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2017 Hyundai Elantra Crashes Its Way to Top Safety Pick+

Priced from just $17,150, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra is one of the most value-minded propositions in the compact segment. After the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed it, the Elantra also earned the much-coveted Top Safety Pick+ rating.
2017 Hyundai Elantra crash test 19 photos
Photo: IIHS
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From model year 2011 through model year 2016, the Achilles heel of the Elantra has been the protection it offers in the small overlap crash test.

From a meager “acceptable,” the compact-sized runabout has now been bestowed with a “good” rating. The Insurance Institute highlights that “the earlier model's structure did not fare well in the test, with maximum intrusion into the occupant space of 9 inches," which translates to 22.86 centimers.

"In contrast, maximum intrusion in the new Elantra was only 2 inches (5.08 cm).” 
I’m genuinely staggered by the difference between the fifth- and sixth-generation Elantra. The Top Safety Pick+ award and “good” rating in the small overlap front crash test apply to cars built after March 2016, the month during which Hyundai strengthened the junction between the door sill and hinge pillar. Other than that revision, the frontal airbag was modified as well.

When equipped with the optional front crash prevention system, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra is able to avoid a collision at 12 mph (19 km/h). In the 25 mph (40 km/h) track test, the peeps at the Insurance Institute found out that the system can cut impact speed by an average of 22 mph (35 km/h).

Dubbed Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, the system is only available on the Elantra Limited, which retails at $22,350. To be more specific, it is included in the Ultimate Package ($1,900), which can be ticked off the list only in combination with the Tech Package ($2,500). When you think about it, the safest Elantra you can get is just a little bit uncanny.

Unfortunately, it's not worth beating around the bush on this occasion. As hardly believable as it might sound, $26,750 is the price you have to pay for if you want the 2017 Hyundai Elantra to brake by itself when the situation calls for it. And that's too much for a run-of-the-mill compact car.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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