Hyundai has been generating a lot of buzz lately with hot-rodded cars like the Veloster N and Elantra N — and rightly so. Along with Kia, Hyundai has flipped the script on Korea’s antiquated reputation for unreliable cars. There’s more to the brand than its enticing N cars, though. The 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited is taking aim at a more attainable segment: entry-level sedans.
This segment gets less attention than sports sedans, hot hatches, and outright supercars because it’s not something most drivers aspire to. That’s not the case for new drivers, though. If you’re a young person working a minimum-wage job to save up for your first car, a new Volkswagen GTI that starts at more than $30,000 MSRP might as well be a Bugatti Chiron. A Hyundai Elantra that starts at $20,650 is much more realistic, and the $26,500 Elantra Limited might be the sweet spot between affordability and upgraded amenities. To wrap my head around what this car is and who it’s for, I grabbed a 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited for a week and put myself back in the mindset of someone shopping for their first new car.
2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited
- Makes Entry Level Cool
- Affordable, Not Cheap
- 34 Miles Per Gallon (EPA Estimated)
- Trim: Limited
- Model: Elantra
- Engine/Motor: 2.0-Liter Inline Four-Cylinder
- Horsepower: 147 Horsepower
- Torque: 132 Foot-Pounds
- Drivetrain: Front-Wheel Drive
- Transmission: CVT
- MSRP: $26,500
- Upscale Interior
- Quiet Cabin
- Effortless To Drive
- Hides Its Price Tag Well
- Cheap to buy And Maintain
- Lackluster Driving Dynamics
- CVTs Are Never The Answer
2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited Specs
The new Elantra Limited is a car that’s hard to define by the spec sheet, but the numbers still give us some information about what this car is. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine like you find in most current cars, but this one is naturally aspirated. Without a turbocharger, the Elantra puts out 147 horsepower and 132 foot-pounds of torque. That’s not exactly exciting, but the car has a curb weight of fewer than 3,000 pounds so it’s on the lighter side for a modern sedan.
The 2023 Elantra focuses on value, and one of the ways Hyundai pursues that goal is by keeping fuel consumption to a minimum. The engine uses a fairly uncommon Atkinson cycle, which extracts more total power from each combustion at the expense of low-speed power. Another fuel-sipping piece of tech is the transmission. Hyundai calls it a Smart Stream Intelligent Variable Transmission, but you and I know it as a continuously variable transmission. Car enthusiasts widely condemn CVTs, but the design has its merits. Above all else, a CVT maximizes fuel economy by keeping a car’s engine in the optimal rev range.
The 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited Offers Affordable Style
Hyundai put a lot of effort into making the Elantra affordable, and that’s different from being cheap. The Elantra Limited, in particular, feels cooler and more upscale than it is. The exterior lines are crisp and fresh. The optional white interior looks and feels like quality material, and color choices make the car’s interior look brighter and feel more spacious than it is. Touches like the sunroof, heated seats, and the high-resolution digital gauges and center display create a comfortable experience that’s more on par with a midrange car than an entry-level sedan.
Hyundai made a smart choice by spending customers’ money on the things they interact with every day. The interior styling is fresh. The Bose sound system is rich and full, and you can pair it with your phone using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You can even juggle navigation and incoming text messages from the touchscreen while your phone charges wirelessly. All the touchpoints create a positive experience. Hyundai didn’t spend huge amounts of money on sophisticated suspension components and a high-strung engine that most people will never notice, let alone appreciate.
The 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited’s Technology Adds Value
Style is important because it makes the Elantra fun; it feels good to park and step out of it with a sense of pride in what you bought. There’s more to its tech than Bluetooth and heated seats, though. The Atkinson engine and CVT that enthusiasts scoff at make it a better car, but not in the ways we’re used to thinking about.
Being fuel-efficient (EPA-estimated 30 MPG city, 40 MGP highway, 34 MPG combined) makes driving easy and affordable. Sure, breaking in your driver’s license with a V8 Mustang sounds awesome, but it’s a lot less fun when you have to ghost your friends because you can’t afford gas. Young drivers are increasingly apprehensive about assuming the responsibility of driving, and the Elantra’s driver aids take a lot of stress out of driving so it doesn’t feel like a chore. If you have fun driving the Elantra, maybe you’ll learn to love cars. You can help us save the manuals later; take one step at a time.
Living With The 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited
After a series of SUVs and EVs, seeing an entry-level sedan pull into my driveway was an unfamiliar sight. I’ve grown accustomed to certain features and amenities — just like consumers have in general. The Hyundai Elantra Limited’s MSRP of $26,500 certainly got my attention, but I was curious to see just how many sacrifices a potential buyer would have to make to get a brand-new car at such a price.
This is no sports car, but the overall experience is good enough that I never felt like I was driving something cheap. The Elantra Limited is a far cry from bargain-basement rental cars. It gives me hope that the current generation of new drivers will see this car the same way my generation saw fun, affordable cars like the Honda Civic Del Sol (I drove one just last year and it was still a blast, by the way). The Elantra reminds me of the Volkswagen Jettas people modify and drive proudly to this day. Leaving some money in your pocket for customization is one of the ways manufacturers can build a loyal following.
I’m not going to wax poetic about the Elantra’s handling, power delivery, or exhaust note. It’s an economy car, after all. But it drives well enough and the cabin is a nice place to spend the morning commute or run errands. It’ll run all week on a few sips of gas, tires are cheap, and maintenance should be minimal. It makes life easier, and that will endear it to the people who buy it.
I should also address some of the negative press Korean automakers have gotten surrounding auto theft. Rest assured that the TikTok trend of stealing Hyundais and Kias seems like a thing of the past. The cars affected by this lack of security are from before 2021, so you should be in the clear with a current model.
Who Is The 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited For?
It would be easy to sit here and lecture about shifting your own gears and appreciating the thrill of engines that could blow up at any moment, but all that’s going to do is convince you that enjoying driving is out of reach, out of touch, or both. The Elantra Limited makes driving easy and fun for new drivers, so you just might stick around and become a lifelong car enthusiast. In 20 years, I bet the next generation of car nuts will gather around old Elantras, Toyota GR86s, and Honda Civic Sports at their local cars and coffee to swap stories about the ones they had back in the day.
The $26,500 Hyundai Elantra Limited competes with other entry-level cars on price, but many of them are coupes or hatchbacks. Most of the sedans in this price range aren’t nearly as appealing to a younger audience. If you need four doors and a price that won’t saddle you with debt, make plans to test drive the 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited.