Hyundai is a huge brand that produces a lot of straight-edge, no-nonsense cars. But every once in a while, it comes up with something weird and fun. The wonderful Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N, two of the most objectively enjoyable EVs on the market, are great examples.
The Elantra N TCR Edition is another one. It was released back in Hyundai’s home market of South Korea almost exactly one year ago, complete with some (in my opinion) extremely cool N graphics on the exterior. The model eventually made its way to the Canadian market this summer, and now, it’s finally making its way stateside.
It only takes one look at the TCR Edition to understand why it’s weird: That gigantic rear wing, which looks to be as tall as the roofline of the car. It harkens back to the peak of Big Wing, with the likes of the Subaru WRX STI and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution battling it out in the 2000s and early 2010s (gosh, how I miss those days).
The reason Hyundai calls this trim the TCR Edition is to celebrate the company’s six consecutive wins in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race series, where a version of the Elantra N competes. It feels a bit backwards that America is only just now getting this trim, seeing as how this race series happens in… America. But it’s here now, so I won’t do any more complaining.
The wing is a pretty serious piece, made from carbon fiber and held up via carbon swan-neck uprights, so that the underside of the piece can stay as smooth as possible (it’s the underside of the wing that does most of the work, which is why pretty much all race cars these days have swan-neck uprights). Hyundai doesn’t mention anything about actual downforce, though, considering the height and size, I have to imagine there’s at least some getting to the pavement. The wing is adjustable, too, in case you want to play around with balance at your next track day.
The TCR has some other upgrades as well, the most important of which is a set of bigger brakes. On the normal Elantra N, you have to make due with sliding single-piston calipers up front, but here, you get a set of much larger monoblock four-piston units with two-piece rotors. The calipers are physically larger than the outgoing equipment, which means Hyundai’s also given the TCR Edition a set of new 19-inch forged alloy wheels so they can clear.
There are a bunch of changes inside, too. There’s Alcantara on the steering wheel, the shift boot, the handbrake lever, and the center armrest. You’ll find blue accents on the wheel and the front seat belts.
What hasn’t changed is the powertrain. You still get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot making 286 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque, connected to the front wheels via your choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic (having driven both in the normal Elantra N, you can’t go wrong with either).
Hyundai has yet to release pricing for the TCR Edition, but when it was released in Canada, the car carried a price of $50,158 Canadian, which was about 17% more expensive than the normal Elantra N. Going by that same math, the TCR should cost around $42,634, or $6,289 more than the normal N in the United States. That’s just an estimate; Hyundai could sell it for more or less, depending on a variety of factors.
Top graphic image: Hyundai
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