Hyundai may be the most impressive car line in America today, and that certainly includes their compact model, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The Elantra, in the United States for more than 15 years now, is the best selling model in the Hyundai line.

Competition comes from everywhere. In America it includes the Chevy Cobalt, Dodge Caliber and Ford Focus. From Japan the Honda Civic, Mazda Mazda3 and the Toyota Corolla. Europe also has a hand in this pie with such cars as the Subaru Impreza and the Volkswagen Rabbit. Many are good and some are very good, but all around it would be surprising if any of them were a better deal than the Elantra.

The Elantra body style has not changed since the 2007 model year, but there are some new things for 2009. These include USB for your iPod, a larger audio display, better satellite radio, an enhanced instrument cluster and changes in the suspension that make for better handling and ride. None of these changes are major.

The standard motor and transmission combination is a 2.0 liter, 138 horsepower I4 gasoline engine with a 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive. You can substitute a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Fuel efficiency, especially in city driving, is one of Elantra's strong suits at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 33 miles per gallon on the highway with the automatic transmission. The manual transmission gets a mile less per gallon in the city.

There are two trims for Elantra, the GLS and the SE, with the SE being the nicer. That being said, there are only three things you can get on the SE that you can't get on the GLS - alloy wheels (the GLS come with steel wheels) and leather and heated seats. Everything else the SE has you can get on the GLS as an option.

The Elantra gets nothing less than 4 stars from NHTSA - for front side and rear side impact collisions and rollover. Front impact collisions are 5-star. Overall, this is somewhat on the good side of average for safety ratings. Elantra also has a number of the top safety features, including child safety locks, tire pressure monitor, trunk safety release and, of course, plenty of airbags. Other safety features are available as options, especially on the SE.

The 2009 Hyundai Elantra is light on horsepower for its class, but that's about its only knock. Aside from those things already mentioned, it is ahead of class in legroom and warranty, which is advertised by Hyundai as the best in America. And at a measly $14,120 it is also several thousand dollars below class average on price. All in all, it's hard not to like anything Hyundai puts out, and the Elantra is no exception.