Once a very bland automaker, Hyundai made a 180-degree turn with the appointment of ex-BMW M big kahuna Albert Biermann as head of vehicle testing and high-performance development. Currently serving as executive technical advisor, he masterminded the N sub-brand.
Named after the Namyang district in South Korea, where the Hyundai global research & development center is located, N was officially established in 2016. Spied in pre-production guise as early as September 2014, the i30 N launched in July 2017 for the 2018 model year to raving critical acclaim.
Based on the same platform, the Veloster N followed suit for the United States market. Three other go-faster cars were introduced since then: the i20 N, Elantra N, and Kona N. Not long now, the all-electric Ioniq 5 N will take Hyundai’s high-performance ambitions to a very different customer pool.
In the meantime, Yuri and Jakub of The Straight Pipes are much obliged to drag race the Kona N and Elantra N at the Toronto Motorsports Park for our entertainment. Both are front-wheel drive, both take their mojo from a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 289 pound-feet (392 Nm) of torque on tap, but one of them is pokier. Have a guess which is the more powerful sibling…
Indeed, you’re right! The Kona N is exclusively offered with a dual-clutch transmission that unlocks a special driving mode that boosts up things for an extra 10 horsepower for 20 seconds at a time. N Grin Shift mode is how the automaker calls this feature. The Elantra N, by comparison, is rocking a manual box. The N DCT costs an extra $1,500 at press time.
Priced at $32,150 and $34,200 sans taxes, the 276-horsepower Elantra N weighs 3,186 pounds (1,445 kilograms) with the manual tranny, while the 286-horsepower Kona N is listed at 3,340 pounds (1,515 kilograms). The question is, can the fancy tranny make the difference in a straight line?
Very well, then. Press play to find out which is quicker in a drag race!
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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