Just when we thought conventional four-door sedans were afterthoughts, along comes the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. From the onset, the Elantra is a bigger, sleeker, and wider car, which is great if you want to lead the supersized compact segment dominated by the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. I have an inkling for Elantras in general. I’ve driven lots of Elantras over the years, although I never had the chance of owning one.

And the introduction of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra makes me think I was missing out.

Elantras & Lancers: Setting The Stage

I?ve had the privilege of owning a bevy of Japanese cars, most particularly Mitsubishi sedans and coupes from the previous millennia. The Elantra started its life using a pair of Mitsubishi-designed 4G15 DOHC 1.5-liter and 4G61 1.6-liter DOHC engines. Back in the day, Hyundai Automotive was in its early stages of development, which meant the company had to rely on existing platforms and powertrains to kickstart a new generation of automobiles.
The first-generation J1 Elantra, on the market from 1990 to 1995, is mechanically related to the Mitsubishi Lancer (or Mirage in some parts of the world). And you know what, Mitsubishi was the bomb in the early and late 90s. You?ve heard of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series" You see, the Evolution I (yes, the very first Lancer Evo) was born in 1992 and was based on the current-generation Lancer at that time. The original Evo rally car was based on the 1987 Galant ...