SPORTY HATCH HAS PLENTY OF LIVELY FEATURES
Hyundai is dipping its toe in the performance waters, its motorsport division spending significant development time in South Korea and at Germany’s famed Nurburgring. Canada is seeing the first fruit of the automaker’s labours in the form of the Veloster N, a pugnacious, 275-horsepower, turbocharged hot hatch.
That’s the good news. But along with affixing N to a couple of key models within its product lineup, Hyundai has also created the N Line, which brings us to the Elantra GT N Line, the first of its kind for the Canadian market, and for the 2019 model year, the replacement for the Elantra GT Sport.
OK, so the Elantra GT N Line is Clark Kent to the genuine Superman, the Hyundai i30 N, the street-punk European version of the hatchback that we aren’t getting, at least until Hyundai evaluates the sales success of the Veloster N. Take a moment, register your disappointment, and get over it. The Elantra GT N Line still has enough bona fides to show you a good time, at a price ($27,199) that is quite manageable for budding track warriors with modest budgets.
First off, the Elantra GT N Line at least looks the part, taking a number of design elements directly from the i30 N. At the front, the car has a lower front spoiler for increased aerodynamic efficiency, plus a unique grille different from the more prosaic Elantra GT. At the side, black side mirrors, N Line badges and 18-inch wheels change the profile of the five-door. At the back is a new rear fascia, and with the tester’s bold red paint scheme, the entire package come across as quite sporty.
Unlike the base Elantra GT’S 161-horsepower, normally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder, the GT N Line is powered by a 1.6-L turbo-four, sending power to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, or optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with paddle shifters.
The boosted engine produces 201 hp and 195 pound-feet of torque, estimable numbers from a rather diminutive motor. It’s willing, with maximum torque reached at a low 1,500 rpm. You can wring it out past 6,000 rpm if you want, but beyond 4,500 it starts to sound a bit strained. Running through the gears is easy; the shift action is light and direct.
The GT N Line knows its way around a twisting stretch of road as well. Improvements over the Sport include stiffer engine and transmission mounts, quicker steering and a specially tuned multi-link independent rear suspension with larger brakes. The hatchback tips the scales at around 1,380 kilograms, so there’s not a lot of mass to move around.
Decently wide and grippy P225/40R18 Hankook rubber helps the Elantra scribe a tight line on highway on-ramps. Will it put as big a grin on your face when clipping apexes as the VW GTI, now with 228 hp?
No, but the N Line won’t embarrass itself, either. Plus, there’s about $4,000 more in your bank account.
The hatch’s well-contented cabin sports a conventional look, with a logical layout to the dash area, and is accessorized with a number of thoughtful N Line touches: a leather-wrapped steering wheel, comfortable and supportive sport front seats, a ball-shaped shifter, a unique instrument cluster and doortrim garnish, and red seatbelts, stitching and accents.
The car comes with Hyundai’s AVN 5.0 infotainment system, which features a faster processor for greater responsiveness, as well as an eight-inch touch screen. Rear-seat legroom can pose a challenge to taller passengers, but more surprising is the hatchback’s cargo capacity, a generous 705 L with the rear seats up and a positively cavernous 1,560 L when they’re folded.
Kudos to Hyundai for taking time away from developing crossovers to get involved in the affordable performance game. I’ll offer the same suggestion for the GT N Line as I did with last year’s Elantra GT Sport: a little more chassis tweaking and a larger motor under the hood.