Automotive Engineering - August 2022 - 12

ROAD READY
Hyundai puts the 'N' in performance
Just a decade ago, the idea of Hyundai
challenging the industry's established
performance brands would have elicited
snickers from many executives and engineers.
Hyundai's best effort in the sports
car segment to that point, the Genesis
coupe, was a solid effort. But it didn't
break new ground, nor did it have the
staying power to see a second generation.
Then in 2014, Hyundai announced
that it would be launching a performance
brand under the N moniker.
To prove N was a serious effort,
Hyundai hired Albert Biermann as executive
VP and head of vehicle testing
and high-performance development.
Biermann, who had been with BMW
since 1983, was one of the leading lights
for the brand's vaunted M division. He is
intimately familiar with the practice of
taking ordinary production cars and
turning them into track monsters with
reasonable road manners. Though he
retired from Hyundai R&D in 2021, his
fingerprints can be seen on Hyundai's
full line of N cars today.
Hyundai's current North American N
lineup consists of three models: the
Veloster, Elantra and Kona. The Veloster
hatchback first appeared stateside in
2019 and was billed as Hyundai's foil to
the Honda Civic Type R. The Elantra N
The Elantra N shares its 2-liter turbocharged inline-four with the rest of the N lineup.
sedan and Kona N crossover made their
North American debut in 2021 with the
same powertrain as the Veloster, a 2.0-L
I-4 with direct injection, a twin-scroll
turbocharger and variable valve timing.
Output for the Veloster N stands at 275
hp and 260 lb-ft (352 Nm). The Elantra
and Kona N are slightly more potent,
with stated outputs of 276 hp and 289
lb-ft (391 Nm).
The Veloster and Elantra N can be
spec'd with either a 6-speed manual
transmission or an eight-speed wetclutch
automated manual, while the
Kona is offered only with two pedals.
Gear ratios and final drives are the same
across all three vehicles, which also
share the same electronically controlled
LSD. DCT models are equipped with the
N Grin Shift system, which can provide
up to 20 seconds of overboost via a
button on the steering wheel. Peak output
when the system is functioning is
raised to 286 hp and claimed peak
torque is increased by 7%.
Hyundai invited journalists to test the
fleet of N cars at Atlanta Motorsports
Park in Dawsonville, Georgia. Even at
the relatively slow speeds of the autocross
course Hyundai set up at AMP, the
Elantra felt the most stable of the three
both in transition from one corner to
the next and under throttle. But the
Kona was the surprise of the event on
the autocross course.
The Elantra N also features a unique
The Veloster N launched the sub-brand in North America.
12 August 2022
integrated drive axle, an innovation taken
from Hyundai's WRC rally cars. Hyundai
claims that by integrating drive shaft,
wheel hub and bearing into a single unit,
engineers were able to achieve a weight
reduction of 3.81 lb. (1.72 kg); DCT models
feature a front-mounted tube-and-fintype
transmission cooler. The brakes feature
high-friction pads with integrated
cooling ducts in the brake dust covers.
The vehicles' front fascia also features air
guides to keep the front pads and rotors
cool. After a full day of abuse at AMP, not
one driver complained about brake fade.
Matt Wolfe
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: HYUNDAI
Automotive Engineering - August 2022

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