear fender rust...

 

[CharBaby]

Simple & for the time being, should you choose the Elantra over the Civic, one way to reduce the ride harshness of a solid beam or semi independent rear suspension is to adjust the tire pressure(up or down) to your liking. You're not racing the car, you're driving it on public roads. This doesn't suggest that you have to adjust the PSI to dangerous levels, just a little bit for the butt dyno...and until you buy a proper set of tires(to your liking) and wear out those OE tires for something more suitable.

I have driven some fully independent rear suspended cars that DIDN'T ride as well as some of the solid beam/ semi ind rear sus cars in their same category.

e.g., I don't particularly like the ride of the new Mazda 3(2014-present)...I don't care how well it handles! The ride(IMHO) is just too harsh for the road conditions in my area for everyday type of driving. And the road noise is just too loud for everyday-ness. Especially if it's ones only vehicle.

For a person who ownes or drives more than one vehicle, the Mazda3 could be the ticket for the twisty roads ahead and a high fun factor. But the Elantra or Civic may be better suited for everyday-ness in this particular compact car segment.

 

[NJ_Car_Owner]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I must be the only person who doesn't give a rat's behind on resale value. Buy what you like the BEST today and enjoy it for years. If that car happens to have good resale value good, but I am not going to choose a car that is not as nice or I don't like just because I may get a little more come trade in time. If the Elantra is the better car TODAY than that's the car you need to buy. Forget the Honda just because it "MIGHT" have better resale many years later...That's just my opinion.


No, I feel the same way. Assuming you keep the car a while, 10 years +, it doesn't matter. Only matters if you're looking to swap cars every 3 to 5 years and at that point leasing them may be a better alternative. An older car really doesn't have any resale value unless it is a prized car.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Former Hyundai owner here.
I'd go Civic.

+1
Maybe I got a lemon, but my Hyundai experience was awful. The Honda that I bought to replace it has been flawless.
Resale value DOES matter. Even if you are planning to keep the car until the wheels fall off (and the wheels WILL fall off of the Elantra LONG before the Civic), what if the car is totaled? The insurance company will only pay you what the car is worth at that time. At ANY point in it's lifetime, the Civic will be worth far more than the Elantra.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: NJ_Car_Owner
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I must be the only person who doesn't give a rat's behind on resale value. Buy what you like the BEST today and enjoy it for years. If that car happens to have good resale value good, but I am not going to choose a car that is not as nice or I don't like just because I may get a little more come trade in time. If the Elantra is the better car TODAY than that's the car you need to buy. Forget the Honda just because it "MIGHT" have better resale many years later...That's just my opinion.


No, I feel the same way. Assuming you keep the car a while, 10 years +, it doesn't matter. Only matters if you're looking to swap cars every 3 to 5 years and at that point leasing them may be a better alternative. An older car really doesn't have any resale value unless it is a prized car.


^^ This.

If you're not going to keep it forever, get the Honda. Nothing against Hyundai. I like them and I've owned one. The problem I have with them is if basically the same money buys me a new, same class Honda, Toyota, Subaru or Nissan, I'd rather go that route.

The new Civic is a blast. My BIL bought one back in December with the 6spd manual. Nice ride.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I have a 2017 Elantra SE and tire pressure is 36. If you adjust lower the sensor will indicate tire pressure is low.

As for as ride and engine noise mine is fine, but it is a point A to B car. Did not get it for driving dynamics. Just price. A Civic was not even in my ballpark.

From my perspective it comes down to what is most important. A long warranty and low purchase price was #1. Not having upgraded wheels, touch screen, etc. was #2 for me. I guess my age is showing.

I bet different tires could transform driving dynamics of the Elantra. It is has on every car I have owned, for better or worse.

 

[gofast182]

I'd say it depends how much you appreciate driving. If a car that has a really well-sorted chassis and well-matched powertrain is important to you, Honda really knocked it out of the park with this new Civic platform. The accolades for it and platform mate CR-V are too many and too good overall to ignore.

There's also resale to consider...