Looking to stand out within a sea of five-door crossovers? Why not pivot back towards a time-tested four-door sedan?
Once the darling of automotive showrooms and families across America, the sedan’s luster began fading when front-wheel-drive, uni-body minivans debuted in the mid-1980s. A generation later, uni-body five-door crossovers stole sales thunder from larger, heavier, body-on-frame Sport Utility Vehicles (and minivans) creating a sub-genre of ‘cute-utes’
Sadly, all three U.S. domestic American automakers (General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Stellantis) purged four-door sedans of all sizes from their lineup to open more dedicated assembly line capacity for crossover assembly. Happily, Eurasian automakers continue pumping out sedans; not at the same volume as thirty years ago, but at a steady clip appreciated by those who continue holding a soft spot for these stately choices.
What’s not to like about four doors and a trunk? Designing a sedan offers greater creative license and eye-popping styling possibilities when compared to a boxy crossover; take Hyundai’s compact Elantra sedan as a prime example. One of Hyundai’s top sellers, it’s not only uber style conscious, but provides superior fuel economy, while boasting pricing within grasp of the family budget. Plus, it stands the test of time as the South Korean automaker’s second-longest tenured offering in the United States. It’s welcoming interior discounts the theory that entry-level type sedans must adhere to dime-store type quality.
Elantra debuted back in the 1992 model year. The current 2025 front-wheel drive edition marks a seventh-generation effort and offers a high-performance, turbo-engined Elantra N selection (debuting in 2022). Some earlier generations offered a five-door wagon style, but Elantra returns solely with a sedan body style in Gen Seven.
In the 2021 model year, Elantra debuted a fuel-extending gas-electric hybrid. Traditional gas-electric hybrids (also known as Hybrid Electric Vehicles or HEVs) self-charge, never needing a wall socket; a key difference when stacked against a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) which necessitate a wall socket charge in exchange for a limited electric range of driving (think 30 or so miles) before the hybrid engine technology kicks into action.
The on-board Direct Current battery recharges itself through the self-sustained process of regenerative braking. Each time the foot activates the brake pedal, friction created through kinetic energy gets captured into the DC battery pack for reuse as electricity. No driver input needed as the system regulates itself.
As with most hybrid electric vehicles sold by Hyundai, Elantra qualifies as a ‘full’ hybrid electric vehicle (sometimes designated as FHEV), delivering exceptional fuel economy while adding only about $2,600 to the bottom line compared with the traditional internal combustion engine format.
A Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FHEV) employs a DC battery pack and can operate in pure electric mode for very short distances at low speeds. Less expensive ‘mild’ electric vehicles (MHEV) use a smaller electric motor and battery pack to assist the transmission and engine, but don’t directly power the wheels. Mild hybrids deliver less impressive miles per gallon returns with a lower initial upfront cost.
Not much changes in the 2025 model for the Elantra HEV year save for trim level tweeks as the number grows from two to three.
Elantra’s HEV camp in 2025 includes: Blue, SEL Sport (new for 2025) and Limited. Our ‘Intense Blue’ hued exterior, fully-loaded Limited trim Hybrid started at $29,450. With no stand-alone factory extras or option packages, the bottom line reached a $30,810 after a $1,150 destination charge and $210 for dealer-installed carpeted floor mats. The 2025 Elantra HEV Blue starts at $24,450. Blue and SEL Sport trims also arrive with minimal factory extras, helping speed along the purchasing process.
Limited adds exclusive features including advanced Smart Cruise Control automatically speeding and slowing the vehicle at highway speeds based on the distance of the vehicle ahead, Highway Driving Assist, H-Tex leatherette heated/ventilated trimmed seats (upgraded from premium cloth), secondary turn signal blinkers built into sideview mirrors, premium eight-speaker with subwoofer, forward collision avoidance assist and power sunroof.
The Blue trim extends mileage estimates from already impressive results. For example, our Limited tester delivered 49 miles per gallon in city travel and 52 mpg highway. By contrast a non-hybrid Elantra trim provides 30 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. The Blue hybrid trim ups the ante to 51 and 58 respectively in part through smaller 16-inch tire sizes. Elantra hybrid’s fuel tank volume measures slightly smaller (11) compared to the conventional Elantra’s 12.4-gallon size.
Elantra’s hybrid system combines a naturally-aspirated (non-turbocharged) 1.6-liter, 16-valve, inline four-cylinder engine with a single permanent magnet synchronous motor powered by a 1.32-kilowatt hour lithium-ion polymer, direct-current battery pack producing 240 volts. Total system horsepower reaches 139 which may not read all that impressive but provides ample oomph when traveling the Chicago suburbs or weekend treks to Wisconsin while providing decent low-end torque.
The hybrid’s six-speed Ecoshift dual-clutch automatic transmission differs from what’s found in the conventional Elantra’s as well. A performance-oriented dual clutch transmission blends together the worlds of manual and automatic transmissions, tweaking fuel economy while providing lightning quick gear movement with no interruptions in propulsion power. This parallel gearbox design requires no foot clutch utilized within the manual transmission world while eliminating the heavy torque converter found within conventional automatics. Clutch one handles odd gears (1,3,5) while the second clutch tackles even ones (2,4,6). From a layman’s point of view, it’s a performance upgrade to a conventional automatic and historically associated with premium brands, a big plus for this Elantra hybrid.
