Facelifted Hyundai Elantra N Makes Thai Debut at TIME 2023

The updated Hyundai Elantra N has officially landed in Thailand at the Thai International Motor Expo 2023

Making its way into the northern neighbouring Kingdom this week is the facelifted Hyundai Elantra N – the Korean marque’s new performance sedan developed by its N performance arm. Launched at the ongoing Thailand International Motor Expo (TIME) 2023, the Elantra N is set to go against the likes of the FL5-gen Honda Civic Type-R, serving as a quirkier and cheaper alternative to said Japanese hot hatch.

Previewed for the first time at the Auto Shanghai 2023 motor show earlier this year, the Elantra N is no ordinary Elantra sedan. Based on the facelifted seventh-gen Elantra (also known as the Avante in South Korea), this updated N-badged saloon sports an exclusive N body kit consisting of black and red front lip, side skirt, and rear diffuser, plus a sporty black-hued N rear wing on its tailgate.

Moreover, the Elantra N also rides on new 19-inch black wheels with red-hued N brake callipers hiding beneath them, while its rear part also comes with larger dual exhaust pipes.

More N treatment can be seen as we get inside the Elantra N’s cabin. For starters, the Elantra’s standard seats are being swapped for racing-style buckets that sit lower to the ground. Meanwhile, its dual-screen layout features some track-specific functions, including a program that can set a lap record lap time automatically when it detects the car located nearby a race track.

The updated Elantra N gets the same four-pot turbocharged mill as before, outputting 280 HP & 392 NM

Motivation is provided by a 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged mill developed by Hyundai N division to produce a decent output of 280 HP and 392 NM. Said figure is enough to propel this C-sized sedan from nought to 100 KM/H in 5.3 seconds, en route to its 250 KM//H V-max.

Though only offered with an 8-speed wet DCT automatic gearbox with no stick shift option, the Elantra N promises a pretty stellar driving performance, thanks to the presence of an electronic-limited slip differential (e-LSD), as well as an electronically-controlled suspension setup with multi-link setup at the rear axle.

Typical of any Hyundai N models, the Elantra N also gets a slew of N-specific driving modes. This includes an N-specific variable exhaust system, launch control, N grin shift (NGN), N power shift (NPS), N track sense shift (NTS), and many more.

With this facelifted Hyundai Elantra N goes on sale officially in Thailand at THB 2.99 million (RM400,000 approx.), this Korean-made performance sedan could serve as a great alternative to the ever-popular Honda Civic Type-R FL5, which retails much heftier in the Thai market at THB 3.99 million (RM535,000 approx.).

While the new Type-R already made its debut in Malaysia, it seems very unlikely for the Hyundai Elantra N to make its way into our local market. The last Hyundai N model brought into our local market was the Hyundai i30 N hot-hatch, with only 20 units offered by Hyundai Malaysia, represented by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motor back in 2019.