Last January, we had the chance to try the new and improved Hyundai Elantra 2021, the Preferred model, with a starting price of $21,899. As you can read in our last review, we pretty much appreciated the car as a class-leading vehicle in every aspect, with its styling, its use of inside space, its fuel economy and its complete package at an affordable price. This week, we tried the Hyundai Elantra N-Line, $27,599, to compared both models and share our appreciation of the N-line trim. So, Let's see what the $5,700 price difference is all about.
At first glance, there are a couple of differences in the exterior design of the vehicle. Compared to the one we tested earlier this year, the Elantra N-Line has a more aggressive front facia. That follow the already sporty design of the Elantra. You can also see the N-Line logo on the grill and beside both front doors of the car. The vehicle's back also looks slightly different: it has different lights, the car's spoiler is accentuated, comes with dual exhausts. We experienced several "head turns" while we were on the road because of its good looks and naturally its sporty exhaust note. The rims also differ; they are thinner with some dark gray touch instead of being entirely black.
The interior does have the same sporty design with some slight styling changes; instead of alloy design they used piano black to give it a more refined outline. Yet, you will have to clean all those finger print remains on a regular basis. The seats styling continues with emphasize on the sporty nature of the vehicle with an embroidered N-Line logo.
The latches to install a car seat are hidden within the seat on the sides, through the seat cushion, making them harder to reach. There are 3 top tethers, and they are easy to access behind the headrests. If you don't need to change the car seats from a car to another, it's not so much of a problem. There's sufficient space in the back to install a rear-facing car seat while not taking away too much legroom from the front passenger.
Let's see the comfort and convenience differences;
As the Preferred IVT, the N Line does come with all the usual features: heated seats and a heated steering wheel; a push-to-start engine, automatic headlights, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and an improved rearview camera, a Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), an 8" touch screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, etc.
In the N Line, compared to the Preferred IVT, you have;
-Two climate control zones
- An automatic climate control type
- A coming home device
- A garage door opener
- A compass display,
- Four way power adjustable seats
- A wireless charging pad
- Telematics
- Eight bose speakers (instead of 6)
- A subwoofer
- A satellite radio
- Different driving modes: "smart," "normal," and "sport."
-And finally, Knee airbags (driver and passenger)
To test the sound system, we went to the drive-in theatre in St-Eustache with the kids. The sound is impressive and offers you a real Cinematic experience with the powerful subwoofer. If you want detail on the infotainment, check out our Elantra review here.
Now, I'll give some space to the engine because this is a relevant aspect of the car. The 201 horsepower (compared to 147) and its 195 lb-ft of torque (compared to 132) really give this vehicle a boast in performance. The transmission is a seven Dual Clutch Sequential (dct) compared to a variable CVT for the Preferred one we tested. In terms of fuel economy, we saw 8,4L/100km (compared to 7,5) for city driving and 6,6L/100km (compared to 5,7) for highway driving, which offers a combined driving of 7,6L/100km (compared to 6,7). While the tank capacity remains 47 L, the vehicle range is 619 km compared to 704 km.
Honestly, we fell in love with the Hyundai Elantra N-Line 2021. It's nice-looking, fuel-economical if we consider sport driving, its features are stunning, and the car is family approved. The only thing we would recommend is to buy better tires to optimize the car's performance.
Hyundai has lent us this vehicle one week as a press vehicle. We have no affiliation with Hyundai Canada. The above is a recollection of our personal opinion of the car referred above.
