Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2024 Hyundai Elantra

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Elantra doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Elantra doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Elantra doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Elantra doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Impreza and the Elantra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (182 vs. 147) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 132) than the Elantra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Hyundai Elantra:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Elantra doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Regardless of its engine, the Impreza’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Hyundai only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Elantra SE.

The Impreza has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Elantra (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Impreza’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Elantra:

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The discs on the Elantra are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Elantra (205/55R16 vs. 195/65R15).

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Elantra SE’s standard 65 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Elantra’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impreza has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Elantra SE. The Impreza Sport/RS’ 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels optional on the Elantra.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Hyundai Elantra has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Impreza has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza flat and controlled during cornering. The Elantra’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Elantra’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

The Impreza is 9.2 inches shorter than the Elantra, making the Impreza easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Elantra is rated a Mid-size.

The Impreza has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear hip room than the Elantra.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Elantra’s liftover is 28.4 inches.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impreza’s hatch uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Elantra’s useful trunk space.

The Impreza’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Elantra’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Elantra. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Elantra has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Impreza’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Elantra’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza has a standard rear wiper. The Elantra doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Elantra doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Elantra offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Elantra SEL/Limited.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the Hyundai Elantra, based on reliability, safety and performance.