The best cars and trucks have always resulted from the intersection of inspired design and advanced technology. That was true when a hand-crank was cutting edge engineering, when tailfins were the height of style, and it’s never been truer than today. The best cars, trucks and SUVs introduced this year demonstrate the peak of modern design and engineering.
Buyers’ traditional desires — dependability, capability, value — were amplified by economic and health concerns in 2020. At the same time, features to make cars safer than ever — for people and the planet — became an attainable reality for more drivers.
The 2021 Free Press vehicles of the year exemplify that.
Everything about the new Hyundai Elantra seems to be a step above its competition.
The new compact sedan makes a strong first impression with what may be the richest and most detailed video display of instruments and gauges on any vehicle. Glancing at the new Elantra’s gauges is like the first time you watched hockey on a high-def screen: Who knew you could see the puck? The Elantra’s simple, crystal clear gauges make you wonder why any automaker bothers with physical gauges any more.
Equally advanced and upscale, the Elantra is the first compact car to offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features some new luxury vehicles can’t match.
That attention to design and detail is apparent throughout the Elantra. The body’s crisp lines create a distinctive, modern and upscale look.
Design overcomes budget-conscious materials in the cockpit. Ergonomically located controls, including a 10.25-inch touch screen and classic dials and buttons for the controls where drivers want 'em — volume, tuning, temperature and fan — complete the roomy interior’s amenities.
Prices start at $19,650, and $25K gets you 16-inch aluminum wheels; pedestrian and cyclist detection; wireless charging, adaptive cruise control and more — value and safety other automakers should envy.
In addition to the thrifty 147-horsepower 2.0L-powered base model, the N-Line performance version arriving in dealerships now offers 201 hp and 18-inch wheels for $24,100. A hybrid arriving in spring delivers an EPA-estimated 54 mpg in combined city/highway EPA rating above 50 mpg. Hybrid prices will start at $23,550. All prices exclude destination charges.
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra also gets my vote for North American Car of the Year.
Second place: 2021 Nissan Sentra
Nissan’s new subcompact was perfectly suited to the nervous public mood when it debuted in 2020’s plague-ravaged spring.
Priced starting at $19,410, fitted with advanced safety features and delivering 33 mpg combined city/highway driving, the Sentra looked like a sure thing in uncertain times.
2020 Nissan Sentra is a good bet in uncertain times
Value and features make new compact sedan a good bet in uncertain times
Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press Auto Critic
The new subcompact sedan also is a breath of fresh air and new technology in a segment that’s important to entry-level buyers but increasingly neglected by manufacturers focused on more profitable small SUVs.
Like the Elantra, the Sentra also eschews the bargain basement looks that have plagued many small cars. Styled like a mini-Maxima, it’s rolling proof of the old adage that good design doesn’t cost any more than lackluster looks. The automaker just has to care about the product and respect its buyers.
Third place: 2021 Genesis G80
Hyundai’s 5-year-old Genesis luxury brand keeps getting better, and the midsize G80 marks another significant step.
Platform mate to the five-or seven-seat GV80 SUV, the G80 rides on a new rear-drive-based platform and boasts terrific interior materials and looks.
The cabin is spacious, topping more established luxury brands’ midrange sport sedans.
The 375-hp 3.5L twin-turbo V6 and base 300-hp 2.5L four-cylinder turbo engines are peppy, though handling is not the G80’s forté. Luxury, style and value are its strengths, particularly lovely, contrasting leather seats, open-pore wood and aluminum trim.
I found the G80’s combo rotary/touch pad controller for audio, nav, etc., a bit fussy. Simply moving the big 14.5-inch touch screen closer to the driver might be a better solution.
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January 03, 2021 at 06:01PM
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2021 Free Press Car of the Year: Hyundai Elantra is packed with value, style, features - Detroit Free Press
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