Hyundai’s N brand shows some serious track chops as it celebrates 10 years

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One day I may even get to drive a Hyundai Elantra N on the street. As it is, for the second time in three years I’ve just experienced quality wheel time in the South Korean automaker’s over-achieving compact sedan, and just like before, it was all confined to the track.

While the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Clarington, Ont. is a good place to establish the credentials of a hard-core performance car – and the Elantra N is up to the task – it would be nice to experience these cars on public roadways where most will spend their lives.

The surprising refinement of the turbocharged 276-horsepower, two-litre engine would translate well to the street, but what about ride? On the track there are no potholes or expansion joints to reveal whether there’s a comfort price to be paid for the N’s deft handling and tireless composure on the track.

The recent track time is more than just a first-drive program for the new TCR edition of the Elantra N. Hyundai Canada is also marking the 10th anniversary of the brand’s N division and has invited along 10 enthusiastic N-car customers – one from each province – for a celebration dinner and track day (not at the same time, to be clear).

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Where the N gets its clout

For those who may be unfamiliar, N is to Hyundai as M is to BMW, AMG to Mercedes and RS to Audi. That may seem a little presumptuous coming from the South Korean budget brand that first made its mark in Canada with the mid-1980s Pony, the impossibly affordable subcompact that soared to No. 1 in the sales charts, then disappeared just as rapidly as the cars crumbled into rust.

One good reason to take the N division seriously is the man behind it, German engineer Albert Biermann. Before he was enticed to South Korea with a mandate to turn Hyundais into engaging driver’s cars, Biermann spent his career at BMW M, most lately as engineering chief and vice-president.

Why the letter N? In part, it recognizes Namyang, the city where Hyundai research and development is located. But it’s also a nod to the Nurburgring, the notoriously tortuous 21-kilometre track – a.k.a. the “Green Hell” – in Germany where the N cars are tested. Hyundai has a permanent facility there, where it also hosts track days for its customers.

The first fruit of Hyundai’s head-hunting of Biermann was the 2019-2022 Veloster N. It was so sublimely good that I named it my personal test car of the year in 2019, nosing out a BMW M340i. Sadly, the Veloster was discontinued a few years ago and a former N version of the little Kona crossover didn’t return after Kona’s 2024 redesign. Still, the Elantra N remains and was joined last year by the outrageous N version of the all-electric Ioniq 5 crossover.

Since the Veloster N hit Canadian showrooms in late 2018, Hyundai has sold more than 5,300 Ns here, of which more than half were Elantras. Last year, the N version accounted for about 3 per cent of all Elantra sales.

Does Hyundai make money on the N cars, or is the division viewed more as a marketing expense – building “halo” cars that elevate the image of the brand as a whole? In the latter case, is there a risk that the relative affordability of the N cars (the Elantra N starts at a whisker over $40,000) will attract juvenile boy racers who might not be ideal brand ambassadors?

We didn’t get a clear answer from Hyundai officials on the first question, but on the second, our chats with a couple of owners were enlightening. Both were prosperous, mature owners of the Ioniq 5 N, the all-electric crossover that starts at close to $80,000. Their other cars have included, in one case, an Audi RS3, and in the other, a catalogue of exclusive Porsches with suffixes like GT3, GT4 and Dakar. Now they get their driving jollies in Ioniq 5 Ns.

As for the boy-racers, even the relatively affordable Elantra N is likely beyond the means of the youngest enthusiasts. Hyundai predicted at the Elantra N launch three years ago that most buyers would be 30-to 40-year-olds – and that’s unlikely to have changed.

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The more track-oriented TCR

The same would apply even more so to the TCR, which starts at $47,599 and is even more track-oriented than the regular N. The TCR is so named because it celebrates the Elantra’s domineering track record in Touring Car Racing, both in Europe (five straight class wins in the grueling Nurburgring 24 Hours) and North America (so far, they’re on track for a sixth-straight championship in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge.)

Visually, the TCR is dominated by a lofty, adjustable carbon-fibre rear wing, which looks cartoonishly boy-racerish but is apparently functional, providing aerodynamic downforce, albeit at the cost of some top-end speed. The powertrain and suspension remain stock, but upgraded front brakes comprise four-piston calipers and two-piece rotors. Forged lightweight wheels specific to the TCR are the same size as standard Ns but are deeper dished to provide space for the bigger brakes and can be optioned with Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires even grippier than the standard Pilot Sport 4S rubber.

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If the regular Elantra N handles track work better than a car of such humble origins has any right to, the TCR is the same only more so.

There’s a strong Canadian flavour to the TCR project. The three TCR-spec Elantra Ns that Hyundai Canada fielded at CTMP were hand-built in Canada with parts shipped from South Korea, thereby giving Canadian journalists and some customers a first-drive opportunity while Hyundai USA has not yet confirmed when, or even whether, the TCR will launch there.

Hyundai Canada planned a run of 50 special-order TCRs, but as of early August had already received 125 orders, before even starting to publicize the car. Korea will send more, said Hyundai Canada spokesperson Jennifer McCarthy. Deliveries should begin late this year or early next.

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