The 2021 model year has witnessed several trends in the automotive industry. Automakers pledging to go all-electric. Prices breaking records. The rebirth of the compact pickup.
But perhaps the quietest one has been the renaissance of the affordable high-performance sedan.
Cheap Cars Made Fast
Manufacturers used to routinely send their mainstream compact cars through teams of engineers to speed them up. They’d add bigger brakes, firmer transmission tuning, turbocharging, and engine cooling tricks honed on race cars to make a quicker version for stoplight-to-stoplight fun.
But, as Americans bought more SUVs and fewer sedans, cars that could get your pulse pounding without requiring luxury car outlays grew rare.
They’re back. There may be no better proof of that than the new kid on the block.
276 Horsepower, Built for Corners
To build the Elantra N, Hyundai took its award-winning practical small sedan (currently number one in our list of the best small cars) and gave it a 276-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. Stealing a trick from your PS5, they then gave it a “boost button” on the steering wheel that adds 10 more horses for 20 seconds.
They revamped the rear suspension and gave it an electronic limited-slip differential to improve the handling. They gave it bigger brakes to help drivers hold a line more efficiently. And they put it all on wider tires for added grip.
Lots of Competition, but a Fair Starting Price
That combination will cost $31,900 with a 6-speed manual transmission and $33,400 with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. Hyundai also requires a $1,025 destination fee on all Elantras.
The price isn’t unreasonable on its face. The top-of-the-line Elantra Limited starts at $33,950 and makes just 180 horsepower.
But it’s a well-placed early shot in the performance sedan war.
The Elantra N’s purest rival is probably a Honda Civic, but it can be hard to decide which one. Honda will build two performance-enhanced Civics for 2022.
They’ve dropped the curtain on the more affordable Civic Si, which costs nearly $5,000 less than the Elantra N. It has far less power at just 200 horses – but a long-established name and fanbase. It might have been logical for Hyundai to target this one.
But the Elantra N is likely closer in output to the other one. Honda has yet to show off the more muscular Civic Type R beyond a few heavily-disguised teaser shots. But it traditionally offers more power and a higher price. The 2021 model starts at $37,895. A replacement is likely to mean a slight price bump. So the Elantra N might now be a logical way for Civic Type R shoppers to get most of what they want and save some money in the process.
Volkswagen’s Golf Type R also deserves mention. It reappears for the 2022 model year, with a higher price than any of its competitors at $43,645.
Lastly, the Subaru WRX makes its return for 2022. We don’t have pricing on the Subie yet, and its off-road chops make it a bit of a loner in the high-performance sedan lunchroom.
Keyword: Hyundai Elantra N Priced About $32k — Nearly $5K Over Honda Civic Si