The Compact Car is Alive and Well: A Review of the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited

There are a few truths any parent comes to understand: good sleep is too often a precious pastime. Household messes become a part of life. Your child’s schedule becomes your schedule. That last truth can be a difficult one because the routine can easily become mundane. The upside: parents gain a new appreciation for the transformation of something mundane into something truly exciting, especially when that transformation affects them. Take a car for instance, or more specifically, a compact sedan: it would seem frictionless and cost-effective to churn out a simplistic compact sedan that checks all the boxes. Creating one that people actually want to drive is breaking the mundane mold.

Hyundai is up to the task, and their answer to mediocre compact car design is the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited. It’s small, but not too small. It’s affordable but not “cheap.” It’s ambitious but not obnoxious. And for any Dad Driver looking for a smaller vehicle to fit their lifestyle, the Elantra surprisingly offers more than meets the eye. The Limited trim level is anything but “limited” and offers what perhaps is the best “flavor” of the Elantra. In the era when SUVs and crossovers are kings, a well-rounded compact car might just be what your family needs.

What This Dad Digs About the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited

Handsome over Sexy – Handsome over sexiness can be a key difference. Sure, the 2023 Elantra Limited has its sexier elements but more than anything, it’s handsome. It manages to walk that fine line between being eye-catching and being an eye-sore. Take the exterior, for example, specific design lines throughout the body add a modern twist to the traditional compact car structure without sacrificing aerodynamics or appeal. The Elantra still looks like a compact car, only it’s edgier and beautifully angular with a distinctly futuristic look. The front end is a bit stubby for my taste, but the gorgeous grill that spans most of the front end makes up for it. Hyundai consistently succeeds at making a statement with their vehicle designs, and that is evident in the 2023 Elantra.

Playful Interior – Own a car, and it’s a fact that you’re going to spend most of your time on the inside of it rather than on the outside, admiring it. That means enjoying the modern amenities, and, hopefully, a comfortable drive is key. With the Limited trim, Hyundai certainly aims to make the most of your seat time as both a driver and a passenger. Not only is the interior spacious and comfortable, but this trim level comes with some genuinely nice additions that add subtle luxury-esque touches. Up front and center is the 10.25-inch touchscreen, complete with an easy-to-use operating system that works with both Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The screen itself juts out from the right side of the digital cluster, almost like an extension of that screen, and it creates a nice flow across the dash.

Everywhere you look, the Elantra’s interior design seems to exude a playfully sophisticated attitude. There is a clean and modern feel to the angles and the materials used within the cabin, but the design isn’t pretentious or boring. From the funky steering wheel design to the nerdy, gas tube option for the radio tuner, surprises await those Dad Drivers who take the time to admire their surroundings.

Fantastic Fuel Economy – One of the best reasons to own a compact car has to be those numbers at the pump. It’s no surprise that the Elantra Limited is one of the most fuel-efficient compact cars on the market, with up to 37 miles per gallon in the city and 42 miles per gallon on the highway. It’s difficult to ignore that kind of fuel economy, especially if you’re like me and rack up miles each day getting the kids to school and back home.

Small Car, Big Safety Features – Don’t let its smaller size fool you: the Hyundai Elantra has plenty of safety features, including forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring. The rear camera is capable of producing a surprisingly bright and crisp view on the infotainment screen, and I found that rear cross-traffic alert worked extremely well. The icing on the cake is that these top-notch safety features come standard on the Limited edition, an incredible deal considering the price point.

A Pinpoint Drive – However odd it may feel to sit so low to the ground, driving the 2023 Elantra Limited is a pleasure and offers some surprisingly exciting experiences. Handling is pleasantly pinpoint, particularly on winding, curvy roads. Add to that the grip of the tires on the road, and you’re in for a treat around tight corners and on well-paved roads. Even on less-than-ideal roads, I was rarely shaken by bumps or the small occasional pothole. Considering its lighter weight, the Elantra feels sturdy and confidently tackled all the various driving situations I threw at it. I had a blast weaving in and out of rush-hour traffic while still appreciating the quiet cabin.

The engine, on the other hand, left a little bit to be desired. More on that below.

What Gets This Dad’s Downvote

Engine Omphf – The only engine available for the Elantra Limited is a 2.0-Liter four-cylinder paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission that generates 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. While it doesn’t sound all that impressive on paper, it actually performs well for the lightweight Elantra. The only problem is, it doesn’t feel like enough. In fact, as snazzy as the Elantra is in looks and design, as a driver, I wanted more out of the engine. The Elantra looks like it wants to rocket off, but acceleration is anything but fast. I hit 0 to 60 in about 9 seconds, and while I tend to drive conservatively, that is still a long way from the Elantra’s competition.

Remember when I said, I enjoyed weaving in and out of traffic? I was only able to do that at higher speeds. The Elantra, with this engine configuration, felt a bit sluggish in the lower gears and not immediately quite as nimble. This is a shame because Hyundai has done much more with this vehicle’s base structure, namely the agile Elantra N. These engine gripes aren’t a deal breaker, and the Elantra Limited’s handling made up for the lack of omphf, but it’s still difficult to not want just a smidgen more power.

The Perfect Car for your Teen Driver?

Both my daughters are FAR off from driving age, but as I spent time with the Elantra, I couldn’t help returning to the thought that this vehicle would make a perfect car for a teenager learning to drive. Its modern styling gives it an edgy quality that a hip kid wouldn’t cringe at. It’s spacious enough for a shopping trip to the mall with friends. Fuel economy is great, and the engine configuration, at least in the Limited trim, won’t allow a teenager’s exuberance to equal fast and furious driving. Not to mention all the safety features should keep parents’ anxiety at ease.

And the kicker: the base price for the 2023 Elantra Limited starts at $26,800, a value that becomes even more clear if you consider the safety features that come standard. You can add onto this base model to ratchet up the “kick-ass” factor – like a panoramic roof and a heads-up display – but if value and reliability are all you need, the Elantra Limited already has that “equipped.” If nothing else, the 2023 Elantra is a nice reminder that the compact sedan isn’t dead, and in fact, if Hyundai has anything to say about it, it’s still a viable way for any Dad Driver – or their kids – to get around.