Video: 2011 Hyundai Elantra

It's incredibly stylish, both on the outside and the inside, and it gets 29 miles per gallon city, 40 on the highway. Let's take a look at this competitive new entry. There are a lot of new worthy competitors in the compact car class, like the redesign Ford Focus, the redesign Honda Civic, and also the all-new Chevrolet Cruise. But in my mind, the Elantra has them all beat in terms of its styling. It really incorporates a lot of things you'd never see before in a compact car, like these really stylized headlights, really dramatic, side profile look. And it also takes on a different look from its big brother, the Hyundai Sonata, in its front end, which I like a lot more. With fuel prices pinching many drivers budgets, the Elantra's 40 mile per gallon highway rating is especially appealing. And what I like about it even more is that Hyundai doesn't force you to get a special trim level to get that high MPG rating cause all Elantras get 40 on the highway and that's different than some of the competition that makes you get a special version. Hyundai though didn't sacrifice drivability to get those fuel economy figures as this car feels pretty strong, whether you're in the city or on rural roads. The emphasis on design continues to the Elantra's cabin, where it has a modern look overall, features this unique fabric on the seats. But the centerpiece is this slender center console that incorporates these very unique air conditioning controls. In addition to being a stylish look, it's also functional because the narrowness of this center console gives your knees more room to spread out in the driver's seat. The Elantra's backseat offers decent leg room for taller passengers, but headroom is pretty minimal and that's because this cars sleek roof line, it starts to encroach on your space. If you're looking for a roomier cabin in this class, you should check out the redesign Honda Civic because in that car, you get a lot more headroom. Lifting the Elantra's trunk lid reveals a sizable cargo area, that's big enough for a load of groceries or a couple of golf bags, and you can expand the space by folding the 60/40 split backseat. Hyundais have always offered consumers a lot of value for their money, and the Elantra does too. Whether you're talking about its purchase price or in filling it up at the gas pump. But it also brings a lot of style to the segment that this car didn't have before. And that should make competitors sit up and take notice. <v Narrator>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, kickingtires.net.