Sport Compact Showdown: Honda Civic Type R vs Hyundai Elantra N

Two front-wheel drive heroes face off in our full comparison test. But only one can be victorious.

Photo by: Motor1.com

Chris Rosales

By: Chris Rosales

Jan 4, 2025 at 10:00am ET

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It’s the battle of the front-drive heroes, established swag versus the new kid, the Honda Civic Type R versus the Hyundai Elantra N. Editor-at-large Alanis King and I took the two sport compact heroes to the canyons to find out a simple question: Which is better?

Budget performance has never been better. Though “cheap” is a relative term, the $45,595 Civic Type R and $35,100 Elantra N are the pinnacle of front-driven sport compact cars, and are both in the realm of attainability. The issue is just how close the Hyundai Elantra N gets for over $10,000 less.

Even with that price gap, the Elantra N and CTR feel like a natural comparison, two cars that have broadly similar specs, purposes, and audiences. Yet, they don't tackle the issue of front-drive in the same way. Each car leverages technology in almost diametrically opposed ways, with the Elantra making the very best of mechanical grip, while the Type R uses brake vectoring trickery to bend physics to its will.

What do you think?

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Here’s the kicker: With its 2025 updates, the Elantra N gets startlingly close to the Type R in outright performance. Where before you could make the argument that the price gap was justified by performance, now the Elantra does the same job with much less. Now, it’s less about speed and more about what either car does emotionally. The vibes, if you will.

We made a decision, and you’ll have to watch the video to find out. Enjoy.