2011 Hyundai Elantra Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Hyundai Elantra review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Elantra, and includes Hyundai Elantra safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Hyundai completely redesigns its popular but rather anonymous Elantra sedan for 2011, adding a new engine rated to get 40 mpg on the highway, retaining the car’s EPA-rated mid-size interior volume classification, including new features and technology, and wrapping it all up in attractive “Fluidic Sculpture” styling. The Elantra Touring wagon remains the same as it was last year, and is covered in a separate review.

With two trim levels and several option packages to choose from, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra lineup ranges from the GLS at less than $16,000 to the Limited with the Premium Package at nearly $23,000.

Standard equipment includes a six-speed manual transmission, 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, a rear defroster, a tilt steering wheel, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and a 60/40 split folding rear seatback. The Elantra GLS also comes with a height adjustable driver’s seat, a trip computer, heated outside mirrors, and a six-speaker stereo with a CD player, XM satellite radio, MP3 playback, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio input jack.

You may have noticed that air conditioning is not on this list. Or cruise control. For those items, you’ll need to drop $1,250 for the Popular Equipment Package, which also has a telescopic steering wheel, solar-tinted glass with a windshield sunshade band, and bigger 16-inch wheels and tires with full wheel covers. Frankly, finding an Elantra in dealer stock without this package is going to be nearly impossible, so plan to pay a minimum of nearly $17,000 for the most basic car. And add another grand for the Shiftronic automatic transmission.

The Elantra GLS is also available with a Preferred Equipment Package ($550) and a Navigation Package ($1,750), as long as you’re also ponying up for the automatic. In addition to the Popular Equipment Package’s contents, the Preferred Equipment Package adds 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth hands-free calling, audio controls on the steering wheel, illuminated vanity mirrors, an illuminated ignition ring, a sliding center armrest, and nicer interior door panels. The Navigation Package adds a navigation system with a seven-inch touch screen, a rearview camera, automatic headlights, and a premium 360-watt audio system.

Our favorite is the Elantra Limited ($20,700), mainly because it’s standard 17-inch alloy wheels look terrific. The Elantra Limited comes only with a Shiftronic automatic transmission, and includes front fog lights, a black chrome grille, and turn signal indicators embedded in the side mirror housings. Inside, the Limited also comes with a power moonroof, leather seats that are heated front and rear (!), and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. A Premium Package ($2,000) adds navigation, premium audio, a rearview camera, and keyless entry and ignition.

While the larger Hyundai Sonata has switched to fuel-saving direct fuel injection technology, the less expensive Elantra does without, but it doesn’t seem to hurt fuel economy much. The EPA says the car will get 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway regardless of transmission choice.

The only engine is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine hooked up to the six-speed manual or, more commonly, a six-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission driving the Elantra’s front wheels. Horsepower and torque measure 148 hp and 131 lb-ft. respectively, with slight drops in states where the Elantra is tuned to meet Partial Zero Emission Vehicle standards.

Impressively, the Elantra comes standard with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA). Steering is electric, and suspension is MacPherson struts in front combined with a torsion beam rear axle.

The 2011 Elantra’s standard safety package is comprehensive in terms of airbags (dual front, dual front side, dual side curtain), stability and traction control, and ABS with EBD and BA. But here’s something you don’t see every day: Hyundai installs an “event data recorder” in every Elantra it builds. Hmmm.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not performed crash tests on the new Elantra as this review is updated, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has and gives the Elantra its Top Safety Pick designation for 2011.

Consumer Reports does not offer a predicted reliability rating for completely redesigned models like the Elantra, but the previous generation car demonstrated excellent dependability over time, so that bodes well for the new model, even if it’s now produced in Hyundai’s Alabama assembly plant. J.D. Power and Associates sees different data for the Elantra: the market research firm predicts that the new one will return average reliability over time, and in the Elantra’s first performance in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, it received an average rating.

Warning: Do not consider a small-car purchase without having driven the 2011 Hyundai Elantra. Seriously, it’s that good. From its wind-swept exterior lines, which are far more attractive than any other vehicle in its class, to its upscale interior, it’s a looker inside and out. It gives you an impressive amount of space – more than you’d expect from a car at this price point – and it has a number of features that frankly astound. Take, for example, the optional heated rear seats. That’s not even available in some cars costing twice what the Elantra does.

It’s also quite enjoyable to drive, especially if you like things a bit picante in the handling department. Unlike the boring snoozefest delivered by some competitors in this field (we’re talking to you, Toyota Corolla), the Hyundai Elantra delivers plenty of feel. Some may complain that it’s just a bit much, with its firm suspension tuning and slightly touchy brakes and steering. But its inequities are more than compensated by its sterling attributes, like a kicky 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine matched to a faultless six-speed automanual transmission. And, even with our aggressive right feet, we managed to get about 30 miles to the gallon.

Even if you aren’t impressed by this car on paper or by our opinions concerning the driving experience, consider its Top Safety Pick crash-test rating and ridiculously generous warranty coverage for both the vehicle and its future resale value. We’ve got a winner here, and we don’t throw that term around loosely.

Stylish, roomy, affordable, and fuel-efficient, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra appears to be a terrific car. If it proves just as crashworthy in NHTSA testing as it has in IIHS tests, and reliability predictions mirror the Elantra it replaces, we’ll have no problem wholeheartedly recommending the new 2011 model.

By Christian Wardlaw