Hyundai Elantra vs Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra showcased Hyundai's bold design philosophy, characterized by its dramatic exterior styling. The Elantra's side profile was particularly striking, with no fewer than six hard creases cutting across the doors at seemingly random angles. While these creases aimed to create depth and define the car's shoulders, they often resulted in a dented appearance. Darker colours helped to mask these lines, but they remained visible in any light. The Elantra's design was a mix of triangles, wedges, and a Lamborghini-inspired theme of brashness and colour. The N Line Ultimate trim, painted in Exotic Green with dark grey wheels and big, polished black air intakes, was a standout with its wraparound headlights and thick LEDs. The 2024 refresh brought a cleaner, more linear front end with a lower-positioned grille and stainless steel Hyundai badges, adding a premium touch.

The Elantra's proportions mimicked those of a more expensive, rear-wheel-drive sports sedan, with a low and elongated body and a fastback-like rear end. The design was tasteful, with toothy outer taillights adding aggression. However, the Essential, Preferred, and Luxury trims lacked the sporty bumpers that complemented the body, making the Elantra appear cheaper without the N Line Ultimate treatment. Inside, the Elantra's interior was inviting, featuring a thin centre stack angled toward the driver, classy silver trim on the dash, and a sense of movement in its design. While the materials were mostly plastic, the build quality was commendable for the price. The base Essential trim with grey cloth was particularly appealing, though the hex-patterned cloth on the N Line Ultimate felt rough. More soft-touch points and improved upholstery could have enhanced the interior experience.

The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid received significant styling updates, particularly in its front fascia. The streamlined design featured a single slim lightbar, known as the "seamless horizon lamp," giving the sedan a modern flair. The badge was repositioned above the grille, while the headlights were placed independently below it. The Sonata's rear end, already equipped with a lightbar, now resembled the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe, forming a wide "H" shape with the taillights. The side profile of the 2024 Sonata remained largely unchanged from the 2023 model, maintaining a familiar look. In Canada, the Preferred-Trend trim came with 18-inch alloy wheels, while the N Line trim boasted 19-inch wheels. The Sonata Hybrid, however, was not available in Canada for 2024.

Inside, the Sonata's dash received updates, with vents flowing across the width and a redesigned steering wheel featuring a T-shape and a slender rim. The gear shifter was moved to the steering column, and the padded centre console extended forward, separating into two pieces when open. The Preferred-Trend trim offered a basic black interior with leather upholstery, while the N Line trim featured a light grey option with Nappa leather, suede inserts, and red accents. The Sonata's interior design was both functional and stylish, with a focus on comfort and convenience.

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra offered a surprising variety of powertrains for an affordable, mass-market car. The most common trims, including Essential, Preferred, and Luxury, were equipped with a 2.0-litre inline-four engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). While adequate for city driving, this setup struggled on highways, being both weak and loud. The N Line trim, however, featured a 1.6-litre turbo-four engine delivering 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This configuration provided a zippy and engaging driving experience, though the gearbox could be laggy and clunky at times.

The Elantra N took performance to another level with its 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque, thanks to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with oil-bathed clutches. This trim was available with a six-speed manual, offering an exhilarating driving experience despite some turbo lag and torque steer. The Elantra Hybrid, on the other hand, combined a 1.6-litre inline-four engine with a 1.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a single electric motor, producing 139 hp and 125 lb-ft. It featured a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, delivering excellent fuel economy at 4.8 L/100 km city, 4.5 highway, and 4.7 combined. Non-hybrid trims also boasted impressive fuel efficiency, with the base engine achieving 7.7 L/100 km city, 5.9 highway, and 6.9 combined, while the N Line Ultimate managed 8.3/6.8/7.6. The Elantra N was thirstier, with 11.0/8.1/9.7 for the manual and 11.8/8.6/10.4 for the automatic.

The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid introduced an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system for the first time, available on the Preferred-Trend trim for an additional $2,000. The N Line remained front-wheel-drive only. The Preferred-Trend trim featured a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The N Line offered a turbocharged version of the same engine, delivering 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, available from 1,650 to 4,000 rpm. This power was transferred via an 8-speed wet-clutch dual-clutch transmission, though AWD was not available with this engine. The Sonata's steering feel and handling were commendable, and the configurable driver-information display added to the driving experience.

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra featured a mix of analog and digital controls, with a mechanical parking brake and a conventional PRNDL shifter. Shortcut buttons for navigation, audio, and other functions were conveniently placed below the main touchscreen, while climate and heated seat controls had a dedicated space. The drive mode button was awkwardly positioned on the driver's left-side dash. Visibility was good from the front seats, and a sunroof was standard on the Luxury and N Line Ultimate trims. The rear seat offered ample legroom, though it lacked air vents. The trunk provided 402 litres of cargo space, with 60/40 folding rear seats standard. However, the N trim's red X-brace limited seat pass-through.

The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid offered competitive interior space, with 975 millimetres of front-seat headroom and 950 mm of rear-seat headroom. Front legroom was prioritized at 1,170 mm, while rear-seat passengers had 885 mm. Heated and ventilated front seats were standard in the Preferred-Trend trim, though ventilation was dropped in the N Line's sport seats. The slimmer steering wheel rim was appreciated for comfort. The trunk close button was a neat convenience feature, though its necessity in a sedan was debatable.

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen standard on the Luxury trim and above, while the Essential and Preferred trims had an 8-inch touchscreen. The larger infotainment system lacked wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the wired version was quick. The menus offered customization options, though the home screen icons were small and similarly coloured. An eight-speaker Bose stereo, wireless charging pad, and Highway Driving Assist were standard from the Luxury trim.

The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid impressed with its selectable functionality of the driver's side front USB-C port, allowing it to switch between data-transmitting and charging-only modes. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard on all trims. The Sonata featured a curved display combining the infotainment touchscreen and driver-information display. The N Line had a pair of 12.3-inch screens, while the Preferred-Trend trim had a smaller digital instrument cluster. The N Line also included navigation and a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system, while a six-speaker sound system was standard.

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA and was named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, though not all standard crash tests were performed. Standard safety features included forward braking assist, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and more. Higher trims added features like blind spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control.

The 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid came with blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, and more. All trims featured forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-following and lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and rear occupant alert. Hyundai's infotainment system made safety features easy to find and understand.