Hyundai Elantra - Top alternatives

Hyundai Elantra has acquired a safe spot in the mid-size sedan category in the Philippines thanks to its seamless and attractive Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design. It has been in the market for a long time and its presence even today is more than enough to say about its quality, performance, and reliability.

Currently, the Hyundai Elantra specs include two engine options - 1.6-litre engine with 127.5 PS of max power and 153 Nm of peak torque and a more powerful 2.0-litre engine with 152 PS of max power and 192 Nm of peak torque. For the transmission, there is a 6-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual to pick from.

Both the engines are very refined, there’s hardly any noise inside the cabin. Talking about the cabin, the Elantra has features like well-cushioned seats, rear AC vents, etc. to enhance comfort, however, space for the rear passengers isn’t the best in class.

For a starting price of Php 970,000, the Hyundai Elantra seems to be a valuable proposition until you bring its rivals into the picture. Yes, the Elantra is a good car but it isn’t perfect.

Here are two of Hyundai Elantra's top alternatives:

#1 Honda City

Hyundai and Honda’s rivalry is a never-ending battle. And perhaps it is because of this aggressive competitiveness that gives us (the consumers) more value-for-money products. Honda City is one of the most popular cars in its segment all over the globe. Its design might not be as seamless or ‘fluidic’ as that of the Elantra but in no terms, it is any less attractive. The City features Honda’s signature front grille and large headlamps. It gets deep character lines on its sides and a sport rear end.

Unlike the Elantra, the City provides better space for its rear passengers. Even the seats are quite comfortable. However, it is the rear suspension that spoils the mood. If you encounter a bad patch of road, then the rear passengers are going to feel all the bumps.

Honda City specs include a 1.5-litre engine which churns out 120 PS of max power and 145 Nm of peak torque. The base model gets a 5-speed manual gearbox whereas the other variants come with a CVT. In terms of safety, the City gets ABS with EBD, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and numerous airbags.

Honda City price starts at Php 828,000 for the base model and goes as high as Php 1.07 million for the range-topping model.

#2 Toyota Vios

Another Japanese brand that has taken the mid-size sedan segment by storm is Toyota. It took its sweet time to bring the all-new Vios in the country but when it did get launched it blew away its competition with its number of variants, price, and features. If not the lower-end variants of the Vios, the higher-end ones would prove to be good alternatives to the Hyundai Elantra. They are powered by a 1.5-litre engine which produces 108 PS of max power and a peak torque of 140 Nm. Both manual and CVT transmission units are available. In terms of design, the Vios is more than capable of turning heads. Its highlighting features include large headlamps and tail lamps, sporty bumpers, big-car-like presence, etc.

The inside of the Vios provides a good experience as well. You won’t find yourself to be in the most luxurious space but by no means, things feel cheap here. Also, the amount of space inside the cabin is impressive. There’s even a large 7-in touch screen display for carrying out various functions.

The main area where Toyota Vios specs beat the other cars in its segment is safety. Toyota did not compromise a bit in this department and provided a plethora of safety features. The Vios gets seven airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, seat belt pre-tensioners with force limiters, Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill-start Assist Control, Front Digital Video Recorder and front and rear parking sensors. And everything is standard across the board.

Toyota Vios price starts at Php 831,000 for its 1.3-litre base model. Its top-end 1.5 G Prime CVT model is for Php 1.1 million which is not much expensive than the top-end variant of Hyundai Elantra.

So there you have it guys, Honda City and Toyota Vios are the top two alternatives of the Hyundai Elantra. Do let us know which of these three is your favourite and if you have a better alternative in mind, don’t forget to drop its name in the comments.

Also Read:- Hyundai Elantra: The good & the bad