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2018 Elantra GT

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2018 Elantra GT

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2018 Elantra GT

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2018 Elantra GT

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2018 Elantra GT

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2018 Elantra GT

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This year, Hyundai has come up with their own version of what is quickly becoming a popular new segment of vehicles. We, of course, are referring the segment known as a “Hot Hatch.” Volkswagen has always been somewhat of the rogue leader in this department with the Golf GTI, which is a very affordable way to get to over 200 horsepower in a hatchback.

Inject a touch of sport through a tuned suspension and a desirable shape, and the fun-to-drive needle goes off the chart. As the popularity of this segment increases, the competition is going to be intense with names that have defined it. Along with the Golf GTI, there are others who are making a splash like the Honda Civic Si and the Mini Cooper-John Cooper Works.

Last year, Kia jumped into the mix with their own over 200-horsepower version of the Forte hatchback. We have driven them all and have always come out on the other side of the week very impressed, and, of course, with smiles on our faces. Power, handling and quick acceleration tend to do that to us all and that is really what these new hatchbacks are all about.

There are those that want them to make additions and enhancements and eventually turn them into a sort of street racers. After that, there are just the normal folks like us wanting to have a really fun everyday driver that will hold more cargo, a couple of kids and still keep us entertained at every turn and exhilarating opportunity.

Now Hyundai is in the market with an all-new version of the Elantra GT that, with the addition of the Sport name, now comes with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that produces 201 horsepower along with 195 ft.-lbs. of torque. It spins up quickly, hitting the power band at just 1500 rpm, giving the Sport more spirit that we would have ever thought possible.

Last fall, when we had our first chance with a brand new Elantra GT Sport during the Rocky Mountain Driving Experience in Estes Park, Colorado, it turned out to be one of the last vehicles we had a chance to drive. At the time, our thinking was what fun could an Elantra possibly have to offer? However, after a trip through the route in the mountains of Colorado, we were thoroughly impressed.

That experience alone got us very excited when the Sport tuned up on our list of vehicles to have a week with. The Hyundai turned out to be a very capable everyday driver, with way more room in the rear than it looked to have from our first experience.

In fact, the 25 cubic feet in the rear puts the Elantra towards the top of the class. With the Sport being slightly longer and taller than the Golf, it is roomier. From the looks on the outside, we would never have guessed that it would have a larger space inside than the Golf.

The Sport comes in both a manual and automatic transmission configuration. Ours was a manual and we would recommend that choice, as moving through the gears adds more excitement to the drive and will shave over a second off the 0-60 time. The Sport comes in at 6.6 seconds to make the sprint. It is somewhat slower that its completion in the VW that also has an extra 19 horsepower and marches to 60 in 5.9 seconds.

However, on the price side, the Hyundai is going to win the battle, coming in just over $24,000. During our last outing with a 2016 Golf GTI, the price tag was almost $7,000 more, so those extra ponies and tenths of a second are costly. The decision is now much harder in this segment.

Inside the Sport were splashes of red metal accents in the dash that matched the red stitching in the seats and on other surfaces that added up to a very rich look. The designers have added an 8-inch touchscreen that projects up from the center dashboard — again giving the sport a more luxurious look.

Standard on the Sport were blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection that even produced an arrow for the direction of travel of the object that had been detected that would cross the rear path. We had not seen this arrow before, but found it very handy to know where trouble was coming from. Sometimes with rear cross-path detection, we find ourselves looking everywhere to try and find the cause of the alarm!

Adaptive cruise control can be had with the inclusion of an automatic transmission, something we do enjoy, but couldn’t quite come to recommend changing from the manual in this case. We were a little disappointed in the mpg numbers for our week as we averaged just 27, we would have thought we might hit in the low 30s, but even the EPA estimate is not that high.

Standard also was a dual climate control, LED headlights and taillights, 18-inch wheels, a proximity key and push-button start. The Hyundai also had a feature that would not release the electronic parking brake until we had our seatbelts buckled and doors shut. At first it was a little annoying, but we came to enjoy the extra level of safety that came with it.

We found the controls for the Hyundai to be very well laid out, easy to understand and also to use. The steering wheel contained pretty much everything the driver would need to communicate and use for driving. The placement of the 8-inch touchscreen projecting up from the dash gave the hatchback a more Mercedes-like feel and was within easy reach of the driver or passenger.

We thoroughly enjoyed driving the smaller hatchback and its very energetic motor. We found ourselves continually pushing through curves and maybe accelerating just a little too fast from the occasional stop light, just because we could and it was fun to do.

This new addition to the Hyundai family may not quite be up to the hottest of “Hot Hatch” standards, but for the money, it gives the driver just as much of an exhilarating drive as we have had in others of the same segment.

Don’t discount the Elantra GT Sport from this category, and if an everyday driver that has some extra mojo in it appeals to you, be sure and see one at Murdock Hyundai at 452 S. Lindon Park Drive, Lindon (866) 623-1120.

Base Price: $23,250

Price as Driven: $24,260