The 2011 Chevy Cruze and 2011 Hyundai Elantra are both have both been redesigned for this year, and both are part of a new generation of small cars capable of more than 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra starts at $14,945 while the Cruze starts at $16,525 ($18,425 with the turbocharged engine).

The Chevy Cruze is available with two different engine choices for 2011. Base models get a 1.8-liter four cylinder engine with 136-hp and 123 ft-lb of torque, while upper-level trim lines are equipped with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 138-hp and 148 ft-lbs of torque. The 2011 Elantra gets a 1.8-liter four cylinder with 148-hp and 131 ft-lbs of torque. The Elantra is available with both a five-speed manual transmission and a five-speed automatic, while the Cruze is available with the choice between a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic in base trim. The six-speed automatic is the only transmission available on turbocharged models except for the ECO trim level, which only comes with a stick shift.

Both the 2011 Cruze and the 2011 Elantra are capable of over 40-mpg highway, though in the Cruze, only the ECO trim line beats that number, with a 42-mpg highway rating. Other Cruze models are rated at 24-city mpg and 36 highway (base models 26 city and 36 highway). The 2011 Hyundai Elantra gas mileage is even across the range, with a 29-mpg city rating and a 40-mpg highway rating.

In addition to getting better gas mileage and being more powerful (though the Cruze does have more torque with the turbocharged engine), the 2011Hyundai Elantra is larger inside than the 2011 Chevy Cruze, despite being an inch and a half shorter, 0.8 inches thinner and 2.7 inches shorter. Front head room is 40.0 inches to the Cruze’s 39.3, front shoulder room 53.5 inches to the Cruze’s 53 and front leg room in the Elantra is 43.6 inches while the Cruze has just 42.3. The Cruze has more rear head and leg room than the Elantra, with 37.9 inches of head room and 35.4 inches of leg room in the back seat compared to the Elantra’s 37.1 inches of rear head room and 33.1 inches of leg room. There is more rear hip and shoulder room in the Elantra, with 52.7 and 54.8 inches compared to the Cruze with 52.4 and 53.9. The Cruze has a larger trunk than the Elantra with 15.4 cubic feet of cargo room. The Elantra has 14.8 cubic feet of trunk space.