The least costly Elantra, the Go, comes with cloth-covered seats, 7.0-inch touchscreen, manually controlled air-conditioning, 15-inch steel wheels, six-speaker audio, the 2.0-litre petrol engine, a manual gearbox, and the features in any i30.
You can spend about $2000 for an auto gearbox, in which case you get a conventional auto with its around-town friendliness. You can also get auto-folding powered mirrors as an extra-cost option.
Spend more on the Active and you gain a bigger 8.0-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation that doesn’t depend on your phone, eight-speaker premium audio system, digital radio, leather-appointed steering wheel and gear knob, the auto-folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors, and 16-inch alloy wheels that look nicer than steel wheels and don’t need plastic trim.
The Go automatic and Active are also available with Hyundai’s SmartSense active safety package as an extra-cost option. Priced around $1700, it adds
adaptive cruise control,
autonomous emergency braking that works at city and highway speeds, Lane-keeping assist, a driver-attention alert, blind-spot detection, and a rear cross-traffic alert. (For more on these systems, please open the Safety section below.)
Spend more for an Elantra Sport and you get SmartSense as part of the price along with the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, and a more sophisticated
multi-link rear suspension design that improves handling.
You also get dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning (which will maintain different temperatures for the driver and front passenger), rear air vents, bigger 18-inch alloy wheels with lower-profile Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, LED daytime running lights, extremely bright
bi-xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and seats trimmed in a mix of real and fake leather.
The Sport also gets push-button start, and smart keyless entry that lets you unlock the car (and drive away) while the key remains in your pocket or bag. Leave the key there and stand near the boot for three seconds, and the boot lid will open – a helpful feature if you have your arms full of shopping or luggage.
A range of aesthetic touches inside and out supply a sportier look and feel, and the dual-clutch automatic version also has
paddle shifters on the steering wheel for when you want a more manual-like driving engagement.
Spending more again for a Sport Premium brings you heated front seats, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, height-adjustable front passenger seat, wireless phone charging pad, front parking sensors, sunroof, and auto-dimming rearview mirror.