2025 Hyundai Elantra N Doesn’t Look Any Better, But It’s Still A Performance Bargain

Compact sports cars are always fun to review. They bring me back to my 18-year-old self at the turn of the millennium, modding my 1991 Honda Civic, watching the original Fast and Furious movie for the fifth time, and wasting time tuning yet another ride in Gran Turismo.

Today, 41-year-old me still gets a kick out of hooning modified compacts on my favorite back road. Honda Civic Si. Civic Type R. Golf R. GTI. Subaru WRX. GR Corolla. They’re all fantastic little cars. Even the posh German brands will sell you a fun pocket rocket these days. Expensive, sure. But rascals like the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 – a car I had the pleasure of reviewing last summer – remind me why I still love this rebellious segment.

And then there’s this guy, the black sheep of the compact car world: the Hyundai Elantra N. Historically, the Elantra was never associated with performance. Hyundai also never really had a chance to hop into the highly influential 1990s automotive pop culture like the Japanese car brands did. So, while the hardware in this car is appealing, the Elantra N remains a sports compact that most car enthusiasts prefer not flocking towards due to social status. That’s a shame, because this is currently the best compact sports car bargain money can buy.

2025 Hyundai Elantra N First Impressions

I already shared my opinion about the way the recently updated Elantra looks in my review of the regular car, so I won’t go too into detail about this. I don’t like the way this car looks. Even if the N adds more aggressive front and rear bumpers, larger wheels, bigger brakes, a prominent rear wing and a neat red lower lip that surrounds the car, it still looks sort of weird and kind of like a squashed fish. Just a meaner, more serious-looking squashed fish.

Exterior Dimensions

2025 Hyundai Elantra N: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

The Elantra N is the same car on both sides of the border, and since it’s essentially a trim level of the Elantra lineup, there isn’t much left to add in terms of extra packages and accessories. It’s the exact same car in the U.S. as it is in Canada, with the same choice of colors and accessories. In both cases, the only choice you really have is either a dual-clutch automatic (DCT) or a manual transmission for a $1,500 ($1,600 CAD) difference.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown (model tested in bold)

Driving Impressions And Performance

This is the second time I have driven the Elantra N. The first time was at Sonoma during its launch two years ago, and I absolutely adored the car for the way it behaved in the corners, the immense level of front wheel grip that would put a Honda Civic Type R to shame, one of the best chassis calibrations I’ve witnessed this side of a VW Golf GTI, and the downright rambunctious nature of its powertrain.

In 2024, Hyundai applied a few technical changes to the car, notably reinforced engine mounts, new steering components, and updated rear-suspension bushings. The engine is the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that’s good for 276 horsepower (or 286 if you opt for the DCT) and 289 lb-ft of torque.

I absolutely adore this thing. I think what truly shines through about the Elantra N is that it doesn’t feel like a botched job, but rather like a genuinely thought-out effort by people who are actually interested in making a car fun to drive and genuinely fast. The Elantra N is as athletic, stiff, direct and engaging as any of its established rivals. I love how loud the exhaust pops can be, or how muted the entire experience can become. The manual gearbox isn’t as slick or as quick as in a Honda, but it can definitely hold its own against a Golf R’s. And its steering wheel has a tendency to always communicate what the front wheels are doing under load, which only adds to the driving fun, but also appropriately fast lap times.

Set it back to its more casual settings, and the Elantra N is also easy to live with. Sure, it’s a tad stiffer than the regular car, and the narrowness of its sports bucket seats will always remind you of what you’re driving. But generally speaking, the Elantra N can also be a fantastic Elantra. In other words, it’s comfortable, smooth, easy to live with and practical thanks to its sedan layout.

Performance Specifications

2025 Hyundai Elantra N Fuel Consumption

Obviously, due to its performance, the Elantra N isn’t the fuel sipper you’d expect from a normal model. But according to the EPA, this thing still gets 24 MPG combined when equipped with the manual transmission. That’s 1 MPG more than the DCT, by the way. I averaged 23 MPG during a warm week in early fall, which is decent.

EPA And As Tested Fuel Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort

Except for more aggressive seats, a performance-focused steering wheel and thick, meaty manual shifter, the Elantra N’s interior is familiar Elantra stuff. In typical Hyundai fashion, build quality is above average for this segment, while the overall layout of the manual controls is second to none. I like how Hyundai still gives us physical controls to play around with stuff. Seat comfort is excellent, so is the all-around visibility. The steering itself integrates the two customizable N buttons – like in the IONIQ 5 N – as well as a Rev button, which turns on or off the automatic rev matching feature.

Rear seat comfort in an Elantra N is just as good as in any ordinary Elantra, which means excellent. I can see myself sitting comfortably back there for long rides. There’s an ample amount of leg and headroom, even for tall passengers. The front sports bucket seats don’t take away from the available legroom, neither. As a matter of fact, rear legroom in the N is exactly the same as in the normal car.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

Again, technology in the Elantra N is a rince and repeat from the regular models. The dashboard is essentially divided into two different tablet displays – a trend in today’s auto industry – housing the infotainment system on one side, and a digital display on the other. For the N, Hyundai adds model-specific gauges, as well an entirely dedicated menu for performance. That’s where things become interesting, and highly confusing.

On paper, the idea of being able to pre-configure performance parameters for one of the two available N buttons on the steering wheel, is a great one. It’s the same approach as BMW with its M cars. For instance, you can configure the left N button to be more toned down, with a softer suspension damping and a quieter exhaust, while the second N button can be linked to a more aggressive, a stiff suspension, and a louder, popping exhaust setup.

The problem here is that there isn’t an actual N mode to select from in the available drive modes. So, the only way to actually activate N mode is by hitting one of your preset buttons. The drive modes themselves are basically what you’ll be getting from a normal Elantra; Normal, Eco and Sport. While setting everything to its most aggressive settings within the performance menu has you believing you’ve unlocked the car’s full potential, you’ll still only be in Sport mode until you actually hit one of the magic buttons on the steering wheel. It’s ridiculously complicated and confusing.

The upside to all of this is that Hyundai presents the performance menus in a clear and fast-responding interface. There’s a slew of handy data in there for you to play with, like lap time recorders, G force meters and engine telemetrics to constantly monitor its state of health.

Cargo And Storage Space

While the Elantra N remains a practical car due to its compact sedan format, the N adds a large V brace behind the rear seats for improved rigidity. I like that, because it shows you that Hyundai is taking performance seriously with this car. It also clearly demonstrates how different the N is in terms of chassis rigidity.

The downside is that it sacrifices part of this car’s practicality in the event that you need to pass things through the rear seats. What’s particularly alarming about this feature is that none of the Elantra N’s competitors have this problem, but are still just as agile around a race circuit. The trunk itself, at least, offers the exact same cargo capacity as in a regular Elantra.

The Underdog Of Compact Car Performance

At the end of the day, while the 2025 Hyundai Elantra N looks odd and doesn’t wear a coveted Type R or GTI badge, there’s no denying what you’re getting for the price. This is hands down one of the most entertaining, capable, quick and seriously well-sorted-out sports compact cars that modern money can buy. The good news is that you can get one of these bad boys for several thousand dollars less than its main rivals. So if brand recognition means nothing to you, then know that this underdog of a pocket rocket is the segment’s best-kept secret.