CARS.COM - Hyundai's new 2017 Elantra Sport model is one good-looking Elantra. With the Sport trim, due later this year, Hyundai has dressed up the pleasant but less distinctive exterior design, and inside there's a taste of the last generation's pizzazz, which was lost in translation for 2017.
Related: 2017 Hyundai Elantra Review
The 2017 Elantra Sport promises to give more credibility to the Sport designation with a significant performance upgrade to the adequate but uninspiring 147-horsepower four-cylinder standard in most 2017 Elantra sedans. By contrast, the 2014-16 Elantra Sport added a few horsepower, but otherwise, it was a mild cosmetic variation with 17-inch wheels.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
The Sport gets a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that will put out 201 hp and 195 pounds-feet of torque and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. If those specs sound familiar, that's because it's the same powertrain offered in turbo versions of the 2016 Veloster three-door coupe. Asked if the new Elantra Sport might poach buyers from the Veloster, there was a hint that changes or upgrades may be coming for that model. "Stay tuned on Veloster," said Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor at the unveiling of the 2017 Elantra Sport during an event in Virginia on July 12. And Hyundai officials here told us not to expect a revival of the Elantra's former coupe.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
How fully this package lives up to the Sport badge will be seen when we get to drive one. And we'll also be looking for any degradation in ride as well as noise - both improved for the 2017 Elantra and a struggle for the last generation - from the bigger wheels and low-profile tires.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
But a chance to go over the car here was enough to see that it comes in a pleasing package. To my eye, it adds as much class as sportiness to the Elantra sedan's look with its new front and rear bumpers and trim, plus an aero side sill. The Sport grille is the best-looking execution in the 2017 Elantra's lineup of its Sonata-like mouth.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
And standard high-intensity-discharge headlights with dynamic bending and LED running lights add a distinctive appearance. At the rear, a sculpted black diffuser includes a cutout for Euro-style dual chrome exhaust tips and the LED taillights have a design unique to the Sport.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
The Sport interior is dressed up with black leather and contrasting red stitching throughout. Your eyes go first to the chunky, flat-bottom steering wheel - leather-wrapped and stitched in red. It feels as good as it looks.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
The red stitching dresses up sport seats that feature slightly more aggressive bolstering and a bit more comfort than the leather seats in the Elantra Limited trim. Alloy trim graces the pedals, including a big dead pedal.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
The Elantra Sport will offer one option package that adds Infinity premium audio, navigation and a sunroof.
While the Sport will have blind spot monitoring, lane change alert and rear cross-traffic alert, notably absent is safety technology available on the Elantra Limited but not offered for the Sport: automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure alert with lane keeping assist.
2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport Cars.com photo by Fred Meier
Pricing was not announced, but Hyundai officials said to expect it to be closer to the Limited top trim than to the lower models. The Limited starts at $23,185, including a destination fee, and tops out at $27,585.
While the Elantra Sport at first look seems unlikely to rival the Volkswagen Golf GTI, a standard in performance compact sedans and a leader versus the Veloster in Cars.com's $30,000 Cheap Speed Challenge, it also is likely to be a value leader for the buyer who wants a bit more driving satisfaction with his or her compact car.
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