Say you only want your compact sedan mildly spiced? These two are what you’d go for. Not as hot as the Honda Civic Type-R or the Hyundai Veloster N
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00:00 Here it is, the B-Team.
00:04 If you are looking for the ultimate performance Honda or Hyundai, these cars, the Civic Si
00:09 and Elantra Sport, aren't it.
00:16 Instead, they offer a less expensive, more efficient alternative to the brand's respective
00:23 big dogs, the Honda Civic Type R and the Hyundai Veloster N.
00:26 First, there's the Honda Civic Si, which slots between the 175hp base car and the monster
00:34 306hp Type R. This year, that means 205hp paired with a 6-speed manual transmission.
00:43 It also has an adaptive suspension and a real mechanical limited-slip front differential.
00:49 Then, there's the Hyundai Elantra Sport.
00:52 While the Civic benefits from shared architecture with the Type R hatchback, the Elantra Sport
00:57 is a distant cousin of the Veloster N. Like all Elantra sedans, it has an older version
01:02 of the Elantra platform.
01:05 The Sport has a slightly more aggressive suspension tune, all-season tires, and a 1.6L turbocharged
01:11 inline-four making 201hp.
01:18 At first pass, the two cars performed pretty similarly at the test track.
01:22 Aided by its summer tires and the limited-slip diff, the Honda was consistently quicker,
01:27 getting from 0-60mph in 6.6 seconds and through the quarter mile in 14.9 seconds.
01:33 The Hyundai did 6.9-60 and a quarter in 15.2.
01:38 The Honda stopped from 60-0mph in 107ft and lapped the figure 8 in 25.8 seconds while
01:46 averaging 0.68g.
01:50 The Hyundai needed 119ft to stop from 60mph and it lapped the figure 8 in 26.8 seconds
01:57 at 0.64g.
02:01 The verdict?
02:02 Though we liked the power and the Sport exhaust of the Hyundai, it falls apart when driven
02:06 hard.
02:07 The engine runs out of steam, the throws of the gearbox seem long, and grip is hampered
02:11 by the choice of all-season tires.
02:14 In contrast, the Civic is composed and well-balanced, and its suspension keeps it flat and nimble
02:19 through bends.
02:21 Its engine is laggy under 2000rpm, but it provides good power.
02:26 So while the finish was closer than we would have thought, the Honda Civic Si's superior
02:29 performance and impressive economy makes it the better buy, and the winner of this comparison
02:33 test.
02:36 For the full story, be sure to go to MotorTrend.com
02:38 and subscribe!