Hyundai Elantra N preview shows transformation into sportiest sedan yet

No longer merely a byword for cheapness, the Elantra is about to become the sportiest sedan Hyundai has ever released. Preview images give us the best look yet at the modifications made by the firm's track-bred N division.

Hyundai is keeping the Elantra N's front end under wraps for the time being, though earlier spy shots revealed larger air intakes chiseled into the bumper and a more aggressive-looking splitter. Viewed from the side, we can tell the sedan wears specific side skirts shaped to better channel air as it flows from front to back. Red accents add a finishing touch to their design. Out back, there's a sizeable spoiler on the trunk lid and two round, bright exhaust tips integrated into an air diffuser. Relatively big wheels wrapped by Michelin tires are also part of the changes.

We're expecting the interior will gain sport seats for the front passengers, but photos haven't been released yet. The N should share its basic layout with upmarket variants of the standard Elantra, meaning the driver will face a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen, with a split-screen function for the infotainment system.

As we previously reported, power for the Elantra N will come from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine shared with the Veloster N. It's a unit tuned to 275 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque in the funky three-door coupe, so those figures will likely carry over to the sedan. Front-wheel drive will come standard, and buyers will have the option of choosing between a six-speed manual and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

While some of Hyundai's hot-rodded N-badged models are not sold in the United States, like the city-friendly i20 designed largely for Europe, we have every reason to believe the Elantra N will join the Veloster and the Kona in American showrooms for the 2022 model year. Additional details about the sedan will emerge in the coming weeks.

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