You’ve got to give kudos to Hyundai. In this day and age several car makers have left the sedan market all together because they just couldn’t hack it. They couldn’t manage to build anything worth buying.
Hyundai though, they not only stick it out with the Elantra but they go bonkers bold with a high-performance model that way overshoots anything else in its path. Enter the 2022 Elantra N with up to 286 horsepower and all of the go-fast stuff that virtually nobody else will sell you in this class.
Building upon their high-performance N brand, the new Elantra N shows up with the sharpest styling iteration of the car yet with bold ground-effects front to back featuring red N-logo bits and pieces that just pop.
A more aggressive front fascia and grille treatment give it a rougher tougher look. At the rear, a performance oriented rear bumper fascia frames its huge exhaust tips nicely. And make no mistake, these are not fake breasts.
You’ll note also how those wheels fill the wells tightly as t hey should, sporting 19-inch alloy wheels and 245/35 ZR 19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Through them you can see massive 14.2-inch brake rotors. All of it just looks like a bad ass art project doesn’t it?
The cabin too gets a full sport treatment with a unique steering wheel including the steering wheel with paddle shifters and the NGS button which can raise horsepower to 286 for up to 20 seconds for DCT equipped cars.
There are also special sport seats which sit lower in the car, unique door panels, metal pedals and all the rest of the dress up items you’d expect. The infotainment and electronics have been amped up to add to your experience with augmented sound from the engine which you can adjust to your taste by way of electronics and the variable exhaust valve system. The instrument cluster also unique features a sportier look to go along with several special displays and aps for your high-performance driving forays.
All of it surrounds the extra power and handling which starts with its high-output 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected engine which puts out 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque. It can briefly hit 286 horsepower for up to 20 seconds with NGS mode.
You can have the Elantra N with either a six-speed manual or Hyundai’s new N eight-speed wet, dual-clutch transmission known as N DCT. The aforementioned NGS mode however only comes with the DCT.
Power goes to the ground through what Hyundai calls their N Corner Carving Differential which is an electronic limited slip. Drive modes and routines are aplenty if you get the DCT including Launch Control, N Grin Shift, N Power Shift, and N Track Sense Shift.
The body structure features additional bracing and enhancements to give a more rigid and solid platform for the upgraded springs and electronically adjustable dampers. And integrated drive axle combing drive shafts, wheel hubs and bearings saves weight and adds strength.
There are so many modifications and performance enhancements here that are too vast to list. What will it do 0-60? What will it cost? We’ll have to wait until closer to launch later this year to find out.
