The Hyundai Elantra is all-new for the 2020 model year, it’s the 7^th generation of this compact sedan, which has grown in size and can now be classified as a mid-size sedan. The new design is quite bold and has a polarizing effect on people. Last week I had the opportunity to review a 2021 Hyundai Elantra N-Line, the sportiest of Elantra line.

2021 Hyundai Elantra Canadian Prices

The 2021 Hyundai is offered in three main trims and then trims within trims. The main trims are the Elantra, which has a starting price of $17,999; Elantra Hybrid starts at $24,799; and Elantra N Line starts at $27,599. See the list below for pricing for all trims and sub trims.

Model	Trim	MSRP
Elantra	Essential MT	$17,899
Elantra	Essential IVT	$19,799
Elantra	Preferred	$21,899
Elantra	Preferred – Sun & Tech Pkg	$23,399
Elantra	Ultimate	$25,599
Elantra	Ultimate – Two Tone Interior	$25,599
Elantra	Ultimate Tech	$28,299
Elantra	Ultimate Tech – Two Tone Int	$28,299
Elantra N Line	N Line	$27,599
Elantra Hybrid	Preferred	$24,699
Elantra Hybrid	Ultimate	$26,999
Elantra Hybrid	Ultimate – Two Tone Int	$26,999

Our review car had a price tag of $29,524, which included $200 for the red paint and $1,725 for Delivery & Destination fee.

2021 Hyundai Elantra Engines

Each of the main three trims comes with a different powertrain option. The regular Elantra is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, producing 147 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 132 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. This engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or an IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission), which I’m assuming is a fancy way of saying CVT?

The Elantra Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-liter GDI 4-cylinder engine and PMSM electric motor, for a combined output of 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. This engine is mated to a 6-speed EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).

The Elantra N Line is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, producing 201 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 195 pound-feet of torque between 1,500 – 4,500 rpm. This engine is mated to a 7-speed DCT, unfortunately no manual transmission is offered with this engine.

The Elantra N Line is rated at 8.4/6.6/7.6 liters/100 kilometers in city/highway/combined driving. I averaged 8.4 L/100 km in about 90% city driving. These are pretty good numbers, considering I was driving it like it should be driven, which is in a “brisk” manner.

Driving the 2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line

Hyundai recently started using the letter N for their performance vehicles, which would be the equivalent of the M stuff from BMW. The N is taken from the Nürburgring, and not from the word performaNce, as I joked about it on my Veloster N review. And just like BMW and even Mercedes-Benz, there are two types of “N” vehicles. There are the pure N vehicles like the Veloster N, which are quite sporty and then the “N Line”, which are not as sporty as the purely N vehicles, but sportier than the vehicles they are based on.

I have driven quite highly powered vehicles recently, 600+ horsepower SUVs from Mercedes-Benz. So, you’d think a 201 HP family sedan might not be such a big deal to me, but you’d be wrong. As fun and powerful as those vehicles were, there’s just something special about a well sorted out sports or sporty sedan; that’s why we need to save the sedan and say no to CUVs.

The Hyundai Elantra N Line is quite a lot of fun driving around in the city, the 201 HP gives you plenty of oomph off the line and there’s more than enough power for highway passing. The 7-speed DCT is a good transmission and does a great job at keeping you in the correct gear, but I wish Hyundai would offer a manual with this trim. I know a lot of people don’t buy manuals, but cars like the Elantra N Line are performance oriented, so I’m pretty sure these buyers would opt for a manual transmission. Or maybe Hyundai is keeping the manual transmission exclusively for the Elantra N, which should be more powerful and even more fun. The Hyundai Elantra N is expected to hit dealership showrooms later this year.

The Elantra N Line accelerates quick off the line and it is quite fun in the corners. The steering does have decent weight to it, but not much feel like most modern cars. The exhaust does make a nice sound that can be heard in the cabin, the sound is quite pleasant and makes the driving experience sportier. I don’t think fake sound is pumped into the cabin, but I could be wrong on that.

