2020 Acura TLX vs 2019 Hyundai Elantra

Two years prior, Hyundai had redesigned the Elantra, giving it a tailored look with styling themes patterned after the Genesis G80 sedan. The 2017 Elantra looked upscale, if conservative, with nary a line or proportion wrong. For 2019, the Elantra received new styling forward of the windshield and front doors, as well as redesigned wheels, a new trunk lid, taillights, and rear bumper. The design was kaleidoscopic, perhaps appealing to those into geometry, but it wasn't as appealing as the previous year's model.

Inside, subtle changes improved the interior. The air vents added a little design flair, some plastic housings had a carbon-texture finish, the gauges were new, and the controls on the center of the dashboard were revised. These improvements added some excitement to what was a rather dull cabin. The interior was high quality, exemplified by how robust and solid the shifter felt. While some materials looked and felt inexpensive, this was expected in a compact car, and the various parts and pieces were screwed tightly together.

A few years ago, Acura had redesigned the TLX midsize sedan, curing a design flaw that had spread to the company’s entire lineup. As a result, the 2020 TLX was a handsome—if somewhat anonymous—car. The A-Spec option package improved the styling with go-faster visual upgrades like 19-inch wheels, revised bumper designs, side sill skirts, and oversize round exhaust outlets. The 2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition, limited to 360 units, featured a dazzling Valencia Red Pearl paint and unique body-color and gloss black exterior accents, hand-built in Acura’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio.

The PMC Edition was priced at the top of the TLX lineup at $50,945, including Acura's $1,995 destination fee. Non-PMC cars cost only $995 to transport to a dealership, meaning you could spend as little as $33,995 on a 2020 TLX. CarGurus recommended upgrading with the Technology Package for its comfort, convenience, safety, and infotainment enhancements, and the A-Spec Package for its racy appearance, making a good-looking TLX available for less than $40,000. However, at that price, the car still wouldn’t have the powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine and SH-AWD.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra was equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine mustering 147 horsepower, relying on a 6-speed automatic transmission to power the front wheels. Acceleration was acceptable, and drivers could choose between Normal, Sport, and Smart driving modes. Smart mode was supposed to adapt to the driving style, but it wasn’t terribly perceptive. Sport mode made the Elantra feel livelier but added unwelcome weight to the steering, so Normal mode was preferred most of the time.

The EPA rated the Elantra at 32 mpg in combined driving. On a modified testing loop, the car returned 29.3 mpg, but after a week of driving, the trip computer read 32.4 mpg. Handling was decent, with the steering and brakes drawing no criticism yet garnering no praise. The ride quality could be busy due to the Elantra’s inexpensive torsion-beam rear-axle suspension. Overall, the car wasn’t terribly rewarding to drive but didn’t cause much aggravation either.

The 2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition featured the top-performing powertrain, including a 290-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine, 9-speed automatic, and torque-vectoring SH-AWD system. The 267 pound-feet of peak torque arrived at 4,500 rpm, providing a steady build-up of power. Switching from Econ or Normal mode into Sport or Sport+ mode turned the TLX into a real thrill ride. The SH-AWD system could put up to 70% of total engine output to a single rear wheel, enhancing the car’s capable driving dynamics.

The automatic transmission remained well-behaved, and the paddle shifters were pleasing to use. Sophisticated amplitude reactive dampers contributed to the TLX’s feeling of solidity on the road, as did the somewhat heavy steering and the fact that 61% of the car’s weight sat over the front wheels. For daily driving, the TLX felt comfortable and quiet, with impressive handling capabilities not requiring trade-offs in ride quality. On the testing loop, the TLX returned 23 mpg, matching the EPA’s combined driving rating.

Front-seat comfort in the 2019 Hyundai Elantra was good for a compact car. Both the driver’s seat and front passenger’s seat included height adjustment, making it easier to get into and out of the Elantra. Most Elantras had heated front seats, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and dual-zone automatic climate control with a Clean Air ionizer system. Leather was limited to the Limited trim level.

Backseat comfort was not as impressive. The seat provided a proper seating position and support, but hard plastic front seatbacks were unkind to the knees and shins of taller rear passengers. Air conditioning vents and USB ports were missing in the back. Interior storage was decent, with a good-size center-console storage bin, a sizable glove box, and a tray forward of the shifter. The Limited trim included a wireless charging pad for compatible devices. The Elantra’s trunk offered 14.4 cubic feet of space, a big cargo area for a small car.

The 2020 Acura TLX exuded quality and comfort. Supple leather, perfect positioning, heated and ventilated seats, and plenty of room greeted the driver and front passenger. Rear occupants enjoyed favorable accommodations, with air-conditioning vents and available heated rear cushions. Storage space was generous in frequency if not size, and the trunk measured just 14.3 cubic feet, which was compact-car territory, not midsize.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra, except for the base SE, came with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite radio with a free 3-month trial subscription. The Limited trim included an Infinity premium sound system with Clari-Fi digital music restoration technology. The Ultimate Package added an 8-inch display screen, a navigation system, and SiriusXM Data Services.

The Elantra’s infotainment system was easy to use, with the right number of knobs and buttons to limit screen interaction. The switchgear exuded quality and refinement, and the Limited’s Infinity audio system delivered impressive sound quality. The Value Edition and Limited trims provided a free 3-year trial subscription to Blue Link services, offering a long list of safety and convenience functions.

The 2020 Acura TLX’s dual-screen infotainment system was a major drawback. The top display was not a touchscreen, but the bottom display was. Climate control buttons and switches resided under the bottom screen, with some functions included on the touchscreen. The layout caused distraction and frustration, with some buttons covered in a glossy coating that made them nearly impossible to read.

The TLX had a stereo volume/power knob but no corresponding tuning knob. The navigation map's graphics were outdated, and the voice-recognition system was subpar. The infotainment setup caused both distraction and frustration, but the Acura/ELS premium audio system sounded good. The car had Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a smartphone charger was installed in the bin forward of the shifter and cup holders.

Most versions of the 2019 Elantra included important driver-assistance and collision-avoidance systems as standard equipment. Starting with the SEL trim, the car included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, a blind-spot-monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver-monitoring system. The Limited trim added adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, automatic high-beam headlights, and a Safe Exit system.

The 2019 Elantra received top marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), except for an Acceptable rating for the accessibility of its LATCH child-seat anchors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the car a 4-star overall rating, with 4-star frontal-impact results and a 4-star side-impact protection rating for rear-seat occupants.

The 2020 Acura TLX’s aging vehicle architecture was reflected in its IIHS crash-test ratings. It didn’t qualify for a Top Safety Pick due to an Acceptable rating in the small overlap frontal-impact test on the driver’s side. However, the TLX earned 5-star ratings in every test conducted by the NHTSA, including the rollover test.

Every TLX had adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and road-departure mitigation systems. A blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert was included on all but the base TLX. These technologies were effective but lacked smoothness and refinement compared to more modern vehicles. The adaptive cruise control and lane-departure-warning systems were particularly intrusive.