Electronic Stability Control has been labeled, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “the single most important safety advancement since the seatbelt.” The Elantra Touring was the first compact 5-door to make this a standard feature.
Start with the basics; a reinforced unibody made of high-tensile steel with crumple zones that shunt impact forces around the passenger cell. Then add bodyside reinforcements, hood-buckling creases, active front head restraints and an energy-absorbing steering column that absorbs the impact, so you don’t have to.
The best safety features are the ones that help prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Electronic Stability Control (ESC), combined with Hyundai’s Traction Control System (TCS) and computer-controlled braking of individual wheels, helps prevent the vehicle from skidding and leaving the road. If widely deployed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration feels it could save 10,000 lives a year.
There are six airbags, a combination that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says can reduce fatalities by 45%. Four-wheel, four-channel ABS brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution that seamlessly vary and adjust brake pressure to each wheel, as necessary, and provide maximum braking power and prevent wheel lockup. We’re making safety standard.
Let’s face it, even the best drivers can do little to avoid rear-end collisions. Hyundai has included active front head restraints that move forward and up during a rear impact, helping to reduce the effects of potential whiplash. The restraint mechanism uses body weight alone to react in a collision, making it simple, yet reliable.