Woh the new Hyundai Elantra. Have you seen it? Oh, you haven’t? Well, that’s not a surprise, since Hyundai’s U.S. division hasn’t announced a refreshed version of its sensible small sedan. But Hyundai in Korea showed off the new 2024 Elantra (called Avante in the home market) earlier this year, and given how good it looks, it’s no surprise that the fast version — the Hyundai Elantra N — looks this fantastic. Let’s take a gander.
I think we need to start by remembering what the current Hyundai Elantra N looks like, and then we’ll discuss what it’s got under the hood, since various news outlets think the mechanicals might remain the same for the 2024 model. Okay, here’s the 2023 Hyundai Elantra N sold in the U.S.:
Not bad, right? You know what else isn’t bad? A 2.0-liter turbo inline-four that makes 276 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque, sending that all electronic limited slip differential at the front axle, but not before going through this:
That’s right: A six-speed manual transmission! If that sticks (hehe) around, I’ll be thrilled, because this new Hyundai Elantra N looks slick:
You can watch the debut video above — which coincided with the Shanghai Auto Show — or just peek at some stills below:
That looks great, which isn’t surprising given that the new Avante looked like a nice step up from the outgoing one:
How do you all feel about this new Elantra and Elantra N? I wouldn’t call it a revolutionary styling step, but a nice move away from “weird” and towards “aggressive,” which I don’t mind for a sports sedan.
All Images: Hyundai
Really like the new design and the wheels are looking real good.
The new front end is a huge improvement. I’d love one with the wing removed in a neutral color.
It’s alright. It’s a hell of a lot better-looking than the current model, but then so is a smashed opossum. I still think that periwinkle blue color Hyundai likes to put on their N cars looks gross with all the angles and red accents. It’s an improvement, but it’s still not great.
Serious question: do the N models actually hold up?
Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, in general, do not hold up on the track. You can enter a nearly brand new HKG into Lemons, and they won’t give you penalty laps, because they know it’ll blow up.
It’s too early to know definitively but they’re designed to be track-able stock and the warranty on the N products covers track use. I’ve seen Veloster Ns with 6 figure mileage around.
Too bad they didn’t make a Elantra GT N
That would have been nice
They do, the i30 N. I actually think it’s my favorite N car. It’s a damn shame we don’t get it in the US.
To quote IG12- YES
It’s an improvement, particularly the grille. The previous Elantra (particularly in N trim) still looks to me like it survived an accident. Like there was *supposed* to be a body-colored front panel there, but it got knocked off and you’re seeing the black plastic underpinnings that are meant to be hidden.
The new one is a step up in this regard. It no longer looks like an accident; it has been upgraded to looking like an odd design decision. (The shapes themselves are all fine now, but why is so much of it black?)
All that said, I’m sure the car is great, and I’m still rooting for Hyundai to succeed and I’m happy they’re doing bold things with car design even when I don’t always 100% agree with the end results.
I agree, I want Hyundai to succeed. The new N trims look good, and something that I hope that the tuner crowd looks to keep including the N lineup vehicles in the scene.
My only issue with the Elantra is that my fired intern bought one. I can’t remove the image of driving around a car that my intern was driving around in, regardless of tranny. I’m an adult now, and that made this a kids car to me. Great car! Pretty car! Kids car…
What a sad way of looking at the world.
The older I get, the more I realize the best part of being an adult is not having to give a shit what other people think like the youths do. You’re allowed to like what you like. Go get your damn Elantra N and enjoy life. It’s short.
My biggest annoyance with the current Elantra is the grille and is the main reason I haven’t pulled the trigger on the hybrid. This looks much better. The 2024 hybrid version has climbed up the top of my list to replace my 2019 Elantra. Although if the Kona gets hybridized that would probably climb over everything else I’m interested in.
“All cars look boring and the same” – Most people
“That car is ugly, make it look boring again” – Same group of people
Things like this are a bit odd, and very subjective of course. I thought the old styling of the elantra (and sonata) looked fresh, new, and interesting. The updated styling for both are great as well, I’m just confused at all the hate the styling got in the first place on both platforms before the updated styling.
Another vehicle that I’m hearing VERY different opinions on in terms of “does it look cool or does it look stupid/ugly” are for the Jeep Gladiator. I think it’s decent, proportions are a bit goofy, but I’d own one for it’s utility/offroadability.
However… I’m kinda surprised at how many people I’ve spoken to who have a HATRED for the way the Gladiator looks. And I live in prime Jeep country.
Bought an Elantra last year (sadly not an N). I wasn’t looking for it specifically, but it was what was available at a decent price at the time. This was still during the shortages. Honestly, I’m pretty happy with it overall. As a middle aged man, I may have gotten a bit too old and pudgy to have gotten a car that sits so low, but it’s worth it for the gas mileage. What struck me was all the compliments that I got on it. It’s a Hyundai for god’s sake! I couldn’t understand it, but people really liked the looks. I prefer KIA’s design language when it comes to the nose, but the only thing that I’d change about how my car looks is the color. It’s grey (Fluid Metal by Hyundai’s listing). I’ve seen two similar models in a deep blue, almost purple color that looks really good on it. Kinda wish that I had that.
As someone who owns a 2023 Tucson I also agree that Hyundai could offer better color options, at least on lower-trim models. But that’s also probably some of the cost-cutting the need to do for lower trim specs so, (shrug).
