SEOUL - Hyundai has pulled the covers off a more stylish and powerful version of its new Elantra sedan that was revealed earlier this year. You won’t be seeing it in South Africa any time soon, however, as the local importer says it currently has no plans to introduce the all-new version of what was once its best seller, before the world went SUV mad.
So for now at least, the new Elantra N Line will remain forbidden fruit for South Africans.
Of course, the N Line is not to be confused with the actual ‘N’ badge that you find on the back of the range-topping i30. That hatchback is a blue-blooded performance model, whereas the N Line badge is largely an exercise in style.
The Elantra N Line does at least have more power than the regular Elantra models, which offer a choice of normally aspirated engines that max out at 109kW. Like the previous-generation Elantra Sport, the N Line comes with a 1.6-litre direct injection turbopetrol engine that pushes 150kW and 265Nm. Hyundai has also beefed up the chassis, with stiffened suspension, while larger (18-inch) alloys also do their bit for the handling equation.
Apart from the bespoke wheels, the N Line is set apart by gloss black treatment for the mirrors, side skirts and wheel wells as well as an integrated boot spoiler and an N Line rear diffuser that incorporates chromed twin exhaust pipes.
Sporty touches inside include N sport seats, a bespoke steering wheel with metallic spokes, metal accents on the gear knob and alloy pedals.
Incidentally Hyundai is also working on an N Line version of the larger Sonata sedan, and this one will come with Hyundai’s 2.5-litre turbocharged GDI engine.