While SUV and crossover sales are breaking records, compact cars are holding a steady line in the sand as manufacturers continue to dish out the respected goods in the small car world. Vehicles like the new 2019 Hyundai Elantra have grown in size and in their list of features making them attractive buys that don’t break the bank yet offer a bit of extra fun in the new Elantra Sport trim, which I had the chance to experience for a week.
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The new 2019 Hyundai Elantra Sport is a unique offering in the lineup of the new Elantra. The 2019 Elantra gets a refreshing for the model year with the addition of standard active safety features on additional trim levels. The Sport trim, which lands at the top-end of the Elantra trim spectrum, receives a unique powertrain which sports the most power ever out of an Elantra thanks to the brand’s 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that is good for 201 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque from 1,500 rpm up to 4,500 rpm. The engine, which is unique to the Sport trim, can be mated to either a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission. Yes, Hyundai has managed to keep the manual transmission alive and being equipped on my test vehicle – it was a welcomed change-up considering how the automotive market has almost cannibalized the manual.
The driving dynamics of the new Elantra Sport is right down a light-hearted enthusiast’s ally as it has a sport-tuned suspension and steering rack that all work in harmony for a rather sporty driving characteristic. The Elantra Sport manual transmission is almost a homage to the old days of sport compact cars that sported large VTEC badges (Honda), a time that briefly brought me back to my youthful 20s and owning many pieced-together pocket-rocket vehicles at the time.
The Elantra Sport manual transmission is eager to scoot around and has a nice midrange powerband that doesn’t give out at higher RPMs up to its redline. The manual shifter has longer throws than I would like but let’s not get too crazy – the Elantra Sport is still far from a sports car. Still, the Elantra Sport manual transmission holds its own quite well and makes a dash to 60 mph in about 6.8 seconds averaged from several of my tests. Moreover, the connectivity that you get, despite the Elantra Sport being a front-wheel-drive compact sedan, is more than you get from a lot of cars that cost almost twice as much.
For creature comforts and the interior of the Elantra Sport, things come together well as long as you don’t expect plushness. There is an abundance of hard plastics throughout but just enough soft-touch surfaces for those who plop down $23K won’t really complain about. The top dashboard and leatherette door insert areas of the door trim are the only soft-touch surfaces for the most part, other than the well-supportive sporty leather seating surfaces adored with a “Sport” embroidering and accented red stitching and piping.
As far as features, the Elantra Sport brings a few goods, such as heated front seats, power tilt-and-slid sunroof, Apple CarPlay and Android auto all fed through an easy-to-use, bright, high-resolution 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Hyundai’s praise for its simplicity and value-add shines brightly with the new Elantra in general. Moving up to the Sport trim adds more character to the formula to attract younger buyers and even new starting-out families. The sporty character of the Elantra Sport goes the distance for a complete package that looks not only performs up to the part but looks it thanks to the stylish 18-inch alloy wheels, back rear spoiler, integrated rear diffuser, LED headlights, and a deeper tone exhaust to complete things.
The new 2019 Hyundai Elantra Sport with the manual transmission can be had for the price of $23,655, which includes $135 for floormats, and a $920 freight and handling charge.
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