Jil McIntosh: SUVs rule the market these days, but there’s still a place for compact sedans, and we’re pitting two popular ones against each other. In this case, it’s the 2024 Honda Civic in its top Touring trim; and the 2024 Hyundai Elantra in its Preferred Tech trim, which sits in the middle of its trim lineup. They’re virtually the same for exterior size, legroom, and cargo capacity, but as-tested – because we have to go with the trims available to us – the Civic carries a more powerful engine. There’s also the matter of price. Jonathan, where do these two differ the most?
Jonathan Yarkony: The trim differences not only mean we are driving a Civic with a more powerful engine, but also an upgraded suspension and a long list of features, so it felt like I was being upgraded into an entirely different segment when I switched into the Civic. That being said, I think each car here does a great job of representing its lineup, which we can look at in detail, but what I found most surprising was the price range for each lineup.
The Hyundai Elantra starts from an economical $21,999, you can get a Luxury trim with the base engine at $27,999, a Hybrid for $30,499, or the upgraded N Line engine and trim top out at $31,099 plus $1,775 destination fee. The 2024 Honda Civic only starts at $26,790 and the engine upgrade arrives with the top Touring trim at $34,500 plus $1,830 destination fee. That’s a significant gap in lineup pricing, and the Elantra Preferred Tech we have here lands at a thrifty $25,999, but is it good enough at that price point to win this comparison? Seeing as these cars are at the bottom of the Canadian automotive price pool, we’ll put an emphasis on value, quality, and driving impressions to crown our comparison winner.
JM: Exactly — we’re looking at each one for what it is and how it stacks up for those. The Honda Civic begins with a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque, but we’re in the Touring and that gets a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder that churns out 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Both engines come with an automatic continuously variable transmission, or CVT. Most of the Elantra’s trims, including ours, use a 2.0L four-cylinder making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, and also with a CVT. If we’d moved up to the N Line, it would be a turbocharged 1.6L making 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The Civic we’re testing here is more fun to drive than the Elantra we’re in, because it does have that extra acceleration and it handles very well. But we also know that not every buyer is looking strictly at power; many just want a commuter car that can keep up with traffic and provides a comfortable ride. Jonathan, what’s your impression of how these two cars manage this?
JY: For me it was a case of good and better. I picked up the Elantra to start off our comparison, and I was immediately impressed by its comfort and ease of driving. The CVT shifter is a traditional P-R-N-D-L console shifter, the engine and transmission are silky smooth at modest speeds, this mid-trim Hyundai Elantra Preferred Tech equipped with 17-inch tires felt softly sprung and comfortable, and its compact dimensions and decent visibility meant it was easy to maneuver and park. If there was one criticism it was that under hard acceleration and at highway speeds it was a bit loud.
Switching into the Honda Civic felt like moving up into an entirely different class, not just a few trims. Yes, the price difference was actually enough that it is creeping into premium compact territory compared to the Hyundai (the 2023 Acura Integra started at $34,350). Despite a smaller engine size, turbocharging gives it a big power advantage, and its torque meant it felt more powerful off the line so it delivers on that side of the premium experience. The Civic’s 18-inch wheels and multilink rear suspension and rear stabilizer bar (Elantra N line also gets upgraded to a setup like this) gave it a sportier feel without feeling too stiff or clunky – it was actually quite fun to drive, and gave me the urge to push it a little in corners. The Civic also had more passing power on the highway, and better sound insulation so it was the more pleasant ride for long drives.
JM: The cabins in both seemed in line with their respective prices, as far as materials go. There were little things I noticed: for example, the air vents in the Honda are hidden behind a very attractive honeycomb panel, and they’re adjusted with joysticks that are very easy to use. However, I would have liked the Honda’s power seat to go a little higher, for those of us who are vertically-challenged, as I like to say. The Elantra came with a manually-adjusted seat – Jonathan prefers that, while I like power adjustment, and what does he know – but I was still able to find a good driving position. I noted that the Hyundai’s door handles are a bit awkward to use due to their position, and the exterior mirrors seem too small. But both the Honda and Hyundai have easy-to-use controls overall, including buttons and dials for the climate settings, simple icons in the infotainment screen, and conventional gearshift levers.
Sitting at the top of the lineup, the Honda Touring came well equipped as expected, including blind-spot monitoring, power sunroof, wireless charger, and embedded navigation, adaptive cruise control, and rain-sensing wipers. But even though we had a difference of $8,500 between them, the Elantra wasn’t far behind, sharing almost everything on that list save for non-adaptive cruise and turn-em-on-yourself wipers. Both also included a heated steering wheel, heated front seats (the Honda warms the rear ones as well) automatic high-beam headlamps, and other driver-assist technologies such as emergency front braking and lane-keep assist. Both have spacious trunks, with volume within a couple of litres of each other, but while the Civic’s rear seats fold 60/40 in all trims, the three lower Elantra trims, including our Preferred Tech, only have a one-piece fold-down rear seat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that on much else other than on an entry-trim economy car, and I was surprised to see it here. With the split-folding seat, you can carry longer items on one side and stow a rear-seat passenger on the other side, or maybe even two if they’re really friendly.
JY: Both of these cars will at least be friendly on your wallet no matter the trim. The base Hyundai Elantra has modest7.3 L/100 kilometres consumption rating in city driving, 5.7 on the highway, and 6.5 L/100 km in Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) combined cycle. The Preferred Tech model with its larger wheels goes up a nudge to 7.6/5.9/6.8 L/100 km in its city/highway/combined ratings, and the sportier N Line trim takes a bigger jump to 8.4 / 6.6 / 7.6 L/100 km. The Honda Civic lineup starts with 7.7/6.0/6.9 L/100 km estimates for city, highway, and combined driving, and there is virtually no penalty in the official ratings for stepping up into the more powerful 1.5L turbo, its NRCan estimates landing at 7.6/6.1/6.9 L/100 km. Out in the real world both of these compact cars were right around the 7.0 L/100 km mark, so in terms of fuel efficiency, there’s little advantage gained either way.
Compare specs of Civic Touring vs Elantra N Line
By far the biggest advantage in this comparison was the Civic’s top-of-the line trim, and there is no question the 2024 Honda Civic Touring is a superior car on the road compared to this 2024 Hyundai Elantra Preferred Tech, with more power, more features, and a better overall driving experience, but dollar-for-dollar is it a better value for the money? If the price gap wasn’t so wide between these models it would have made for some more debate, but this Civic wouldn’t make me want to pay $8,500 more, and the Hyundai Elantra is good enough on all fronts that it would be a satisfying daily driver that would serve all manner of owners’ needs. If you are looking for a little more content and some upgrades, the Elantra’s N Line trim seems to match the Civic Touring almost feature for feature while still undercutting the Honda’s price by $3,000.
JM: I have to agree. I liked the Civic for its power and handling and its fancier interior; I liked the Hyundai for its smooth performance; and both are roomy, comfortable, and offer similar trunk space. But on value for price, the Hyundai shares several of the Honda’s features, has a longer comprehensive warranty, and has a considerably lower price tag — and, as you noted, you can upgrade to an Elantra that’s even closer to the Civic and is still less expensive. They’re both good vehicles and shoppers should test-drive them both, but we have to pick a winner, and the 2024 Hyundai Elantra it is.
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