On the road, Elantra offers a pleasant ride experience thanks to its subtle multi-link rear suspension. The compact Mazda 3 sedan offers enhanced road-hugging characteristics through corners that budget-minded entry-level shoppers may or may not prioritize.
The low-slung exterior design includes sharply creased body lines and a bit of coupe envy as this four-door sedan borrows visual cues from sharp-looking two-door coupes. The long, 45-degree rear window slant meets up with a stout trunk lid following the same trajectory with an overhang/tucked style end. At night, a long red lightbar travels end to end with T-shaped rip cord like grab strips resting at each end with amber turn signal blinkers waiting for duty below the base of the resting ‘T.’ An exhaust tip remains unexposed from view. Rear C pillars include black inserts visually featuring similar artwork to what’s utilized within the front grille.
In front, the long, slightly raised hood include a pair of curved lines, two emanating from the A pillar and two inside pairs beginning near the windshield all trolling to the front with the inside pair framing the oval Hyundai logo at the end of the hood, not housed within the narrow black grille below with aforementioned cascading angled inserts. The grille’s top edging meats up with narrow, slit-like LED-type daytime running lights that turn amber during turn signal exercises. Below the LED frosted lights reside a pair of rectangular LED projector headlight bulbs.
Elantra sits close to the ground with 5.5-inches of ground clearance. Front buckets remain softly subtle rather than firm. The Limited trim’s driver bucket includes lumbar support which the passenger bucket could benefit. The tall-standing transmission shifter slides with ease when grabbing the T-Top-Type handle moving from park to reverse to neutral to drive. The electronic start/stop push button locates just to the right of the manually-adjusting steering column.
The rectangular, 10.25-inch digital flat instrument panel color screen situates next to a 10.25-inch multi-function (an eight-inch display in Blue trims), high-resolution flat touchscreen with in-dash navigation both of which fade to black when the hybrid engine silences. The instrument panel end includes a half-moon brim on top doubling as a sun shade for information below. Five layouts select from a ‘set-up’ icon within the right-side infotainment home page and include one detailing cube-like artistry highlighting miles per gallon and digital speed instead of traditional orbs. More traditional layouts avail themselves promoting circular orbs.
The bright, sharp, touch screen includes a relatively navigable design with icons/words working together through sensible nesting. The steering wheel’s left side includes secondary volume and radio selection tabs.
Both Type A and C USB ports are available up front when plugging in various Smartphone designs. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interplay come standard as does Bluetooth with wireless audio streaming while Satellite radio comes standard in the upper two trims. Same holds true for a flat, Qi format wireless charging pad located within the center dash.
Three drive model include Eco, Sport and Smart chosen from a brushed aluminum push button near the transmission shifter between front buckets. Each selection gently tweaks the instrument panel color scheme with Sport mode boosting throttle response, stiffer steering inputs and more aggressive transmission shifts.
The hybrid’s spacious 14.2 cubic-foot trunk remains notable on several accounts. It’s closer in volume to a mid-size sedan rather than a compact and the hybrid’s capacity mimics that of the non-hybrid counterpart. In year’s past, hybrid models settled for smaller trunk/cargo capacity than non-hybrids thanks to space dedicated to the large lithium-ion battery pack. Advancements along the way led to smaller, better packaged batteries allowing for traditional trunk space and second-row comfort both of which the 2025 Elantra hybrid carries forward. All three trims include a hands-free trunk release function.
Exclusive to Limited and not offered/available in lower trims, mechanical pull straps within the trunk unlock the 60/40-split second row seat backs, allowing them to fold down upon cushions and extend cargo carrying options into the cabin. All trims include interior goose-neck-style hinging so larger items need a central position to avoid possible scrunching.
Four, narrow, manually-controlled air vents build into a tri-bar brushed aluminum structure flowing from one end of the mid-dash to the other and through the manually-adjustable steering column. Below resides a row of eight buttons interacting with the touch screen above and a single central twist knob controlling on/off/volume. The dual-zone HVAC system below includes two end dials monitoring temperature of two up front zones. Five buttons between monitor fan speed, fan direction and air conditioning. A row below of a half-dozen push buttons handle front/rear defrosting and heated/cooled seats.
Row two offers cozy leg room with the coupe-like roof limiting head space although my 6-foot 1-inch frame could easily tolerate the fashion statement. No more than two adults in row two although three pre-teens could survive nicely if all behaved.
Hyundai generates miles upon miles of positive feedback from its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty coverage, the industries longest and an aspect many potential buyers associate with Hyundai and its two associate brands, Kia and Genesis (combined, these three for the Hyundai Motor Group). It’s a great no-cost perk for buyers.
2025 Hyundai Elantra hybrid
Price as tested: $27,615
Engine: 1.6-liter, inline four-cylinder
Total System Horsepower: 139
Wheelbase: 107.1 inches
Overall Length: 185.4 inches
Overall Height: 55.7 inches
Overall Width: 71.9 inches
Curb weight: 3,069 pounds
Powertrain warranty: 10 years/100,000 miles
Fuel economy: 49 mpg City/52 mpg Highway
Assembly: Ulsan, South Korea
