When it comes to performance these days, it’s all about the letters. 

With BMW it’s M. Mercedes goes with AMG. Audi with RS. For Cadillac it’s V. And for Hyundai, it’s N.

After a week spent fooling around with the flagship 276-hp turbocharged N-car, the 2026 Hyundai Elantra N, you’d think the N stood for Nimble. Maybe Nippy. Definitely Nice.

It actually stands for Namyang in South Korea that’s home to Hyundai’s global research and development center where the N-cars are developed. 

That and Nurburgring, as in the challenging German race track where Hyundai has a tech center and uses the snaking 13-mile circuit to develop its N cars. 

Hyundai first introduced its N brand way back in 2012, though it hasn’t exactly been flooding the market with models wearing that chicane-shaped N badge. Here in the US, it started with the Veloster N two-door, then the Kona N crossover, with the first Elantra N arriving in 2021. 

For me, it’s this latest Elantra N that makes the most compelling case for the appeal of Hyundai’s N performance brand. 

Here is a fun ‘n feisty performance four-door sedan with terrific performance, razor-sharp handling, killer brakes and one of the rudest exhaust notes this side of a Ford Mustang. 

Yet what truly sets it apart is that the price of all this grin-inducing fun, all this road-going excitement starts at just $36,345. Even loaded to the roof you won’t pay much more than $40,000. 

That, to me, makes it the performance bargain of the decade. 

Yes, there’s a just-unveiled Elantra N TCR Edition coming for 2026. But it’s humongous rear wing and no extra power or performance makes it, for me, not worth the expected $3,500 premium. 

The beating heart of every Elantra N is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder cranking out a healthy 276 horseys and 289 torques. 

Opt for the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic – a $1,500 extra – and you’ll rocket from standstill to 60 mph in around 5.0 seconds. That’s quick. 

The added appeal of the automatic is the little red button on the steering wheel that Hyundai cutely names NGS, short for N Grin Shift. A quick tap gives you an extra 10 ponies for even zippier sprinting. 

Alas, our test Elantra N came with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, which for sportscar lovers, might sound like a terrific feature.

It might have been had we lived in Northern California, or North Carolina where the roads are snaky and the driving is fun.

Not so in our part of Florida, where the Elantra’s shifter and short-travel clutch were a pain in the booty during traffic-snarled, stop-start I-275 commutes. 

The manual shift also makes 0-to-60 sprints a lot slower, taking 6.1 seconds, or around a second more than with the auto. 

That said, find yourself a two-lane backroad with a few curves and this old-school stick shift certainly adds to the feeling of control and involvement. 

Add to that the Hyundai’s other performance attributes. Like the kind of steering that’s as sharp as McDreamy’s scalpel. And the kind of tight suspension that eradicates any body roll and makes the Elantra handle like a slot car.

Yes, it makes for a firm, jittery ride that’s challenging over potholed back streets. But it’s in keeping with the N-car’s performance credentials. As too is the road roar from the standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubberware. 

But the appeal here is that this fun-loving Hyundai will make every work-day commute, every school run, every trip to the grocery store feel special. 

And of course the car looks like it’s just come off the race track. I love those sexy-black 19-inch forged alloy wheels and racy-red calipers, the red body add-ons, and air-gulping front bumper. 

Inside it’s equally racy with a pair of front, body-hugging bucket seats, thick-rimmed steering wheel and shiny metal pedals that could have come out of a BMW M5. 

There’s also the real bonus of the Elantra N being a true four-seater with tons of legroom in the back so you can bring friends along for the fun. 

Make no mistake, this Elantra N is a blast on wheels, a thrill ride that won’t break the bank, a jolt of triple espresso after a lifetime of decaf. Definitely N-for-Naughty.