While Hyundai hasn’t officially revealed the next-generation Elantra for the US, we have a strong idea of what to expect thanks to the Avante. It’s literally the next Elantra, just with a different name for its home market in South Korea. In fact, Hyundai has already taken orders for the new car in both combustion and hybrid forms, so they should be reaching customers soon. That also means that specifications are trickling out.
Apparently, the hybrid is getting a big efficiency boost on top of a power boost.
New Hyundai Elantra (Shown As Avante Korean Model)Hyundai
A 10% Increase Is Big When The Old Model Was Touching 50 MPG
According to The Asia Business Daily, the most efficient version of the new Avante Hybrid, which has 17-inch wheels, has improved fuel economy by 10.42% over the previous-generation car with the same wheels. If we take that percentage difference and apply it to the equivalent American-model Elantra Hybrid, which would be the SEL Sport and Limited trims, we can get a solid estimate for the new car’s American economy. Those models get a combined fuel economy of 50 mpg, so 10.42% extra would bring them to 55 mpg combined.
That figure actually tops that of the current Elantra Hybrid Blue. It has smaller 16-inch wheels, which helps it achieve 54 mpg combined. Not only that, but at 55 mpg, the new Elantra Hybrid would tie the 2027 Toyota Prius for combined fuel economy. Only the 2026 Prius would top it, so once that model is fully gone, the Elantra and Prius could be tied for the most efficient non-plug-in hybrids in the US.
Of course, this is just an estimate for now. We won’t know exactly how efficient the US-market car will be until it has gone through the EPA test cycle, and it’s possible it could do better or worse than we expect. It’s also possible that Hyundai could offer a cheaper, efficiency-focused Blue trim like the current model with smaller wheels, which would likely perform even better.
How Much More Powerful Is The New Model?
The other big appeal of this new Elantra Hybrid is that it will be noticeably more powerful than the outgoing model. It’s still a naturally-aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder hybrid, but power increased from 139 horsepower to 155. Hyundai hasn’t given a combined torque number for the Hybrid yet, but it has likely increased as well.
New Hyundai Elantra (Shown As Avante Korean Model)Hyundai
The Korean consumer site shows that the new car’s electric motor makes 150 pound-feet of torque now, instead of the current car’s 125. Combined torque for the current US car is rated at 195 lb-ft, so this new one could top 200. While that’s all great news for potential customers, the Prius still offers more power, so for maximum power and efficiency, it’ll still have an advantage.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Elantra is Hyundai’s second-bestseller in the US, so it’s a very important car for the brand. It also faces extremely stiff competition from the likes of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and other small sedans and even some SUVs. As such, the new model has to be as good as possible.
Between the stand-out styling and what will likely be impressively efficient engines, the new Elantra looks like it’ll stand up to the competition well.
Source: Hyundai, The Asia Business Daily via Motor1
