Honda Civic Type R Races Hyundai Elantra N in Edmunds U-Drags

Two hot compacts, one winner

Edmunds U-Drags: Honda Civic Type R vs. Hyundai Elantra N group shot

written by Nick Yekikian^{Senior News Editor
Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.}
edited by Steven Ewing^{Director, Editorial Content
Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.}
6/14/2024
Share:

The Hyundai Elantra N is a great performance bargain.
The Honda Civic Type R is more expensive, but does that mean it's more capable?
Watch this episode of U-Drags to find out.

The Hyundai Elantra N and the Honda Civic Type R are trying to do the same thing — make hot compacts more capable and engaging than ever. Luckily for all of us, they succeed at doing exactly that. Both have front-wheel drive, manual gearboxes, and punched-up turbocharged four-cylinder engines. But there's a catch: The Civic is a much, much more expensive machine.

We've already covered these two little crazies in depth before. The Civic is a step up from its predecessor: sharper, more in tune, and even quicker around a track. The Elantra N, on the other hand, punches well above its weight in terms of laughs and performance. But is that enough to take down the mighty Civic? Watch our U-Drags video to find out.

See 143 2025 Honda Civic vehicles for sale near you

See All for Sale

Consider These Recommendations

More Edmunds U-Drags races

U-DRAG RACE: BMW M8 Competition vs. Chevy Corvette E-Ray | Quarter Mile, Handling & More

U-DRAG RACE: BMW M2 vs. Nissan Z Nismo | Quarter Mile, Handling & More

U-DRAG RACE: McLaren 750S vs. Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray | Quarter Mile, Handling & More!

U-DRAG: 2023 Corvette Z06 vs. 2020 Shelby GT500

Edmunds says

We love both of these cars, and we'd be more than happy to have either sitting in our garage.

Nick Yekikian

by Nick Yekikian

Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

Steven Ewing

edited by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

Get More Edmunds Car News in Your Inbox

Join Edmunds

Receive pricing updates, shopping tips & more!