2022 Hyundai Elantra N Fills Civic Type R-Sized Void

What do you do when the love of your life packs up and leaves? When the one you've counted on to be there through turmoil and strife is nothing more than a void only filled by the memory of their presence? What happens ... when Honda sends the Civic Type R on hiatus?

Heroically, the 2022 Hyundai Elantra N is swooping in to pick up the pieces left in the devastating wake of the Type R's departure. You don't have a useful hatchback body style with the Elantra N, but you get plenty of go-fast bits like launch control, adaptive dampers, an electronic limited-slip differential and a turbocharged four-cylinder producing a maximum of 286 horsepower. Front sport seats and cool blue accents are among the many interior upgrades. Honda who?

What's under the Elantra N's hood?

Like the Veloster N and Kona N, the Elantra N utilizes a spunky turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. As in the Kona, the Elantra N's turbo-four produces 276 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque. Driving the front wheels is an honest-to-goodness six-speed manual (thanks for doing your part to keep the three-pedal layout alive, Hyundai). If you don't feel like rowing your own gears, an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is also offered. Selecting the DCT also adds the N Grin Shift mode, which increases engine output to 286 hp in short bursts. Hyundai hasn't officially said how quickly the Elantra N can accelerate, but we know it's targeting a 0-60 mph time of around 5.0 seconds.

Along with the hot engine and upgrades mentioned above, the Elantra N is also equipped with larger brakes for helping rein in the additional performance potential. And a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires gives you extra grip on the twisty mountain roads that put the Elantra N's sport suspension to the test.