The ever-popular Hyundai Elantra is the smaller of two four-door sedans offered by the South Korea-based automaker. With nearly all of its trim levels priced at or below the $30,000 mark, the Elantra is pivotal in bringing entry-level (and often younger) buyers to the Hyundai brand, many of whom might otherwise have to settle for a pre-owned vehicle.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Now in its fourth model year since a complete redesign in 2021, the 2024 Hyundai Elantra continues to evolve the angular, swoopy, and sharply chiseled Parametric Dynamics design theme. The 2024 model receives a modest facelift, new wheel designs, color selections, interior enhancements, and upgraded technology. The performance-oriented Elantra N also gets numerous ride and handling enhancements.
Pricing for the 2024 Hyundai Elantra lineup, including the two hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) trims, is as follows (prices include the $1,150 destination charge):
The base Elantra SE has a 147-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), 15-inch alloy wheels, manually adjustable cloth seats, a 4.2-inch driver information display, an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo, and manual air conditioning.
The Elantra SEL brings 16-inch alloys, a 10.25-inch driver information display, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone automatic climate control, and Bluelink+ connected services capability.
The Elantra Limited upgrades to 17-inch alloys, a power sunroof, H-Tex faux-leather seat coverings, heated front seats, a power driver seat, Bose eight-speaker premium audio, dynamic voice recognition, a wireless device charger, and second-generation digital key.
The Elantra Blue HEV has a 139-hp gas-electric hybrid system, a six-speed automatic transmission, 16-inch alloys, heated front seats, cloth seat coverings, and 10.25-inch driver and infotainment screens.
The Limited HEV upgrades to 17-inch alloys, a sunroof, H-Tex faux leather seat coverings, and heated and ventilated power front seats.
The sporty N Line features a 201-hp, turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, dual exhaust, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), larger front brakes, and paddle shifters.
The top-spec Elantra N sports a 276-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, large-bore exhaust, choice of a 6-speed manual or 10-speed DCT, larger front and rear brakes, quicker-ratio steering, and electronic sport suspension.
Previously, JD Power reviewed the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N Line, the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N, and the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid. This review focuses on the Elantra's updates for 2024 and how they potentially impact its overall consumer appeal.
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes a 2024 Hyundai Elantra Limited equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $28,425, including the $1,150 destination charge to ship the sedan from the Ulsan, South Korea, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Ron Sessions
For 2024, the Elantra gets refreshed styling. It starts with a sleeker, more streamlined front fascia that Hyundai says gives the Elantra a shark-nosed presence. A new, full-width metallic-look visor connects the thin, slit-like LED running lamps, and a horizontally themed grille and lower front fascia connote a wider stance.
The wide-body look continues at the rear with a full-width LED light-bar taillamp treatment accented by a new ground-effects-look lower rear fascia and diffuser. New front fenders accentuate the low, wide look that gives off a midsize sedan vibe. The 2024 Elantra also gets new 15-, 16-, 17-, and 18-inch alloy wheel designs. New exterior colors include Amazon Gray, Exotic Green, Ultimate Red (as on the test car for this review), and Ecotronic Gray.
More premium-looking soft-touch surfaces grace the interior door trim panels and dashboard upper pad in the roomy cabin. Leather seating surfaces used in previous model years in the Limited and Limited Hybrid shift to lower-cost but creamy-soft and convincing-looking H-Tex faux-leather coverings. Rear-seat passengers riding in the Limited test car thought Hyundai had upgraded to extra-soft aniline leather for the Limited trim of its lowest-priced sedan.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The 2024 Hyundai Elantra adds a standard rear seat-belt reminder system on all trims. The reminder was helpful during a recent drive in a new Elantra as one rear-seat passenger kept "forgetting" to buckle up.
Also new for all 2024 Elantras are standard rear-seat side airbags. Checking the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) scores, there are no changes in the side-impact rating from 2023 to 2024. However, having the rear-seat airbags may contribute to a coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick designation, which the Elantra has secured for the 2024 calendar year.
Hyundai will replace two of the Elantra's more advanced safety features—active blind-spot warning and active rear-cross traffic warning—with a more straightforward system in 2024. The previous systems would provide counter-steering torque if the driver ignored the blind-spot system's visual and audible alerts and emergency braking if the driver didn't heed the warnings of the rear cross-traffic warning system's protestations.
The new systems add steering-wheel vibrations to the visual and audible alerts via a new haptic feature. The haptic steering wheel in the 2024 Elantra also buzzes if the car drifts over lane markings or if the driver fails to signal when changing lanes as part of the existing lane-keeping assistance system. Steering-wheel haptic feedback is another way of getting the driver's attention to an impending issue, as well as warning chimes and visual alerts.
While I'd prefer the active intervention of the brakes for rear cross traffic, the haptic steering-wheel vibrations are pretty effective. The haptic steering wheel works better for the blind-spot warning system than the tiny yellow vehicle icon in the side mirror that can get washed out in bright desert sunlight or the warning chimes that can get drowned out with noisy cabin background din or a stereo turned up for effect.
The 2024 Elantra Limited and higher trims get an improved wireless device charging pad with a guardrail to ensure you dock the phone correctly so it’s not moving around on a bumpy road.
For the 2024 model year, the Elantra adds a USB-C charge port to the existing USB-A data/charge port above the front console. All but the base SE trim also get a pair of USB-C charge ports for rear passengers at the rear of the front console.
Digital Key 2, which can turn your smartphone into a remote key, works with both Apple and Android phones. Hyundai now includes it with Limited and higher trims. The previous digital key only functioned with Android phones.
Most of the vehicle content updates for the 2024 Elantra N revolve around improved steering feel and response. These include stiffer bushings, a reinforced steering box yoke, reduced steering universal joint friction for enhanced precision, and updated electric power steering software.
Other improvements involve changing hardware and software to improve the response and precision of the Elantra N's ECS variable body damping control.
Recommended tire pressures also increase to optimize the front axle load while retaining balanced front/rear ride and handling.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Sharply styled and well-equipped, the refreshed 2024 Hyundai Elantra is a small sedan offering an impressive array of comfort and technology at a surprisingly affordable price. Especially in Limited trim, the compact Elantra surprises and delights with style and features more akin to midsize sedans.
Notable compact-sedan competitors include the Honda Civic, Kia Forte/K4, Mazda Mazda3, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than four decades of experience. In addition to his contributions to jdpower.com, he has penned hundreds of road tests and buyer's guide reviews for Road & Track, MotorTrend, Car and Driver, and AutoTrader.
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