If you’re looking for the ultimate performance Honda or Hyundai , the 2019 Civic Si and 2019 Elantra Sport aren’t your bag. Save your pennies for a Civic Type R or Veloster N, two of the best-driving sport compacts to hit the streets, since, well, ever.

On some level, I feel for the engineers responsible for the Civic Si and Elantra Sport. With the 306-hp Type R and 275-hp Veloster N sitting at the top of the ladder, starting at around $30,000 and the 175-hp Civic and 147-hp Elantra nipping at their heels for $20,000 at the bottom, there’s not much daylight for these warmed-over sport compacts. Yet both manufacturers made the best of a not-great situation.


Then again, if you are in the market for affordable performance, the price jump to a Type R (starting at $37,320) or Veloster N, (starting at $27,830) may be the difference between making rent or picking up a second or third job working for Lyft or GrubHub. Given their price points—$23,645 as tested for the Elantra Sport and $25,960 for the Civic Si—both automakers have done a lot with a little.

The Honda team arguably has the stronger hand. The Civic Si sedan (also available as a coupe) benefits greatly from both ends of the Civic lineup. From the Civic Type R, the Si gets a real mechanical limited-slip front differential and a lesser version of its electronically adjusting adaptive suspension with two modes: normal and sport. From the standard Civic, the Si gets a juiced-up version of Honda’s 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4, now making 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, paired to a six-speed manual.

Cc: Marpol

Source : https://carzbass.com/2019/07/27/honda-civic-si-vs-hyundai-elantra-sport-compact-comparison/