Not everyone wants to drive an appliance, but although many of us would love to be able to afford something like a Porsche, that’s just not a reality. But there’s hope, for those drivers that want to add a bit more fun than the typical forgettable compact sedan there are few more memorable models, like the VW Jetta GLI and Honda Civic Si. Although Honda and VW have dominated the compact sport segment for years, Hyundai is jumping in the sporty compact segment with models, like the Veloster Turbo and the new 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport. The Veloster is Hyundai’s answer to the compact sport hatch, but can the Elantra Sport rival the Civic Si sedan? Here are the five things you need to know about the 2017 Elantra Sport:
1Fun to Drive is baked in
Ok let’s get this out of the way, the Elantra Sport is not as sporty as the Honda Civic Si sedan. Its turbocharged engine is a nice upgrade from the standard Elantra, but it’s still tuned a bit softer and more relaxed than the Civic Si. Once you get past the Civic Si comparison, the Elantra Sport is actually a lot of fun, especially with the available manual transmission. The Elantra Sport also has a multilink rear suspension that is an upgrade over the torsion beam on the regular Elantra models.
Throw the Elantra Sport fast into a curve and it stays nicely planted with little body roll. The manual shifts with its short throw shifter are fast and thanks to its quicker steering ratio, the Elantra Sport will make your daily commute a lot more fun than you’d expect in this segment.
