2017 Hyundai Elantra

Pricing for the all-new 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE with the manual transmission starts at $17,150. SE models with the automatic transmission start at $18,150.

A Popular Equipment for SE package adds a seven-inch touchscreen display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a rearview camera, sixteen-inch wheels, steering wheel mounted audio and cruise control buttons, cruise control, Bluetooth hands-free phone, and a hood insulator for only $800.

Pricing for the top-trim Elantra Limited with the automatic transmission starts at $22,350.

Prices do not include an $835 freight charge.

All models include Hyundai’s 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai’s 10-year/10,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary roadside assistance.

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra is powered by a two-liter four-cylinder producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, mated either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission depending on trim level and options.

• Fuel economy ranges from 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway in the base SE model with the manual transmission to 29 mpg city and 38 mpg highway in the SE model with the automatic transmission.
• The 2017 Elantra Eco is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that creates 128 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque. The Eco also uses an efficiency-tuned seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Together the duo should be good for an estimated 35 mpg combined.
• The driving character of the all-new Elantra is mature and compliant. The sedan feels especially composed on winding roads and long stretches of highway. While not the acceleration king, the engine provides enough punch to help the Elantra from getting in the way of itself during highway passing.

It is hard not to appreciate the fine road manners of the all-new 2017 Elantra, but the sedan is decidedly focused on economy and comfort versus enthusiast-pleasing performance.

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra features a driver-oriented design that keeps the controls well within arms-reach and easy to use.

• Following the recent Hyundai trend, the new Elantra is technology-packed for an amazingly low price, especially when you opt for the relatively inexpensive Popular Equipment for SE package. Higher trim levels are equipped with enough convenience and technology that it doesn’t take much of a stretch to consider the Limited a near-premium car. Case in point, the optional INFINITI eight-speaker audio system rivals some premium brand offerings.
• Many of the available of the 2017’s active safety technologies strictly limited to high-end luxury vehicles are now available as optional equipment on the compact Elantra.
• Seating is comfortable and nicely bolstered. The back seats offer plenty of room for two adults or three children.
• The Elantra’s 110.2 cubic feet of interior volume places the sedan in the EPA’s "mid-size" classification.

Even the top-trim Limited model still includes a good amount of hard-touch plastic surfaces.

I was truly thrilled with my time behind the wheel on the winding mountainous roads of Southern California. Hyundai appears to have designed a suspension that can take far more than the little two-liter engine can throw at.

Unfortunately, the only way to equip the 2017 Elantra with all the new active safety technologies like HID headlights with dynamic bending light, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and automatic braking with pedestrian detection is to purchase the top-trim Limited model and then add the $2,500 prerequisite Tech package to include the $1,900 Ultimate Package.

I can comfortably recommend the all-new 2017 Hyundai Elantra with very few reservations. Hyundai has essentially built a sedan with the roominess of a midsize sedan and the fuel economy of a subcompact at an affordable price for a nicely-equipped compact.