Test Drive: 2016 Hyundai Elantra GT

Elantra GT(with Car DVD?) — Hyundai's five-door, compact hatchback — gets a minor refresh for 2016. Exterior updates in include a redesign for the outsized, rounded trapezoid grille, and new look 17-inch alloy rims. The car has rakish lines — a busy, aggressive form with lots of swoops and cuts. It makes for a distinctive look, in a class where it's hard to stand out.

Though they share the same name, the Elantra GT is a different car in many respects than the Elantra four-door sedan. Based on a Euro market car (i30), the GT is slightly taller (1.6 inches) and considerably shorter (9 inches) than the sedan, and plays to a different market. Historically, hatchbacks have been softer sellers here in the states than they are in Europe, but the strong, current crop in this class seems to be finally opening some eyes amongst American car buyers.

The rear suspension on the Elantra GT differs from the sedan version. The tuning on the former is more taut than the latter, with the addition of higher rear spring rates, Sachs rear shocks and a stiffer twist beam. A Sport suspension is available (included in the $1,950 Style package) which is calibrated for the low profile, 17-inch tires. Elantra is nimble and fun to drive. It corners well and ride quality doesn't suffer for its sportier tune — rare in a small wheelbase car. A driver selectable steering mode offers three choices — Normal, Sport or Comfort. I found Normal to be the best, all-around setting. Switching between the three modes resulted in a difference in steering heft, but not much in driving feel.

Sliding inside, the driver is greeted by a slick-looking dash with bright, legible gauges. The materials are of average quality, but the layout of the dash and the brushed metal trim help jazz things up. Front seats suit adults easily and the back seats will allow six footers to squeeze in snugly, with like-size people in front of them.

Cargo capacity is among the best in this segment; 23 cubic feet behind the back seat, and as much as 51 cubic feet, with that row folded down to its mostly flat position. There is also a shallow, hidden storage space below the load floor. To get to max-cargo mode, you first flip the bottom rear cushions up, then fold the seatbacks forward. Depending on how far the front seats are pushed back, you may also have to remove the second-row headrests, to allow them to clear the front seatbacks. The process is a little clumsier than some you will find in competitive models.

GT's are nicely equipped, with a standard roster that includes heated/ventilated front seats, cooled glove box, driver's blind spot mirror, leather seating surfaces, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with secondary audio controls and a 10-way power driver's seat with power lumbar support. The standard sound system has six speakers, 172 watts output and an AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD/MP3 head unit. If there is a Car DVD Player, that would be often used.

In terms of options, the Style package ($1,975) serves up 17-inch alloy rims/tires, fog lights, sport-tuned suspension, turn signal indicators on side view mirrors, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, power driver's seat, aluminum pedals, under floor storage, auto-up driver's window, proximity key/push button start, and Blue Link telematics system. New connectivity features added for 2016 include remote start with climate control, and destination search powered by Google.

Tech — the other, main option package — carries a robust price tag of $3,950, and offers Hyundai's latest generation navigation system, with 7-inch touchscreen, rear view camera HD radio, Apple Siri integration, Blue Link Telematics, XM traffic, a panoramic moon roof, LED taillights and dual temperature controls. Hyundai's interface for controls is a mixture of conventional and touchscreen access, and is slightly above average in terms of ease of use.

Almost half of all compact car buyers are downsizing out of larger vehicles. As a result, they bring their higher-priced expectations with them as they shop for less expensive models. That, and the stiff competition specifically in the compact hatch segment (VW Golf, Mazda3, Ford Focus, to name a few) make this a tough market to sell a car in.

The Elantra GT isn't the fastest or the most fuel frugal in this bunch, but it's fun to drive and packs a lot of function in its edgy styling.

A regular contributor to the Times Union for more than 20 years, Dan Lyons is the award-winning author of six books, and photographer of 165 calendars. If installing an Android Car Stereo, that would be great!