I live in subprime Jeep country.
hahaha, well… if you look at it from a financing perspective, we all probably live in sub-prime jeep country. Most of the US is also subprime F-Series country too.
Loving that they are using the TCR scheme
I actually rather like this one. The front end strongly reminds me of current Audi/VWs. Also the very sharp lines down the side are different and interesting, in a good way. Looks kinda prone to door dings though.
The German comp makes sense considering they grabbed Albert Biermann from BMW to spearhead the Ns. Naturally they offer a very German driving experience as a result and seem to have taken some design cues as well. I’ve always joked with people who ask me about mine that the Ns are essentially the working man’s M car.
I mean, it’s an improvement… but it’s still fugly. They reduced the front end from being 95% black plastic to maybe 85% black plastic. The wheels are also atrocious to me. Reminds me of the flower petal wheels of the mid-teens SHOs. Which is not a good thing.
I don’t often completely check cars off my “would drive” list because of aesthetics, but this is definitely one of them. I’m sure it’s a hoot to drive though.
Your loss. The Ns are some of the best affordable driver’s cars on the road today. I guess there’s always the GTI or Civic Si if blending into the background is your goal. But in cars designed with fun being the primary goal I’d rather they have a little personality. Out of curiosity, what do you think of the current GR Corolla or last gen Civic Type R? To my eyes they’re far louder than this is visually speaking.
GR Corolla/Civic Type R/WRX and the like are all too boy-racer for me. On the other end of the spectrum, GTIs and Sis are too boring. I like cars that evoke some emotion but that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to have valet parked at a nice restaurant or hotel. If we’re talking this segment, I’d say my first choice would be a Mazda 3 Turbo. But really my style is more curvy coupes. My realistic dream car is a 981 Cayman S. I could do with a 987 though. My current (heavily but tastefully modified) 350Z is what I consider a poor man’s version of that.
You are very right. I feel like a lot of people give the Civic a pass while judging the Ns harshly. This certainly is more subtle than that Type R. The GR Corolla I’d put close to the same level as this, which is to say I don’t mind its looks too much, either.
That said, it could be even uglier without being a problem in my opinion. You buy the car to enjoy driving it, and the more enjoyment you get inside the car, the more willing you are to overlook the outside. Or, at least that is how I feel.
Absolutely fantastic. This car is one of the best performance bargains on the road today and it’s honestly one of the most engaging vehicles I’ve driven that isn’t a purpose built sports car. Hell I’d say it’s the most engaging four door car I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking for a rip. IMHO the current car’s only real weaknesses are the styling and the low rent interior…with the styling being the most egregious by a significant margin.
It was an ugly car, point blank. The gaping maw did look better with darker colors but when this is offered in an amazing and exclusive blue why wouldn’t you spec it that way? Plus it’s available in stick for all the no manual no dice crowd and the DCT is incredible as well. I have it in my Kona N…the shifts are lightning quick, it never goes gear hunting, the paddles are instantaneous in their responses, and when driven hard in sportier settings you can physically feel the shifts…not to mention it’ll let you bounce it off the rev limiter like a monkey in every gear except first.
I’m happy they realized the error of their ways and made the EN look like less of a youthful hoon. You can now drive this to work as a grown ass adult and not look like you’re trying too hard now. Shit…will I swap my Kona N for it now that it’s not so ridiculous looking? Stay tuned, commentariat. Stay tuned.
This redesign makes me miss the Elantra GT (or i30 for the rest of the world) even more. I’d love to see the GT N with this new design scheme and performance tech. While yes, the Ioniq 5 N hits the same aesthetics, it’s significantly less affordable for the average car buyer.
The Kona is fine as its chubby CUV big-brother, but it sits slightly too high off the ground and the interior felt lackluster compared to the new Elantra. My experience might also be colored by the one I test-drove just for fun had all the lights flash on at the end, which probably explained why someone traded it in at 18,000 miles. Though that big red NGS button might be the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. More cars need big red buttons.
My MK7.5 GTI had already had multiple unscheduled service visits in the time I’ve owned my Kona N for. Other than scheduled maintenance and swapping out the tires for performance all seasons last fall I haven’t had to do anything and it’s currently at 6,000 miles. I even avoided the DCT recall.
Honestly the powertrains are rock solid and are overbuilt. I’ve seen a few Veloster Ns with six figure mileage. That being said people have had a couple hiccups and the usual Hyundai/Kia QC demons are always present. As far as the driving goes you eventually learn to just accept it as a tall hatchback. The higher seating position is weird but you get used to it. I throw mine around like a maniac and the only time it’s ever felt unsettled is under hard, hard braking from speeds I will take the 5th on.
The back end can get as little squirrelly under hard braking but as long as you keep a good grip on the wheel it’s fine. I may upgrade the brakes and suspension at some point but the aftermarket is still in development so I’m not in any rush.
I loved Hyundai and at one point bought new an accent, elantra and sonata and when our sonata needed oil just to drive to get an oil change and needed oil like an old rx-7 we changed brands. I hope they keep making good and good looking cars but it may be a while before we are back.
As TR used to say, “Speak softly and drive a stick; you will go far.” Or something like that.
Strangely all the vehicles in his fleet were white.
In 1902, he was the 1st President to publicly ride in an automobile, a Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton – and it was a BEV! Beat Joe Biden to it by 120 years.