Spend any time behind the wheel of the Hyundai Veloster N and you’ll know right away that the brand is serious about building performance cars. As a follow-up to the lovable three-door hot hatch, the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N offers many of the same sensations, with a few notable tweaks. We lined up the two side-by-side on video to see what’s different.
We’ve seen the Elantra N a few times already and took a brief prototype drive late last year, but this was our first chance to see a camo-free production model and poke around on camera. Hyundai was also kind enough to loan us a 2021 Veloster N for reference.
Dressed in the same shade of Performance Blue as the Veloster and adorned with the same red accents found on all N models, the two cars have a lot in common. But the Veloster dates back a few years when Hyundai was less outlandish with its car designs and kept the quirks to a minimum. Contrasting this, the Elantra’s many shapes, angles, and details make it the more aggressive-looking car of the two.
However, it’s the interior where the Elantra really takes a big step forward over the older Veloster. The biggest upgrade is the new screen package, with twin 10.3-inch displays which include far more parameters to customize the drive experience. Dig into the settings and the Elantra offers three-stage adjustable steering, exhaust sound, suspension, and more. Beyond that, there’s a launch control button, lap timer, and even a page that lets you make the engine noise coming through the speakers sound like a rally car or TCR racer.
Under the hood, things are very even between the two. They both use a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, pumping out 276 horsepower in the Elantra and 275 in the Veloster. Both cars also offer a standard six-speed manual, with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic available as an option. After hearing the Elantra N rev for the first time, we’re happy to report that it sounds equally dramatic as the Veloster N.
We’ll get to drive the Elantra N in the coming weeks ahead of its on-sale date later this year. Pricing isn’t confirmed yet, but we can expect it to start around $35,000. Check back to Motor1.com to read the full review, and subscribe to our Youtube channel to see all of our latest videos.
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Gallery: 2022 Elantra N vs. 2021 Hyundai Veloster N
