You aren't dreaming. A Hyundai Elantra is now the best small sports sedan you can buy.
Imagine it’s 2006. You’re sitting at a coffee shop, reading, mainly because the iPhone and all the time-wasting doom-scrolling activities that came with it weren’t invented yet. Suddenly, someone appears and says they’re from 2022. You ask them what the future is like, and the answer mildly terrifies you. Then you ask what the best small import sedan is, and they tell you it’s a Hyundai Elantra. You laugh and tell them to take a hike. They must be lying.
Sixteen years after that encounter, it turns out they were right about everything, especially the Elantra.
James Lipman
Hyundai’s latest sports sedan is its best N product yet, a finely tuned product that’s focused on driver enjoyment more than straight numbers. It’s the final act from former BMW man Albert Biermann, Hyundai’s now-retired head of R&D. And it shows that Biermann’s first N product, the Veloster N–our 2020 Performance Car of the Year–was no fluke.
The Elantra rides on Hyundai’s new front-drive platform, which let them fit wider rubber all around. There’s a torque vectoring front diff, endless adjustment to the drive modes, overboost to get the 2.0 liter four to 286 hp, and a delightful six-speed manual gearbox.
The way it drives is sublime. It doesn’t have the most grip or the most power, but it actually communicates with the driver unlike many cars on the road. And it’s proof that some of the best cars come from talented engineers working with humble components.
This is the sort of car internet commenters have been asking for: a fun, fast, inexpensive sports sedan that emphasizes driving pleasure over all else. A hell of an achievement.
Keyword: The Hyundai Elantra N Is the Real Deal