2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2019 Hyundai Elantra

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra had undergone a significant redesign, featuring new styling elements forward of the windshield and front doors, along with redesigned wheels, a new trunk lid, taillights, and rear bumper. While the previous model had an upscale yet conservative look, the 2019 version adopted a more geometric and kaleidoscopic design, which might not have been as universally appealing. Inside, subtle changes improved the interior, adding design flair to the air vents, a carbon-texture finish to some plastic housings, new gauges, and revised dashboard controls. The interior quality was high, with a robust and solid shifter, although some materials felt inexpensive, which was expected in a compact car.

In contrast, the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback received minor styling tweaks, including body-color crossbars on the fake air intakes, a new grille, and smoked headlights. New wheel designs were also introduced. The top-of-the-line Sport Touring trim featured Platinum White Pearl paint, which contrasted well with the car's glossy black detailing. Inside, the Sport Touring trim included stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, although there was still plenty of hard plastic. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for the Sport trim, was now available with the Sport Touring trim, adding to the car's appeal.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra was equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower, paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission powering the front wheels. While acceleration was acceptable, the driving dynamics did not inspire much desire. The car offered Normal, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Sport mode adding unwelcome weight to the steering. The EPA rated the Elantra at 32 mpg in combined driving, and during testing, it returned 29.3 mpg on a modified loop and 32.4 mpg after a week of driving. Handling was decent, with no significant praise or criticism for the steering and brakes. The ride quality could be busy due to the inexpensive torsion-beam rear-axle suspension.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, produced 174 horsepower in LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque measured 162 lb-ft with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission. The engine was quiet, refined, and well-mannered, although the transmission's clutch travel and gearbox throws were long. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring trims offered a softer and more compliant ride, wider seats, a quieter cabin, and a hushed exhaust, making them more enjoyable for daily driving. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra offered good front-seat comfort, with height adjustment for both the driver and front passenger seats in all trims. Most Elantras had heated front seats, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Backseat comfort was less impressive, with hard plastic front seatbacks and no air conditioning vents or USB ports. Interior storage was decent, with a good-size center-console storage bin, a sizable glove box, and a tray forward of the shifter. The trunk offered 14.4 cubic feet of space, and most trims included a hands-free trunk release.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback provided 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring. While the Civic Hatchback couldn't match the HR-V for maximum volume, it offered better acceleration and fuel efficiency. The driver's seat was low, making it less easy to get into and out of, but the Sport Touring's heated leather front seats provided ample thigh support. The center console storage area was long and deep, with a sliding armrest, tray, and cupholders. Rear-seat comfort and legroom were good, but the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass could make passengers uncomfortable.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra, except for the base SE, came with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite radio. The Limited trim included an Infinity premium sound system, and the Ultimate Package added an 8-inch display, navigation, and SiriusXM Data Services. The infotainment system was easy to use, with a good number of knobs and buttons. The Limited trim also offered a free 3-year trial subscription to Blue Link services, providing a long list of safety and convenience functions.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a stylish dashboard with digital instrumentation and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in all but the LX trim. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. The Civic Hatchback also offered automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock. However, the infotainment system lacked a tuning knob, a larger screen, and reliable voice-recognition technology.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra included important driver-assistance and collision-avoidance systems starting with the SEL trim, such as forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Limited trim added adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, automatic high-beam headlights, and a Safe Exit system. The Elantra received top marks from the IIHS, except for an Acceptable rating for LATCH child-seat anchors. The NHTSA gave the Elantra a 4-star overall rating.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback came standard with the Honda Sensing suite, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. However, the lane-keeping assist lacked smoothness, and the adaptive cruise control occasionally braked for no reason. The Civic Hatchback did not have a blind-spot monitoring system or rear cross-traffic alert, relying on LaneWatch for the right-side blind spot. The Civic received top marks for crash-test performance but did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to Poor headlight performance.