{"id":26692,"date":"2021-01-21T13:25:34","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T17:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26692"},"modified":"2021-01-21T13:26:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T17:26:54","slug":"payne-hyundai-sonata-and-elantra-n-line-are-fast-furious-n-ffordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/payne-hyundai-sonata-and-elantra-n-line-are-fast-furious-n-ffordable","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Hyundai Sonata and Elantra N Line are fast, furious \u2018n\u2019 \u2018ffordable"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line is the badge’s performance variant. The N Line brings 290 horsepower, tight handling and a high-tech interior to the mid-size class for an affordable $34,000.<\/p>\n

Good news, enthusiasts. The Performance Club has taken new members. Everyone raise their glass to the Hyundai N Line.<\/p>\n

Performance car trims are some of the most enjoyable fillies in the automotive stable. Born as regular autos, they are bred with steroids and big engines to believe they can do battle with sports cars. Thank the original 1984 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Honda Civic Si for this gift to autodom.<\/p>\n

Over the years the club has delighted in paradoxes like the wee Ford Fiesta ST attacking Ford Mustangs out of stoplights. Or Honda Civic Type Rs hounding Porsches through the twisties. They\u2019re fast, furious \u2018n\u2019 \u2019ffordable.<\/p>\n

Meet Hyundai\u2019s new club entries: the terrific Elantra N Line and Sonata N Line. Hyundai? Really?<\/p>\n

The Korean brand has been intent on beating Toyota Motor Corp. at its own game (the Koreans and Japanese have, um, history, you know) as a maker of dependable, value vehicles for the everyman. Want a dependable, luxury value like Lexus? Hyundai\u2019s Genesis brand has that covered, too. Hyundai\u2019s sister brand, Kia, seemed the wild child of the family with its ferocious Kia \u201cBaby Audi A7\u201d Stinger and rad Kia \u201cHamster Rapper\u201d Soul Turbo.<\/p>\n

Move over, Kia. Big brother\u2019s got game.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I\u2019m a pocket rocket fanatic (my first car was a Golf GTI and I have a 2006 Civic Si in my driveway) and I\u2019ll have plenty to say about Elantra N Line in a moment \u2014 but the Sonata N Line is the real breakthrough here.<\/p>\n

We had a hint an N Line lineup was coming when Hyundai\u2019s three-door Veloster hatchback suddenly grew horns \u2014 and an N badge \u2014 in 2019. But applying the badge to a mid-size sedan? That\u2019s a welcome twist. I still pine for the Ford Fusion Sport and its 325-horse turbo V-6 that \u2014 like the rest of Ford\u2019s rowdy litter of performance cars \u2014 was sacrificed to the SUV revolution. With all-wheel drive, it rocketed to 60 mph in just 5.3 seconds.<\/p>\n

The Toyota Camry offers the wicked-looking TRD trim, complete with throaty, 301-horse V-6 engine common to other Camrys. The Sonata\u2019s 290-horse, 311-torque, 2.5-liter turbo-4, on the other hand, is an N Line special. And it\u2019s special.<\/p>\n

So special that Hyundai programmed it with launch control, which I eagerly applied in the California canyons. Mat the brake. Mat throttle. Wait for revs to level at 3,000 RPM. Release brake.<\/p>\n

The Sonata surged forward on a wave of torque, the smooth, 8-speed\u00a0dual-clutch box throwing off gears. The torque curve is so fat that corners approach in a hurry, but the big car is prepared. Bigger brake rotors, suspension bushings, summer tires, the works.<\/p>\n

The car gripped beautifully through switchbacks, though Sonata could benefit from the ol\u2019 Fusion\u2019s all-wheel drive as the torque sometimes overwhelmed the front tires with wheel spin. But who\u2019s complaining? As one who was dissatisfied with the Sonata\u2019s ho-hum\u00a0base engine offerings, the 2.5-liter turbo-4 is a welcome addition to a platform dripping with design, tech\u00a0and value.<\/p>\n

Under a panoramic roof, the roomy interior is state-of-the-art.\u00a0Digital screens stretch across the dash infused with cool tech features like Digital Key so you can interact with the Sonata entirely with a phone in your pocket (look ma, no key). Like Camry TRD, the N-line adds aggressive exterior styling to differentiate it from other models. But N Line\u2019s true peers in this segment are the 250-horse Mazda 6 and 252-horse Accord Sport \u2014 cars that don\u2019t get performance badges but offer dreamy handling.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

