Tested: The 2024 Hyundai Elantra N Manual Edges Closer to Type R, GR Corolla

The Hyundai Elantra N has only been around for two years, and Hyundai is already fiddling with its compact performance sedan. Not only does the turbocharged four-door get the same updated face and rear bumper as the rest of the Elantra lineup does for 2024, it also scores revisions to its engine mounts, suspension bushings, stability control system, and steering linkage. For those really into the weeds with Hyundai’s N cars, the Elantra even gets new recommended tire pressures front and rear.

Nothing about the rest of the core mechanical package changes, however. The N’s turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 still makes 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque, and it keeps the rest of the performance bits that make the car special, from its stiffened suspension to its limited-slip front differential to its bigger brakes.

We’ve had extensive seat time in both pre-refresh manual and automatic versions of the Elantra N and are huge fans, calling them engaging performance cars and more fun than they have a right to be. The first-year 2022 Elantra N even won a shootout against other hot compacts, including big hitters like Honda’s Civic Si, Subaru’s WRX, and Volkswagen’s Golf GTI. A solid start. Now we’ve put a 2024 Elantra N through our instrumented testing to find out: How do the changes for 2024 impact performance?

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Is This Elantra N Quicker Than the Last One?

In a straight line, the answer is empirically yes. Although power output hasn’t changed, the six-speed, manual 2024 Elantra N tested here is some 28 pounds lighter than its 2022 model-year equivalent. That helps it reach 60 mph 0.2 second quicker, in only 5.7 seconds. It’s also quicker through the quarter mile by 0.1 second (making the run in 14.3 seconds) but at a slightly slower—by 0.1 mph—100 mph.

Those are tiny improvements, relatively speaking. Nonetheless, they edge the stick-shift Elantra N closer to the one-level-up Toyota GR Corolla and Civic Type R. (Remember, the N has existed as an in-betweener, bridging the performance and horsepower gap between stuff like the 200-some-hp Civic Si and Volkswagen Golf GTI and Jetta GLI, and the 300-hp-plus GR Corolla, VW Golf R, and Civic Type R.) Still, the manual-only Type R is quicker, as it should be—it makes 36 hp and 21 lb-ft of torque more than the Elantra N and is roughly 70 pounds lighter. It’s 0.4 second quicker to 60 mph, needing just 5.3 seconds, and uses just 13.9 seconds to clear the quarter mile at a quicker 104.2 mph. Toyota’s all-wheel-drive, 300-hp GR Corolla does the same run in 5.4 seconds and 13.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the Civic Si gets to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, while the Jetta GLI sedan needs 6.4 seconds.

An interesting thing to note here is that the dual-clutch automatic Elantra N is much, much quicker than the manual; in our last test of a DCT-equipped Elantra N, it smoked to 60 mph in only 5.1 seconds, quicker than all of the cars above. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission returns as an option this year, so if you want a bargain drag-race winner against a Type R (which isn’t offered with a quicker-shifting automatic), the N is it. Another note? Toyota is adding an automatic option to its GR Corolla for 2025, which could make it quicker yet.

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Shifting Perceptions

The most effective launches in the Elantra N manual won’t come from dumping the clutch. Like some performance cars with a stick these days, nannies both electronic and mechanical are built into the drivetrain to keep people from grenading them. For our test team, that translates to smooth but quick clutch releases at around 3,700 to 4,500 rpm.

The engine pulls but feels somewhat sedate off the line, possibly because the new mounts have taken away some of the directness between chassis and powertrain. Like any of our favorite manuals, rowing through the gears is an integral part of the experience, and here the clutch pedal offers decent resistance, and shifter throws are medium. We dig the car’s excellent pedal placement for heel-toe driving and new programmable shift light, but the shift knob itself feels comically large and cheap.

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Middle Pedal

As fun as it is to get moving, this thing offers some impressive stopping power, like its predecessor. Our six-speed 2024 Elantra N’s best stop from 60 mph is 2 feet shorter than the 2022’s shortest of 110 feet, but the Type R has them both beat. It can halt in as little as 99 feet.

