The 2023 Hyundai Elantra N Is a Fine Tuned Enthusiast’s Bargain

of hyundai The Veloster may have started Hyundai’s new sport-oriented party, but it ended early after Hyundai decided it wasn’t worth producing the entire model line. Ditched the first small, quirky three-door base and turbo trim, leaving the Veloster N hot hatch as the only sports hot hatch. Or i20N. After that, Kona N and Elantra N were introduced, and Veloster N was repelled at once. But is the Elantra N real?Is it, along with the Kona N, enough to fill the 3-door hot hatch hole in our hearts?After using the Elantra N for a week with him, I think the answer is yes .

What is the 2023 Hyundai Elantra N?

The Hyundai Elantra is a standard compact sedan meant to compete with cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra. However, like the former two of them, who have enthused versions of themselves in the form of the Honda Civic Si, Honda Civic Type R and Toyota GR Corolla, Hyundai has also challenged the ring with his Elantra. Once run by former BMW M executive Albert Biermann, his N division has worked its magic on the basic yet comfortable Elantra, transforming his sedan into a supersport compact that can challenge many names. .

There are no major changes to the Elantra N for 2023. The Elantra N is offered in only one trim, and aside from the choice of one of five colors, the only option available for the Elantra N is an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission. the $1,500 option. Otherwise, all Elantra Ns come from the factory with the same equipment.

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Outside, the Elantra N shares most of its lines with the standard Elantra sedan, but there are some racy changes to the exterior. Most surprisingly, the front fascia is a mass of matte black, with the N logo taking up space on one side of the blacked-out grille. Circling around the car are racy red-trimmed side skirts that look as if they were designed to induce downforce. Coupled with a black rear spoiler, big 19-inch his wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport, the whole package is very reminiscent of his TCR race car cousin. Some appreciate and love the racy styling, others find it a bit too much.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but one can’t call him Elantra N. It’s not.

The sporty atmosphere is also inherited in the interior. The Elantra N is almost identical to the standard Elantra. That said, the interior is spacious and comfortable, with an ergonomic and well-finished (for its price) dashboard. But Hyundai sprinkles sporty zest throughout the interior. The seats are racy, one-piece units with aggressive side bolstering and a lighted-up N logo in the center. Even though Alcantara is featured on the Elantra N, Hyundai’s stylists have thankfully refrained from smearing the worn-out material on every surface. The driving position is good and the steering wheel has plenty of adjustability. This means drivers of all shapes and sizes should be able to find their ideal driving position and fly the Elantra N comfortably through corners.

The 2023 Hyundai Elantra N offers 276 HP and 289 LB-FT of torque

Much of the Elantra N’s hardware is something you’ve seen before. It has the same 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that he has already tried in the Kona N, originally installed in the now-deceased Veloster N. The engine is direct injection and produces 276 horsepower and 289 ft/lb of torque. , the same power as the Kona N, but with more horsepower and torque than the Veloster N. All of that power juice is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or his eight-speed wet dual, which is an option on our test car. Clutch automatic transmission.

However, while the powertrains are similar, the platforms between the Kona N and Elantra N are different. The Elantra N is shared with the all-new Chia Niro in its latest updated design. The Elantra N is lower, wider and longer than the Kona N and has 40 different Elantra N specific engineering differences not found in other Hyundai N vehicles.

For example, the Elantra N uses an integrated drive axle, where the drive axle, wheel bearings and wheel hub are all one piece. According to Hyundai, this saves about 4 pounds per axle while adding strength and improving cornering handling. -Power. The front suspension has some clever electronically-controlled tricks, and Bush was developed specifically to please both the ride and handling gods.Overall, the Elantra N does better than the standard Elantra sedan because he It is reported to be 29% stiffer.

