The Honda Civic has long been the reigning king of small sedans, in both sales and critical acclaim. Yet South Korean automaker Hyundai has been making waves in recent months with its well-designed vehicles that often come in much cheaper than the competition.

According to CNET, the Civic "should definitely be afraid" of the new Elantra GLS. The news provider was able to get some one-on-one time with the new vehicle, and they came away thoroughly impressed.

Hyundai markets the new Elantra as "the compact car other compact car makers don't want you to know about," and it seems like there's something to the hype. In terms of performance, CNET only preferred the Honda's handling to the Hyundai. The Elantra beats its Japanese counterpart in both pure power and fuel economy. Plus, it comes with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty, which is the best in the industry.

The interiors of the two vehicles are pretty similar, although the Elantra does have an option for a rearview camera, which isn't offered by Honda.

As tested, CNET reports that the Elantra GLS would have ran them about $20,230 – approximately $3,000 less than a similarly-equipped Civic. There's no doubt that the new Elantra will give drivers great value, but those interested in the vehicle may want to wait until it hits the used car market before committing to a purchase so that they can save even more.