Pedal travel is short, and it provides good feedback. Some credit should go to the N’s standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires for the car’s commendable road-holding prowess.

Traction Trade-Off

The Elantra N loses the tiniest bit of steam versus the last manual in our handling tests. Like the CTR, the 2022 Elantra N held on for more than 1 g on our lateral acceleration assessment—but the 2024 falls just short of the mark with a still-stellar 0.96 g. It’s the same story through our racetrack-aping figure eight. This car is 0.2 second slower than the last Elantra N manual and 0.7 second behind the Civic, though they all carry about the same average g load.

It’s still a riot to pilot the N, though. High-speed cornering and grip are within reach of its one-level-up competitors, thanks to features like the car’s standard adaptive suspension, limited-slip differential, and added bracing. Steering responses are excellent, and we appreciate the weight of the steering effort.

Our test team notes some loss of grip as laps add up and the track gets hotter (during testing, it reached triple digits). The first lap proves quickest and has the highest lateral g’s. Also, even in comfort mode and with the changes this year to damping, the ride in more everyday environs is on the stiff side—but it’s the kind of soft-edged harshness enthusiasts love.

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Life With Elantra N: The Good

It isn’t everyone’s thing, but a segment of Elantra N buyers will enjoy playing around with the many, many settings in the car’s Performance Options menu. This is where you can adjust the shift light as well as activate features like an audible shift alert, launch control, rev matching, and more. Setting this up on the Elantra’s standard 10.3-inch touchscreen is easier than with the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai’s first-ever performance EV, though that car offers even more customization.

Tuner embellishments like the rear wing and heavily bolstered sport seats with light-up logos return. We like all the ways to adjust the front seats, but it does take a little bit to dial in the perfect position because they’re manually adjusted. This car is still plenty practical, too, with thoughtful details like a front passenger phone cubby on the center console and rear seat-back releases accessible from the trunk.

Life With Elantra N: The Less Good

Fuel economy isn’t great. The last Elantra N manual returned 22/31 mpg city/highway, and the 2024 model sees those numbers erode to only 21/19 mpg city/highway. Its 24 mpg combined figure matches that of the Civic Type R, though, and the two sport compacts offer the same 298 miles of range per tank. Should efficiency be a consideration, there’s always the less capable, less powerful Elantra N-Line sedan, which is EPA-rated for 28/35 mpg city/highway—similar to the also fuel-sipping Honda Civic Si’s 27/37 mpg city/highway.

Some of the Elantra N’s closest rivals are hatchbacks (Civic Type R, GR Corolla, Integra Type S, VW GTI) but the Hyundai is a sedan. Cargo capacity is therefore measured differently and can’t be compared, though it also trails that of the Civic Si sedan, which comes with a 14.4-cubic-foot trunk—0.2 cube more than our N.

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Smoking-Hot Performance Bargain

It’s hard not to recommend the 2024 Elantra N at its going price. Our test car’s only option is its $470 Atlas White paint, and it's otherwise very well equipped in stock form with standard features that include 19-inch wheels, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, and Bose premium audio.

With performance approaching the same level as the Civic Type R, our car’s price as tested lands at $35,320 with destination. That’s closer to the 2025 Civic Si’s $31,045 ask than it is to the 2024 Civic Type R’s starting price of $45,890, a distinction that should be enough to give any new-car shopper pause before leaping into a pricier ride.

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Who Gets the Elantra N?

As much as we love the Civics, driving fans would do themselves a great disservice by not checking out the Hyundai Elantra N. Its average trunk, stiff ride, and poor efficiency seem unlikely to dissuade enthusiasts, as they’re amply offset by the car’s rambunctious attitude.

The performance upgrades this year seem effectively a wash, not making the car markedly better at the track, but we’re not sure it needed to be. It's a truly fun and purposeful compact sedan, especially with its six-speed manual, even if repeated at-limit driving shows some minor falloff. Its price makes it almost too good to pass up. As for that tiny edge the Type R has, the changes this year might make the Elantra N automatic the car to catch. We look forward to finding out.