The Hyundai Elantra N is really fun to drive

And all these model-specific changes seem to be paying off. In short, the 2023 Hyundai Elantra N is, in a nutshell, great to drive. The Elantra N sounds instinctively, dynamically, aurally, all for the enthusiastic driver. So good that within his first 20 minutes of driving the car, he was a little frustrated that he had a test vehicle with his transmission automatic instead of the 6-speed manual.

Like the Kona N, the Elantra N is perfectly happy to give the best impression of a regular compact car when driven non-aggressively. In Eco or Normal mode, the transmission is smooth and unobtrusive, the car is reasonably quiet, and the ride is generally compliant, even with the large 19-inch wheels.

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Yet the Elantra N literally comes to life when you press one of the N buttons on the steering wheel or the drive mode selector on the center console. The pumped-in simulated sound called the N Sound Equalizer is arguably the best simulated sound in the business and delivers convincing sound to the Elantra N. Sounds blatantly bogus and low quality, as if it were a basic low bit rate WMA file played through the cheapest paper cone speakers an automaker could shove under the front seat. Raw and thirsty, well thought out and full bodied without being overpowering.

When you hit the accelerator, the Elantra N’s front-wheel drive design makes its presence known with a touch of torque steer. Still, it’s manageable and infuses a little personality. Not a sterile track machine, but a car that playfully fights back. The engine and transmission feel the same, the 2.0-liter turbo is laggy but feels charismatic as if the car is pushing you to push harder. It makes a fart-like sound that anyone who’s ever experienced a high-powered car with a dual-clutch gearbox knows. Happily, aside from a slight iota of torque steer, the Elantra N’s traction and cornering management are sublime. Cars can be placed on curves very easily. Limited-slip differentials help the car set corner exits and go where you want them, so accelerating out of them is rewarding. The steering is well weighted, communicative and fun for drivers of all skill levels.

The Hyundai Elantra N is a different beast than the Hyundai Kona N

When Hyundai introduced the Elantra N and Kona N and then phased out the Veloster N, how did Hyundai plan to make the cars different from each other despite sharing much of the same equipment? Both Kona N and Elantra N have the same 2.0-liter turbo engine and 8-speed DCT. Both rev about the same from 0 to 60 and one model seems to have an edge over the other depending on the day, driver and test drive conditions.

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But the spirit of the car is different. A car is more than a collection of parts. The Kona’s taller ride height and shorter wheelbase (about five inches lower than the Elantra N) make it feel more playful on the road. Throw the Kona N into a curve and it feels like an old Volkswagen GTI with the inside rear wheel lifted. By comparison, Elantra N’s demeanor might feel a little more focused and grown-up. I bet the Elantra N’s hunched stance makes it easier to drive hard and could result in faster lap times than the Kona N.

This is not to deny Kona N. You can’t go wrong with either car. Both are good, just different. The 2023 Hyundai Elantra N is a worthy sport compact As grand as the Elantra N is, it has a few minor issues. Similarly, the rear seat backrests don’t split and fold, they just fold as one large piece. There is also a large chassis brace that runs through the middle of the opening. Combined with the sedan body, the Elantra N may not be as practical as its hatchback rivals like the Honda Civic Type R. Also for someone who lives in the snow and cold and drives an Elantra N every day of the year the steering his wheels are not heated and the Michelin Pilot Sport is a summer only tire so invest in a set . Snow tires for tough conditions.

But after all, a 2023 Elantra N Start can be had for just $33,745, including a $1,095 destination charge. At $35,245, his 8-speed automatic test car in cyber gray is a complete bargain for its performance level. By comparison, his $44,390 price tag for the Civic Type-R is nearly $10,000 more. In theory, you can get a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla for just $36,995, but hopefully you can find it without the terrible dealer markup.

The 2023 Hyundai Elantra N is a really, really good car. This car likes to drive hard, but it’s also friendly and forgiving. The chassis and build are so solid, it’s a car that’s easy to drive, so you’ll often accidentally pick up speed. This is the perfect companion for his Kona N, his two-pronged attack intended to carry a torch lit by the Veloster N.