Few places are more demanding on a sports car than Sonoma Raceway just north of San Francisco, with its blind crests, limited runoff, and bumpy braking zones. But that’s where Hyundai chose to give the automotive media our first extended crack at both the 2022 Elantra N. That shows a lot of confidence in the new Elantra N, which arrives with the Kona N to join the Veloster N in a growing performance lineup.
That relation to the Veloster N is a positive one. If you measure the performance capability of the Veloster N in smiles-per-dollar, there isn’t anything that can compete with the small Hyundai at the moment. The Elantra N takes many of the same mechanical parts, tosses in a new platform and some upgrades, and the resulting performance stew is very tasty indeed.
A throughline between all of Hyundai’s N cars (and even the Sonata N-Line could be thrown in that mix) is a big focus on fun. Their development process seems to be “that sounds fun, let’s go for it,” and the result is a playfulness that’s accompanied by serious performance. Albert Biermann, President of R&D for both Hyundai and Kia, admitted that “we spend more time on the N cars than anything else, not the Hyundais, Kia, or even Genesis.” It shows.
2022 Hyundai Elantra N
Keyword: 2022 Hyundai Elantra N excels in every environment for $32,925