Elantra’s 7th generation has finally arrived in Pakistan, although four years after the global launch, at least Hyundai Nishat Motors has ditched the older generation.
Considering their price tag and body shape, the Honda Civic RS and Toyota Corolla (upper-trim) are the competitors of the new Hyundai Elantra hybrid. Civic seems fine, but Comparing the all-new hybrid Elantra with 2014’s era Corolla sounds like a joke; still, Corolla is too overpriced that it competes with the latest Elantra hybrid.
For now, let’s compare the all-new sci-fi movie like Elantra with burger bois’ lover Honda Civic RS:
Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 7th Generation
At first glance, this Elantra looks like a concept car from the YouTube video “How cars would look in 2050.” The sleek curves, tubelight-like DRLs and taillights, and aggressive looks, any person can easily tell that it’s a modern 21st-century car.
The interior also seems super premium. Unlike Civic, which uses hard plastic, Elantra’s dashboard is soft-touch and feels like you’re touching a mid-segment German car like Audi A3 or Mercedes B-class. The seats and steering are also ergonomic and don’t seem to give you fatigue on long tours. The door panels are, however, plastic, but they are not cheap in touch, that looks fine because Germans also give plastic in their two crore starter package cars, like we said, A3 and B-class.
Besides the exterior stylings, the car is a great package. Under the hood, there’s a 1.6-liter engine with hybrid electric motors that outputs a total power of 139 HP and 264 Nm of torque, which is ideal for this type of C-segment sedan.
Honda Civic RS
A Civic needs no introduction. DHA Bois’ favorite car is a well-reputed model in Pakistan. From the back and front view, it is a budget version of the Audi A4 that looks super premium and will not give you a cheap vibe by any means.
Although Civic’s design language is not Cyberpunk like Elantra’s, but it looks handsome from both the interior and exterior. Sit inside, and the interior feels posh, although not sporty like previous generations of Civic, it’s more leaned towards business class people. The unconventional AC grills, center console, and dashboard are nicely made and throughs off the aura of an upper-segment all-package C-segment car.
The only downside of this car is its price. If it were under 6-7 million, it’d be the best-in-class deal, but 9.8 million is really too much for this C-segment car that is not even a hybrid. Still, the cult of Civic lovers will buy and keep buying the Civic no matter how expensive it gets.
Aura Check of Both Cars
- Hyundai Elantra = +5000 aura
- Honda Civic RS = +9000 aura
Elantra has less aura because nobody currently knows about this generation right now, but Civic has a cult. Maybe in 1-2 years, Elantra will also build a cult just like Civic.
Comparison of both cars
Below is the 1-1 table comparison of both cars. Note that we’ve only included features that are practical and different in both models.
Power and Performance
Here’s the power and performance figures of both cars:
| Specs | Hyundai Elantra | Honda Civic RS |
| Engine | 1.6-liter GDI | 1.5-liter Dual VTEC |
| Kicks-in type | Up to 48 Km/h on electric then engine kicks-in | Upto 2,500 RPMS, then turbo kicks-in |
| Power | 139 HP | 176 HP |
| Torque | 264 Nm | 220 Nm |
| Hybrid Battery | Li-po (same used in iPhone) | Not applicable |
| Hybrid Battery Capacity | 1.32 kWH | Not applicable |
| Transmission | DCT | LL-CVT |
| Fuel Economy | 22-25 Kmpl, thanks to hybrid motors | 8-9 Kmpl, it’s turbo so economy is compromised |
Interior
Here are all the interior specs of both cars:
| Specs | Hyundai Elantra | Honda Civic RS |
| Infotainment | 8” Android Auto + Apple CarPlay | 9” Android Auto |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | Yes if you pay 50,000 more |
| Steering | 4-spokes steering in leather wrap with multi-media controls | 3-spokes steering in leather wrap with multi-media controls |
| Back seats | Feels super premium | Nice in feel |
| Instrument Cluster | 10.25” TFT | 7″ TFT |
| Seats | PU Leather | PU Leather |
| AC | Dual-zone climate control | Dual-zone climate control |
| Power windows | All 4 doors | All 4 doors |
| Speakers | 4 | 4 |
| Heated Seats | Yes | Yes |
Exterior
Here are the exterior features of both cars:
| Specs | Hyundai Elantra | Honda Civic RS |
| Front Grille | Parametric Jewel Pattern Grille | Black Painted |
