Wandering around the moderately well-stocked Hertz facility at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, looking for my next rental car, I spotted something I’d not seen on the fleet here or anywhere else for that matter, a Hyundai Elantra GT. It was in the Gold Choice area, so I could take it without even having to ask, so, even though I had driven an Elantra just a couple of days earlier, I quickly moved in and grabbed the keys before anyone else was tempted to test it out. It was only later in the test that I realised that the last time I had tested an Elantra, also sourced from Phoenix, back in 2018, literally the following day I had seen the previous generation Elantra hatch model, so done a back-to-back comparison, and then never saw a hatch version on fleet again. Like that 2018 test car, this one was on out of state plates, but that is not that unusual any more. More detailed examination revealed that the GT I had secured was a 2020 model, but with a low mileage suggesting it had perhaps been acquired as part of the vast array of second-hand cars currently in the Hertz fleet, and also that rather than being of the usual rental car trim level, this one was a top spec N Line.
Europeans seeing this car may well now be feeling confused, as to them, this looks like an i30, and indeed that is essentially what this car is, even though in the US market it wears Elantra badges, reminding us that under the skin, the two model ranges are essentially the same car. This version of the Elantra GT arrived in the US as part of the sixth generation Elantra range at the end of 2017 as a 2018 model year car and has changed remarkably little since then. It is a rare sighting on US roads, as this is a market that prefers saloons unless you want to go all the way and choose a crossover or SUV. I think it looks quite neat, and its appearance is certainly quite different from the saloon model, which goes for rather bolder styling in its latest form. I sampled a European spec i30 in 2018 and found much to like, so was optimistic that this US market car would also please, and of course I also wanted to see how I found it compared to that Elantra SEL sedan I had driven a couple of days previously. Time to find out.
Selecting the N Line trim for your GT means you get the more powerful of the two available engines, a 201 bhp 1.6 litre four cylinder unit. Compared to the larger but far less powerful 2.0 litre unit, this makes quite a difference and this GT felt much more rapid than the regular SEL model I had driven a couple of days earlier. There is quite a purposeful note to the engine under harder acceleration. The test car had the optional 7 speed automatic transmission and this is set up to give seamless gearchanges and also to help you get the best from the car. Acceleration was strong, even in the mid-range, and the gearchanges were particularly smooth. There are paddles if you want to hold on the gears or make the change yourself. The engine remains smooth and feels refined even as you push it harder. The only slight concern was the amount of road roar on some concrete surfaces but otherwise, this was a car that you happily take on a long journey without feeling strained by it. I covered a total of 263 miles in my day with the Elantra GT and it needed 7 gallons to fill it, which computes to a more than respectable 37.5 mpg US or 44.9 mpg Imperial.
If you were hoping that the lively performance would be matched by a set of driving characteristics that would make this truly a fun warm hatch you may be a little disappointed. The steering is light while manoeuvering, and whilst it does gain some weight as you add speed, or turn the wheel, it never really has that crisp feel to it that you would get in a Mazda 3 or previous generation Ford Focus cars. The handling is pretty much as you would expect from a family car, with plenty of grip, not much in the way of body roll on the bends and a feeling that this car would have to be provoked very hard to surprise you. So, predictable but ultimately not necessarily a lot of fun. The ride is well judged even on the relatively large and low profile 225/40 R18 wheels of the N Line version. The brakes were well up to scratch doing their job with no drama. All round visibility presented no significant issues, and the hatch body makes it easier to judge the back end of the car even without the help of the standard rear-view camera.
Just as you feel like you getting something a bit special from the engine, so you will feel that when you open the door and look inside the N Line version of the Elantra GT. This definitely looks and feels a real cut above the SEL in quality and design terms, with significant use of leather trim and some well-judged contrast red stitching. There is a chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel which proved good to hold. The dashboard itself is all pretty conventional. The instrument cluster contains two large dials for speedometer and rev counter and two smaller ones for fuel level and water temperature, with a trip computer display area in the middle, which can include a digital speed repeater. There are two column stalks with an auto lights function added to the left hand one. The steering wheel hub contains buttons for cruise control and audio repeater functions. There is an 8” colour touchscreen integrated into the centre of the dash. This is exactly the same as the one I experienced in the SEL version, and indeed the Kia Sedona I had driven the day before this test. It definitely scores for ease of use, with an intuitive interface and the retention of buttons for many of your selections. It is not that functionally, rich, though you do get HD radio, Apple Car Play and Android Auto. There is a wireless charger conveniently located next to USB and auxiliary ports too. Also included is the Hyundai Blue Link system and its voice activation search powered by Google, which Hyundai offers free for three years. Beneath this unit are the controls for dual zone climate. The overall impression is one of ease of use and a neat and relatively simple design.
