Hyundai Elantra N

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Has anyone here actually driven/bought a Hyundai Elantra N? The lease is up on my M340i, and I’m looking for a new car. I thought the M240i would be nice since it has the same engine and is “only” $54k, but the residuals are garbage and there isn’t much if any of a discount. I don’t want to pay $300-$400 more per month on a car that is $13k cheaper than the one I have.

I started looking for alternatives, and every review I’ve read or watched says the Elantra N is a fun car, that is quick, and still practical. It’s pretty far down on power from what I’ve had recently (M340, CLA45 AMG, Lexus RC-F) but that won’t bother me if it’s fun and engaging. There is one close by I might be able to test drive, but I was looking for opinions if anyone has them. Thanks in advance.

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Reviewers like Throttle House have done a whole bunch of reviews in this segment and there doesn’t seem to be any clear winner or performance leader in this segment.

It all seems to come down to personal preference about looks, comfort, ergonomics, tech, perceptions of value (purchase price and value retention), etc etc.

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It’s not going to be as fun as a 340 or comparable. Going for rwd based platform to fwd is huge move in terms of fun. I guess if you just want something reasonably quick straight line but dynamic wise will def be worse and not as engaging.

What about buying out your 340?

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I’m thinking about it. The buyout is $39k or so with taxes. My only worry is the warranty. I only have 30k miles on it, but I’ve owned an out of warranty BMW in the past and it was a money pit. I’d definitely want to find a decent extended warranty or some kind of BMW CPO program.

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GR86 is a RWD alternative

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As long as your not in CA
You are good

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The BRZ/86 is a different driving experience. They’ll tell you it’s all about the driving experience blah blah blah, but it’s a BIG step down from the M340i in terms of power on demand, interior experience, noise/refinement. In car entertainment is unrefined, it’s tight, noisy, and underpowered compared to the M340i. I thought it would be fine and had one order during peak insanity, I kept it for 3 months. The back seat and trunk space is pretty useless compared to the 2-series.

Feel free to ask any specific questions. Coming from a M340i, I don’t think you’d be happy,

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Not a lease but what about the Tesla M3 Performance? I’m not big Tesla fan but if you qualify for the $7500, it’s a bargain at the new reduced pricing

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Some excellent suggestions in this thread

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I had considered that. The only thing I’d really miss is the noise. I love the sound of a good exhaust.

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Be ready to be disappointed by the Elantra. Consider the price point you’re moving from and what goes into these cars. The Elantra may be 90% performance of a Civic Type R at a significantly reduced price, but it’s even the CTR isn’t as on the same level as the cars you’ve had experience with. There’s going to be that je ne sais quois missing.

If you were always in the sub 40k segment I would say Elantra N is a great choice, but that’s not the case here.

Closest you’ll get in this segment is likely a Supra 3.0 which at that point just get the M240. Very much pay to play here.

The GR86 would be a better choice from dynamics perspective.

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I have one and absolutely love it - but I bought it and did not lease it. If you’re looking to lease a WRX is the way to go.

The interior aside from the seats, infotainment, and gauge cluster are decidedly hyundai, but the powertrain is just lovely and the dual clutch transmission is the best I’ve ever experienced (better than the one my GTI had).

Edit to add: this is going to be nothing like an M340 - it’s a turbo 4 cylinder that can sound a lot like a boy racer. If you’re cross shopping GLI, WRX, etc I think this wins. But it’s going to be a bit of shock coming from a BMW if you’re not prepared…

Happy to answer any questions.

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image2016×1512 1.77 MB

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Thanks for the information. My CLA45 AMG had a 4 cylinder as well, and sounded a little “boy racer.” That didn’t really bother me. I do tend to drive the BMW pretty hard. I’m still impressed with what Hyundai was able to do with what is essentially an econobox. The fact that it has an LSD, Pilot 4S tires, brakes that don’t fade after a lap, and some great seats is really amazing to me for the price. You may be right about being a bit of a shock though.

I’m glad you are enjoying it. I really need to see if I can get an extended test drive. That’s a great color by the way.

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At $34k it’s an absolute slam dunk for all the reasons you just outlined. The interior is a perfectly pleasant place to spend time - it’s just a lot of hard scratchy plastic. I noticed it the first day or two and now I just ignore it. Too much fun to drive to notice anymore.

Also, with the adjustable exhaust and mode configurations you can dial it back. I typically drive in sport mode (not N mode) for day to day, except for eco mode on the highway and in gridlock.

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Seems like a great car I’d even love to own one but to go from a M340i is such a downgrade.

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I’d go 3.0 Supra over the m240 at that price point.

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You see, I would do the opposite. The only reason to pick the Supra would be to get the manual option.

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I’d do it for the looks and MT. What say you?

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I’m 6’5” so I can’t comfortably drive it. My vote is M240 for the same money.

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Did you end up picking anything up?

Been very curious about these too and while i’ve watched some videos its always interesting to get additional perspectives, especially if someone decided to buy one.