| Side Profile | Parametric Jewel Surface with 3 Character Lines | NA |
| Rear Profile | Fastback Style | Saloon |
| Side Mirrors (Electrically Adjustable) | Yes | Yes |
| Side Mirrors (Electrically Retractable) | Yes | Yes |
| Side Mirrors (Heated) | Yes | Yes |
| Mud Guard (Front & Rear) | NA | Yes |
| Door Trim | D Two Tone (Black + Green), P Single Tone (Black) | NA |
| Map Pocket | Yes | Yes |
| Door Outside Handle | Body Color | Black Painted |
| Door Inside Handle | Matte Black | NA |
| Auto Window | Yes (Driver Only) | NA |
| Tail Lamps | Yes | Yes |
| Electrically Adjustable Door Mirrors | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Retractable Mirrors | Yes | Yes |
| Heated Door Mirrors | Yes | Yes |
| Door Mirrors Color | Black + Silver Beltline | Black Painted |
| Rim Size | 16” | 17” |
| Roof Laser Brazing | NA | Lazer Brazed, Noiseless Roof |
| Dual Exhaust | No | Yes |
| Remote Engine Start | Yes | Yes |
| Keyless Entry | Yes | Yes |
| Radio Antenna | Yes | Shark Fin (Black Painted) |
Safety Features
Here’s the safety features comparison of both cars:
| Safety Features | Hyundai Elantra | Honda Civic RS |
| Airbags (Driver & Passenger) | Yes | Driver & Front Passenger |
| Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) | Yes | Yes (With Electronic Brake-Force Distribution) |
| Auto Brake Hold | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency Stop Signal | Yes | Yes |
| Brake Assist (BA) | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | Yes | Yes (With Traction Control) |
| Vehicle Stability Management | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control System (TCS) | Yes | Yes |
| Parking Brake | Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) | Yes (Electronic) |
| Child Safety Lock | Manual | Yes |
| Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) | Yes | Available |
| Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) | NA | Available (Low-Speed Follow) |
| Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) | Available | Available |
| Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) | Available | Available |
| Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN) | Available | Available |
| Auto High Beam (AHB) | Available | Available |
Price
The current price of the Honda Civic RS is Rs. 9,899,000, while the announced price of the new Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is Rs. 9,699,999.
Civic has 6 speed DCT???
It has 7 speed CVT!!
How Hyundai elantra could compete with Honda Civic when she is an Hybrid and civic an ICE ???
Even tough hyundai elantra was launch as ICE Civic would remain better for his behavior, better handling and platform making the civic almost sporty and the design is more pleasant for most of the peoples
But yeah elantra beat all the competitor like the old toyota corolla (well they aren’t a lot)
Civic has 17 inch wheels matt black color.
Civic gives 12.5 km/l to 13 km/l easily in city bcz it has good power to weight ratio and less drag due to a more aero dynamic body.
The Elantra comes with heated AND Cooled Seats. However, does the Civic even have heated seats?!
Laser Brazing is a welding technology and has nothing to do with noise reduction. If Honda is calling it a “noiseless roof”, it simply means it changed and/or increased the thickness of the roof lining for noise reduction purposes.
As far as we have been shown, wireless charging is standard on the new Elantra. It is a 50,000 PKR extra option on the civic!
Looking at the Safety features section of the comparison, why is the list mentioning every feature twice for the civic in brackets. The list says “Air bag Driver and passenger”. While for the Elantra it only says “yes”, on the civic side it again mentioned “driver and passenger”. For the elantra it is a simple “Yes” for ABS while it mentions in brackets “with Electronic break force distribution (EBD)” for the civic. The EBD section is then again mentioned separately below that. That is repeated for other features as well. Its confusing.
Either it is a clear case of quick copy paste or what I mentioned before is starting to show. The Civic guys have to fight just that bit harder to justify it now….
And contrary to what people believe and will end up doing, comparing this Hybrid Elantra with the Civic RS in terms of “Handling” and “Performance” is not very accurate. For an apples to apples comparison you compare the Elantra N with the Civic RS and the Elantra N-line with the Civic Type-R.