Befitting its top of the range status, there are leather trimmed seats here. They are nicely shaped, with the contours holding you firmly in place, and the red piping makes them look that bit special. There is a wide range of adjustment possible, though all of it is manual in nature. Add in height adjustable seat belts and a telescoping steering wheel, and it was easy to get the perfect driving position to suit my proportions. Seat heating elements come as part of the N Line trim.
Considering that this is not – by US standards – a particularly large car, then room in the back is pretty decent. Headroom is more than sufficient and even with the front seats set well back, there should be enough legroom for all except the exceedingly tall. The central console unit does come quite a way back, so a middle seat occupant might find things a bit tight, but that is increasingly common these days. There is a drop-down central armrest with cupholders in the upper surface and there are both nets on the back of the front passenger seats and useful bins on the door for those inevitable bits and pieces that people want to stow.
There is a good floor area to the boot, and it is pleasing to see that there is a parcel shelf to protect the contents from prying eyes, something you don’t get in a surprising number of US market models. There is not that much depth, though, so overall carrying capacity is good rather than great. There are a couple of useful stowage wells at either side of the boot, as well as the usual hooks to allow you to tie things down. There is a space saver under the floor and there is some space around it for smaller items to be stowed away. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and simply drop down to create a much longer load platform, though it is not quite flat. Inside the passenger compartment, there is a good sized glovebox, a deep central armrest cubby, a useful lidded area in front of the gearlever and generously sized doorbins.
Hyundai offers the Elantra GT in two flavours: the base model and the N Line. The base GT comes with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (161 bhp, 150 lb-ft) mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The N Line upgrades to a turbocharged 1.6-litre (201 bhp, 195 lb-ft) with a six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. In 2019, Hyundai changed this trim’s name from Elantra GT Sport to Elantra GT N Line to align with new performance models, including the Veloster N. The base Elantra GT comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and a rearview camera. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard. There is just one options package available on the base model. The Style package brings a larger colour instrument display and a panoramic sunroof. And it adds valuable safety equipment such as lane change assist and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Along with the turbo engine, the N Line offers welcome features and an improved rear suspension that elevates ride comfort. The manual-equipped N Line gets heated seats, leather surfaces, 18-inch wheels, push-button start, LED headlights and taillights, and improved tyres over the base model. The N Line with the dual-clutch automatic also includes a drive-mode selector and all-season performance tyres. The Tech package is available on the automatic-equipped N Line for a fully loaded experience, with an 8-inch colour touchscreen with navigation, a power driver’s seat with lumbar support, ventilated seats and a seven-speaker Infinity premium audio system. Again, safety is the big plus, with the addition of forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go. A three-year subscription to Hyundai’s Blue Link connected car service is thrown in for good measure.
I rather liked this car. The N Line touches have been well done, as they are quite subtle, but do lift the ambience of the cabin and are just obvious enough outside without being in your face, and the extra power of the 1.6 litre turbo engine over the standard car does give a useful performance boost. If I were in the market for an Elantra, I think I would prefer this one over the saloon model, but I am definitely in a minority here, as far more of the saloon version will ever be bought by American buyers than will select this hatchback version. And indeed, if you look at the market to see what rivals there, the answer is practically none. VW have decided not to offer the 8th generation Golf to the US market, so that leaves just the Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3, again both of which sell primarily in their saloon versions. So this remains a bit of a rarity, and that’s certainly the case in the rental fleets. I doubt I will see another one, so I am pleased I had the opportunity to test one and see what everyone could be missing out on experiencing.