True to performance trim tradition, I found myself picking on bigger game. I hounded a 600-horse, $150,000\u00a0Mercedes-AMG S 63 across Sunset Boulevard\u2019s roller-coaster terrain, the lighter Sonata snapping at the big Merc\u2019s heels.<\/p>\n

Lighter still is the Elantra which, like the Sonata, got a major makeover this year. The pair are two of the sexiest new sedans on the market. So it\u2019s only fitting they should get moves to fit their hot bods.<\/p>\n

The 2021 North American Car of the Year Elantra looks like something Lamborghini might have designed,\u00a0if it made $20,000\u00a0compact cars. The Hyundai is rich with sharp angles and slashed body work. Somehow it makes a cohesive whole \u2014 and, unlike a Lambo, you can see out of it.<\/p>\n

Stuff Elantra N Line with a 201-horse, 2.0-liter turbo-4 and manual transmission (an automatic, yawn, is available, too) and I wrung its neck all over north LA\u2019s twisted canyons.<\/p>\n

If a 200-horse compact sounds familiar, you\u2019d be right. The Elantra N Line is aimed squarely at the 205-horsepower Civic Si, Honda\u2019s two- or four-door hellion that (along with VW GTI) is the gold standard for pocket rockets. It\u2019s part of Hyundai\u2019s ambitious strategy to take on King Civic and its lineup of capable compacts. In addition to the N Line hottie, Hyundai plans to go after Honda\u2019s $38,450 Type-R with a range-topping, Elantra N stuffed with a 2.5-liter turbo-4 making 276 ponies and 310 pound feet of torque. Oh, it\u2019s on.<\/p>\n

N\u00fcrburgring-tested Civic is a formidable adversary, and I lament that more Ford products that used to excel in this segment (Focus ST and RS) are no longer available. Filling the void, Elantra is making all the right moves \u2014 N stands for N\u00fcrburgring, where the N Line cars have been extensively tested. And Hyundai has been pushing the envelope by racing its Veloster hatch head-to-head against the Civic Si in IMSA\u2019s Michelin Pilot Challenge (dominating the championship in 2020).<\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

That commitment will be needed to hang with Honda. My last ride in a 2020 Civic Si was at Circuit of the Americas Formula One track last year, for goodness sake, where it excelled on one of the world\u2019s most formidable race tracks.<\/p>\n

The Elantra N Line shies from the Si\u2019s performance benchmark by not offering a limited slip differential or magnetic shocks. The interior, too, is tentative in places such as an orphaned screen extension to the driver\u2019s left.<\/p>\n

But the Elantra is built on solid bones, and its manual shifter is superb. Coupled with tightly spaced pedals for heel-and-toe shifting, I found the Elantra easy to row hard through California\u2019s hills. That inherent goodness will also serve well the Civic Type R-fighting Elantra N model that combines the torquey engine found in the Sonata N Line with the more nimble Elantra chassis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a solid one-two punch that will get tested immediately. The all-new, 2021 Honda Civic hits the market in mid-2021 with Si and Type R variants to follow.<\/p>\n

This is one competitive club.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

2021\u00a0Hyundai Elantra N Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front-wheel-drive, four-door,\u00a0five-passenger sedan<\/p>\n

Price: $25,105, including $1,005\u00a0destination charge<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 201 horsepower, 195 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 6-speed manual, 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 125 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 2,954 pounds (manual as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 25 mpg city\/34 highway\/28\u00a0combined (manual);\u00a028\u00a0mpg city\/36\u00a0highway\/31 combined (auto)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Daring looks; upscale interior<\/p>\n

Lows: Incomplete dash display; no limited slip<\/p>\n

Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n

\"Joining<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

2021\u00a0Hyundai Sonata N Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front-wheel-drive, four-door,\u00a0five-passenger sedan<\/p>\n

Price: $34,305, including $1,005\u00a0destination charge<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.5-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 290 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 3,552 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 23 mpg city\/33 highway\/27\u00a0combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Fun, practical mid-size sedan; state-of-the-art interior<\/p>\n

Lows: All-wheel drive option, please<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line is the badge’s performance variant. The N Line brings 290 horsepower, tight handling and a high-tech interior to the mid-size class for an affordable $34,000. Good news, enthusiasts. The Performance Club has taken new members. Everyone raise their glass to the Hyundai N Line. Performance car trims are some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26692"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26692"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26694,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26692\/revisions\/26694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}