Hyundai Elantra N first drive review: 4-door sports sedan with all the thrills and spills

Trying to make sense of the Hyundai Elantra N is a challenge. Firstly, there is 'Avante N' plastered all over the car in South Korea.

Then someone comes to me and tells me it's dubbed Elantra N. After which I was told by another person that it's the best sedan I'll ever drive.

Really? For a car with multiple names? Best to drive?

You've got to be kidding me.

Hold on a second... Is it?

So of course the biased side of me will tell you and myself that the best sports sedan to drive is the Honda Civic Type R. Of course, of course, of course... Hyundai will beg to differ. And I can totally understand why.

The Hyundai Elantra N, as it's supposed to be called in Singapore, is certainly anything but boring. It's a crazy dog on steroids, just like a Jack Russell, with ample lungs and stamina that no other seems to be able to match.

You could think of the Audi S3 Sedan, BMW M3 Sedan and the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 as some of its competitors, but that really goes to show the kind of targets Hyundai is gunning for.

To begin, it has the same 2.0-litre four-pot powerplant as the facelifted Hyundai i30 N that we tested last year in Valencia, Spain.

Generating some 274bhp and 392Nm of torque, Hyundai's sports sedan will execute its century sprint in some 5.3 seconds, which is mighty quick enough to get you a speeding ticket if you aren't mindful in Singapore.

Thankfully, it's the well-calibrated brakes that will help shed off speed in a flash. Equipped with generously-sized calipers, putting the Elantra N on hold isn't a difficult task, as I've tried. From slalom to gymkhana, stomping on the brakes will forcefully put the car to a complete stop, with no diving at all.

It dances... on the tarmac

But where the Hyundai Elantra N really shines is the way it dances on the tarmac, or around the 3.4km long circuit at the HMG Driving Experience Centre in Taean, South Korea, to be specific.

Every directional flick of the steering, accompanied by every prod of your right foot, all match up to ensure that the car can hold its own around the 16 corners of the track. Driving the Elantra N back to back with the Ioniq 5 N does make you realise the mischief the former is capable of.

The steering here is specifically accurate and precise. So long as you know the way, all you have to do is point it in the specified direction, squeeze the throttle and the Hyundai sports car will do the rest. In that sense, it has the ability of making you feel like a good driver, with ample grip and stability that should have no problems satisfying even the most demanding critic.

Sure, it's not uniquely special, not in a way the all-electric Ioniq 5 N is, but the Elantra N has that sort of stiffness and desirability that should have no problems catering to the drivers who prefer sports sedans instead of hot hatches.

Form meets function

And it being a sedan also means it'll serve you with sufficient space for five on board and 402 litres of hauling space for your weekly grocery shopping spree and monthly picnics.

For the front occupants, a pair of lovely bucket seats with 'N' emblems adorning the headrests hold you in place during crazy driving. Materials used here are also obviously more upmarket, as it should be for the sake of differentiation.

Also differentiating itself from the regular Elantra are the lowered looks, bright red brake callipers, black spoiler and a more aggressive front and rear design, all of which are necessary to make the car deserving of an 'N' badge. 

Which sort of brings me to the main point of the new sports sedan being a jack of all trades — you can easily drive your kids to school and man-handle the car like a racecar driver wannabe to the office, and feel proud and satisfied when you hear the pops and crackles as you enter the carpark.

Elantra N, Avante N, sports sedan, don't matter...

So, yes, trying to make sense of the Hyundai Elantra N is a challenge. It has different names for different countries and yet I experienced first-hand just how capable this car really is despite being a sports sedan owner once.

Oh dear... Really? For a car with multiple names? Best to drive? You've got to be kidding me, indeed.

What we like

• The lovely grunt
• It's certainly desirable
• It's a modern sports sedan!
• Ooh, that sound!
• It's a Hyundai N!

What we dislike

• We do not know yet if the car is coming to Singapore.

ALSO READ: Aston Martin Vantage review: No mere facelift

This article was first published in sgCarMart.