2020 Hyundai Elantra gets a CVT, boost in fuel economy

While Hyundai and Kia share many powertrains, one unusual split was when the Hyundai Elantra continued using traditional torque converter automatics and dual-clutch transmissions, but the Kia Forte received a CVT. It appears that will change soon, as the EPA's FuelEconomy.gov website shows a 2020 Hyundai Elantra is getting a CVT, probably from the Forte. And it results in a very attractive fuel economy improvement.

Currently, there are only numbers for Elantras with the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four. It's likely other trims and engines such as the Sport with the turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four and the GT hatchback line will be listed later. You can see the fuel economy differences between the 2.0-liter models in the chart below.

There are some other interesting aspects regarding the new fuel economy numbers. First, the Elantra SE is now effectively as efficient as the 2019 Elantra Eco, which got a unique turbocharged 1.4-liter engine and a dual-clutch 7-speed transmission. Compared to the 2020 SE, the 2019 Eco gets one more mpg in the city, but one less on the highway, and combined fuel economy is the same. This makes us wonder if the Eco might disappear for 2020. Then again, if the CVT is added to that 1.4-liter engine, the Eco could pick up more fuel economy and surpass even the new SE. The other interesting aspect about the new Elantras is that they now have identical fuel economy to CVT-equipped Kia Fortes, which is part of why we suspect the powertrains are the same.

Pricing and availability have not been announced. We expect they will be revealed later in the year along with other model year updates.