For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Kia K4 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.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia K4 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Hyundai Elantra has not been tested.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The K4 GT-Line Turbo offers optional Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Elantra doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
The K4 GT-Line Turbo offers an optional Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Elantra only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
Both the K4 and the Elantra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia K4 is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:
|
K4 |
Elantra |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
16.7% |
21% |
Neck Stress |
129 lbs. |
268 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
39 lbs. |
51 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
30.2% |
42% |
Neck Stress |
118 lbs. |
177 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia K4 is safer than the Hyundai Elantra:
|
K4 |
Elantra |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
1 inches |
1.2 inches |
Abdominal Force |
196 lbs. |
239 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
320 |
345 |
Spine Acceleration |
66 G’s |
68 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
11 inches |
11 inches |
HIC |
178 |
184 |
Hip Force |
693 lbs. |
954 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.