Hyundai Adds Elantra Coupe to Lineup in the US

The Hyundai Elantra won the North American Car of the Year Award for 2011. At the Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai announced new variations on the Elantra. 

One of the new variants for the Elantra will be a coupe. The Elantra Coupe will be available later in 2012 as a 2013 Elantra model. The Elantra Coupe is basically just a standard Elantra with two fewer doors. The front looks identical. The minor differences are in the rear where the windows are smaller, and there a is a faster curve leading to the trunk. 

The Elantra Coupe comes with the same 1.8 liter, four-cylinder engine with 148hp and 131lb-ft of torque. The engine is quite efficient offering 28mpg city and 39mpg highway with a six-speed automatic transmission. There is also a six-speed manual that improves both fuel economy numbers by 1mpg. 

Hyundai is touting that the 1.8 liter engine in the Elantra Coupe will have better fuel economy compared to the Honda Civic and Kia Forte Koup. Those are the vehicles it feels that the Elantra Coupe is directly competing against. However, the Elantra is a much larger car than those two. The Environmental Protection Agency in the US rates the Elantra Coupe as a midsize car, while the Civic and Koup are compacts. 

For drivers looking for a slightly more stylish Elantra that do not mind that it is the same car as the sedan except for the rear styling, the Elantra Coupe is a good choice.