My coworker has a Hyundai Elantra, she is on her third motor, and has been left stranded on the side of the highway two times with engine failures. It has been all under warranty but give me a break.

While the Volkswagen has a higher advertised power level the Si real world power level is almost identical to it, I guess it comes down to whether or not you want a VW or a Honda. It has some nice creature comforts and some of their brake packages look cool. I see them as very different manufacturers and I never desired to have VW products in the past. I respect them for what they are and certainly the Golf R is an amazing car, but I have been a loyal Honda customer for years and I have not seen the need to look elsewhere at this time. I do own some Subarus in addition to my Hondas, and quite happy with both manufacturers.

 

Reliability is a big part of why I picked an Si as well, even though I've wanted a GTI for years. I also wonder if the Elantra N is as usable day to day. I saw a video were there's some sort of chassis strut visible in the trunk (painted red because as we all know red means PERFORMANCE). So the first time you want to carry something larger than normal in the trunk, you have to deal with that.

 

Reliability is a big part of why I picked an Si as well, even though I've wanted a GTI for years.

Same here, and the no physical button dash nailed the coffin for me.

 

Being a Honda fanboy and driving 2 Honda Civics up until now, the SI could've been rated dead last and I would've still taken it. 😅

 

I would never trust a publication that ranks ANY Hyundai above a Honda ... that's like saying a chrome book painted easter egg blue with a mechanical keyboard is better than the lowest tier Alienware laptop

 

Total Honda fangirl here...have 3 CRXs, an EP3, and '22 Si. With that I will say my parents had good luck with their 2 (2008 and 2015) Hyundai Azeras, notwithstanding the plastic pieces that seem to be an inevitable fail of Hyundai. (Dad just bought the overpriced but gadgety Genesis GV70 so we'll see how that holds up.)
A couple of weeks ago I noticed this badged up N line Sonata getting on the highway alongside me. N center caps and a side badge. We weren't racing by any means but I definitely wondered how he kept pace and then proceeded to zip by me at 90+. I had to Google how much hp the N line Sonata made just to see why/how he seemed to have more pep than me (290 hp). Both N lines have more hp than our '22s...I guess the Sonata is closer to the Type R in hp...though still less.

 

Mostly fair review, but car magazines will always prefer the more "exciting" car (ie, more HP) over the one that is a more practical. The Elantra N is a cool car, but that review kinda skips over the fact that it is $5000 more expensive than the Civic. $5000 is a LOT of money in the $30k segment.

The Civic's 31mpg combined vs the Elantra's 25mpg is a big deal as well, especially when premium is $5.50/gal. Add on depreciation disadvantage for the Hyundai and you're really going to spend a lot more money over 5 years of ownership than with the Honda. This stuff doesn't matter much to a car magazine, but it definitely matters to me. I'd like to retire before I'm 80!

Out of the three, the GLI seems like the only dud.

 

$5000 is a LOT of money in the $30k segment.

Totally, especially because for that money you're even closer to GTI territory (base is like $29 and change, right?) which seems like a more natural comparison in terms of horsepower than the Si. Obviously they were doing a sedan feature so I get it, but would be interested to see a shoot out between the N and the GTI in the future. Do I wish the Si had a little more hp? Yeah, sure. But I agree that it's the best balance of practical/sporty in the mix.

 

I don't think the Elantra looks good, exterior wise. Not a deal breaker though.

The deal breaker to me is that it would be thousands more up front, probably over a hundred dollars more a month in gas (for my commute), and may or may not cost more in terms of reliability. I "downgraded" from an LT1 Camaro for a cheaper and more comfortable commute. The elantra priced me out of considering it. Simple as that.

 

I don't agree with the comparison. They should have brought in the Elantra N-line instead. That would keep engine displacement, price, performance features, and other aspects at more competitive levels. The Elantra N is more comparable to the CTR, at least with respect to engine displacement and performance features.

 

My opinion is that the Civic Si is the best looking car in the bunch that was compared. The Hyundai looks plain ugly, period.

 

Yeah the N-Line is a super close comp. Huge miss on that from C&D. No wonder the N won!

 

For us who keep our cars for a long time - after 5 years, which one of these do you think you'd most likely still want to own? Yes, 2 of them have rather long warranties, but for a reason.
I did want a Jetta GLI for a while to answer the question that the OP asked, and the Elantra N got me to at least read up about it - but as of now, they are off my list. The 4 that are still on my list are Integra, 330e, IS 300 AWD, and Civic SI.
I'm coming from a V6 Accord, so I'm concerned that the Integra and Civic SI are not going to be quick enough. I know I'd love the 330e, but in 5 years I'd be kicking myself. The IS 300's with AWD have the V6 that I've grown to love, however, they are expensive enough as it is, and are marked up 3K over MSRP minimum. I've never tuned a car before, but I'm thinking that hondata or ktuner would make me love the Civic SI or Integra. I'm very hesitant to tune a car though.

 

having looked at the Elantra N more closely I have to say it has a ton of features, and the seats are really nice, the powertrain works really well. It is really fast for the power level it has, and handles really well too. I don't care for the looks of it but it is a really good performer. I am really happy with my Si for the price, I doubt I would ever own a Hyundai, but I do respect the performance of it.

 

I wouldn't care for a Hyundai Kia if it was free. They're all throw aways really. They haven't really had success in the sense of longevity and abuse. You can beat a Honda and Toyota to hell and it's more than likely been proven it's gonna last. Between Honda and Toyota they have some of the most iconic reliable engines and cars probably combined than the rest of the world brands combined. Hyundai/Kia......throw away. They try to do innovative but lack the ability to maintain positivity in longevity. Who remembers the equus? Anyone? How about the Genesis coupes? Anyone? Veloster? Those were supposed to be end all be alls to the competition,but they ended themselves really. Tiburon...... anyone? You see they basically are flashy knock offs that offer people what they think is luxury for a semi reasonable price.....well used to be now they're just greedy because we all know by now the Elantra sonata Genesis whatever else they make is gonna be cheap and falling apart left and right in only a couple years time. No Honda or Toyota are untouchable and do have their faults ,but they have time and time again shown consistency and lasting quality. Yeah there's sad stories of someone's perfectly good or new car crapping out. But truth be told you sometimes need those ruffles to be able to iron out a solid product. Everyone loves to hate on the civic or accord but yet.....they're the ones still kicking 30-40 years later. I highly doubt anyone is gonna take a 2022 Elantra n in the year 2050 and soup it up to be fast........yet we've all seen ancient hatchbacks demolish new cars like they were standing still both Hondas and Toyotas. Hyundai/Kia.......not so much . Who still rocking a 1991 Hyundai hatchback.....I'll wait