Compact cars are excellent starter cars or for those looking to downsize from a larger car. They offer a great blend of passenger and cargo space and are easy to drive and park. The 2024 Honda Civic and the 2024 Hyundai Elantra are two worthwhile choices.
Let’s have a Civic vs. Elantra contest to help you pick the most suitable compact car this year. We’ll check out each model’s interior aspects, safety systems, and performance offerings. Keep reading to find out why the 2024 Civic is Car and Driver’s #1 Best Compact Car. Or, contact the team at Hendrick Honda Charlotte.
The 2024 Honda Civic is available as a hatchback or a sedan, while the 2024 Hyundai Elantra is only in sedan form. The 2024 Civic has up to 96 cubic feet of interior volume regardless of body style. This is slightly less than the 2024 Hyundai Elantra, but the 2024 Civic counters with luxury features for higher trim levels. These include a one-touch power-operated moonroof to enhance the cabin’s ambiance. Then, you can avail yourself of power-adjustable and heated front seats. Dual-zone climate control is also included on higher trims. 2024 Elantra buyers can choose some of these features for higher trims, too.
While both cars offer excellent in-cabin storage spaces, the 2024 Civic is better. Every trim has a roomy glovebox and a center console with a sliding armrest compartment. The front and rear doors also contain spacious door bins. Front cupholders are standard, while higher trims add rear cupholders. Also included for higher trims are an automatic-dimming rear-view mirror, illuminated vanity mirrors in the front sun visors, and HomeLink® remote capabilities.
The 2024 Civic and the 2024 Elantra offer fantastic smartphone connectivity. They’ve both got Bluetooth® for basic phone integration. All trims also have Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. Both cars offer digital instrument clusters for higher trim levels and larger infotainment touchscreens. Here, the 2024 Elantra’s largest 10.3-inch unit is slightly larger than the 2024 Civic’s largest 9-inch unit. But, the 2024 Civic counters with a Bose premium speaker system upgrade and an optional wireless phone charging pad.
The 2024 Civic has a 14 cubic-foot trunk in sedan form, which is the same as the 2024 Elantra. Choosing a 2024 Civic hatchback provides 25 cubic feet of capacity with the rear seats in place. Furthermore, every trim offers a folding rear seat, regardless of body style. Higher trims add a 60-40 split-folding configuration. Hence, you can easily adjust seating and cargo capacity to carry long or bulky items.
The lower trims of the 2024 Civic have a 2-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. The higher trims use a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder unit that makes 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Regardless of engine choice, a CVT gearbox is standard. Some trims include paddle shifters for manual gear selection.
All 2024 Civics are front-wheel drive and have a hill start assist system. Furthermore, an idle-stop system helps enhance fuel economy, as does Honda’s Eco Assist™ system. This uses visual guidance to help drivers adjust their style to save fuel. Some trims gain a drive system selector with Econ, Normal, and Sport modes, as well as a remote engine starter. This is useful to pre-heat or pre-cool the interior.
Honda offers the 2024 Civic Si and the 2024 Civic Type R for performance seekers. These two variants come with more powerful powertrains, suspension, and brake upgrades, plus 6-speed manual transmissions.
Most 2024 Elantra trims are powered by a 2-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine. This engine develops 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. A CVT gearbox is standard. The N-Line trim uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This variant has 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. There’s also a performance-oriented 2024 Elantra N. All variants are front-wheel drive.
The Honda Sensing® suite is included with every 2024 Civic. Hence, buyers get a collision mitigation braking system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. A full suite of airbags, traffic sign recognition, and a road departure mitigation system are also standard. Higher trims add blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerting. The 2024 Elantra has some of these, but others are optional or unavailable.
The 2024 Honda Civic is our pick in this Civic vs. Elantra match-up. With a more versatile interior, a range of great powertrains, and better safety features, you should check it out. Why not swing by Hendrick Honda Charlotte today and take a test drive? Then, you can talk to our team about the most competitive 2024 Civic offers in Charlotte, NC.