The Elantra N Line should be a nice balance between the regular Elantra and the soon to be released more powerful sporty Elantra N.

Styling on the 7^th Generation Hyundai Elantra

The exterior styling is probably the most controversial thing about the 2021 Elantra. It’s definitely not boring and it’s quite polarizing. The design features lots of angles and lines going everywhere. Personally, my favorite design of the Elantra was the previous generation pre-facelift, it had a facelift in 2019 and I think things went south after that.

Of course, this is a subjective matter, but personally I’m not a fan of the looks of the 7^th generation Elantra. I think there too many lines intersecting each other, creating weird shapes and designs. There are lots of triangles and weird shapes. I do like the side profile of the Elantra and the lines in the doors that create character lines I haven’t seen in any other vehicle. However, the front and rear end are a complete mess in my opinion. The design is just too busy at both ends of this car. I’m also not a fan of the huge front grill/opening, which isn’t even an actual grill/opening, so there’s no need for it.

2021 Hyundai Elantra N Line Interior

The interior on the Elantra is not controversial at all, and has a pretty generic look, which is not a bad thing. At the center of the dashboard is an 8.0” touchscreen, which can be upgraded to 10.25” on the Ultimate trim. This screen is responsive enough and does what it’s meant to do. Below is a separate section for the climate control, which includes buttons and knobs and a small LCD screen showing temperature, airflow speed, and direction of air. Below this is a small section for 12V and USB outlets. Under this a small storage area which also includes a wireless charging pad. Then we have a standard gear lever and a couple of cup holders and an old school e-brake handle.

The gauges are clear, with a large speedometer right in the center and the tachometer on the left of it. To the right of the speedometer is a small TFT screen that shows fuel economy, trip, temperature etc. The button to change between the driving modes is to the left of the gauge cluster, it’s kind of out of the way and it’s not a place where I’d expect this button to be. I think close to the gear lever, like in most cars, would’ve made much more sense.

The interior is comfortable and pretty quiet, the exhaust note does make its way into the cabin, but in a car like this, it’s something you actually want. The rear seats have plenty of room for even people as tall as 6”, and the trunk is large and should be able to swallow up all your groceries from a big box retail store.

The Elantra N Line comes with a good bit of safety, tech, and convenience features, below are some of the highlights.

Automatic headlights
LED daytime running lights, Headlights, & Taillights
Projection headlights
High Beam Assist (HBA)
Sport Seats (Cloth & Leather combi seats) with red stitching
6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat
4-way manually adjustable front passenger’s seat
Driver’s seat height adjuster
Heated front seats
Bose audio system with 8 speakers
8.0″ Touch-screen display
Wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay
Rearview camera with dynamic guidelines
USB/auxiliary connectivity
Bluetooth Hands-free Phone system
Leather wrapped shift knob
Red Stitching and Sport Accents
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
Heated steering wheel
Steering wheel mounted paddle shifters
Cruise control
Bluetooth controls
Proximity keyless entry with push-button ignition and remote start
Hands-free Smart Trunk
12-Volt outlet
USB/auxiliary connectivity
USB (2)
Wireless charging pad
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
Electronic Stability Control system (ESC) w/ Traction Control System (TCS)
Brake Assist (BA)
Hillstart Assist Control (HAC)
Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with Pedestrian Detection
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
Lane Following Assist (LFA)
Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
High Beam Assist (HBA)
Blind-Spot Collison-Avoidance Assist (BCA)
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
Safe Exit Warning (SEW)

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my time with the 2021/2022 Hyundai Elantra N Line, I think it’s quite a fun car that’s also practical for a family. The engine is quite peppy and makes you feel like you’re driving a sports car. I’m not the biggest fan of the way this car looks, but everyone has different taste and it might actually be an attractive car to some people.