Hyundai Avante/Elantra N

When Hyundai launched the Avante/Elantra CN7 last year, it tries to stand out from the endangered midsize sedan population because of its tech, dynamics, and design despite the IVT gearbox that makes it behave like a Japanese car for no reason. That's the normal one, of course, and because Hyundai deserved more with the new model, it's about time to create an Avante like no other; the first-ever Avante N.

2022 Hyundai Avante N

2022 Hyundai Avante N interior

Priced at 32,120,000 Korean Won plus additional costs, the first-ever Hyundai Avante N can be rudely called a road-legal TCR because it really is a road-legal touring car fit for the road and track.

Although the exterior is nearly identical to the normal Avante, the N features numerous aerodynamic upgrades to differentiate it from the normal one such as an exclusive N bumper, N radiator grille, red accents on the side view, 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires built specifically for this car, dual single-tip muffler, and a rear wing. A rear wing! It's hard to find a sedan donning such a novelty item these days and with the Avante N, it's all show and tells for the speedo boys behind the wheel.

The same goes for the interior; the Avante N features N-exclusive sport bucket seats on the front, ambient mood lighting on the dashboard, BOSE Premium Sound System, Alcantara suede door center trim, blue accents on the gear lever, and some additional features on the speedo and sat-nav to make it more at home on the track. While the additional features made the Avante N more enjoyable for the speedo boy to toy around, it still snugs like a normal Avante and it's a civilized sedan with not-so-civilized behavior.

Like the Veloster N, the Avante N is powered by a 2.0L Turbo GDi engine that produces 280PS of power and is mated with the 8-speed wet-type DCT but with the N Grin Shift on, you'll get additional 10PS of power, making it capable of going from 0-100kph in 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 250kph, making the Avante N the fastest in its class, although no one dared to make a high-performance compact sedan like Hyundai's. In fact, the Avante N feels like it's unrivaled.

Of course, if you need serious stuff, there's a 6-speed manual variant for that because speedo boys love a good manual gearbox for the fun of it.

By calling the Avante N the road-legal version of its TCR machine, it has been festooned with numerous dynamic upgrades underneath such as the N Corner Carving Differential, integrated drive axle, electronically controlled suspension, R-MPDS, rear stiff bar, and large capacity high-performance brakes, making it more capable to handle all corners of the world. It's a great car while taking a nice track day at Yeongam or Inje Speedium but if you're in the middle of Gyeonggi-do, rest assured that its Nurburgring-honed dynamics will batter your eyelashes, almost.

Of course, while the Avante N had its fun on the track, it comes with SmartSense safety features that will make drivers heavily noticed such as FCA with Pedestrian Detection, LKA, LFA, HBA, DAW, as well as the available BCA, SCC, HDA, SEW, and PCA. That's the reality check, speedo boys.

At long last, the Avante speedo boys wanted to have has arrived as the Avante N delivers performance akin to its TCR equivalent, making it the road-legal touring car worth driving from the corners of Yeongam to the streets of Gyeonggi-do. Although not civilized for daily use, its use for track day is what the Avante N is made for.

Available colors: Performance Blue, Polar White, Fluid Gray Metallic, Amazon Gray Metallic, Electric Gray, Fiery Red Pearl, Phantom Black Pearl, Cyber Gray Metallic, and Intense Blue Pearl.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company