2024 Hyundai Elantra N at Lightning Lap 2025
From the March/April 2025 issue of Car and Driver.
Class: LL1 | Base: $34,850 | As Tested: $35,320 Power and Weight: 276 hp • 3242 lb • 11.7 lb/hp Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S; 245/35ZR-19 (93Y) HN
The Elantra N's appearance at VIR this year constitutes a Lightning Lap mulligan. When we had an Elantra N at the 2023 running of our track event, we rued that Hyundai hadn't sent a second set of tires, so we set its official time on well-worn rubber. We posited that a fresh set of running shoes would improve the N's lap time by more than a second.
Hyundai took us up on our offer and sent another six-speed-manual version of its compact sports sedan, this time with the extra rubber needed to set the fastest possible lap. The 2024 N we drove is essentially the same as the 2022 model we ran last time but with a handful of minor updates aimed at making it more trackworthy, including urethane rear-suspension bushings, a revised front fascia claimed to improve engine and brake cooling, and new forged wheels that reduce unsprung mass by a claimed 33 pounds.
As to that prediction, we were, um, close. The N's 3:06.4 lap time was 0.9 second quicker than before, with the added grip of the fresh rubber showing in Turn 1, where we recorded a peak of 0.97 g versus 0.95 for the older car. The N was quicker this year in all but the final sector and zipped 0.4 second quicker through Sectors 2 and 4, which zigzag through multiple lefts and rights. Its improved time came despite lower straight-line velocity—mysteriously, its 129.0-mph top speed was 4.9 mph down on the older N's. Oh, and to put its lap time into perspective, it's a half-second quicker than the 518-hp Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG we ran in 2011.
Nothing about the Elantra's basic nature changed since we pushed its limits two years ago. It remains great fun to sling around VIR thanks to sharp steering, approachable handling limits, and strong brakes—as happy on the track as it is fun on the street.
Back to Lightning Lap 2025
You Might Also Like
Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades
How to Buy or Lease a New Car
Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Drive
12 hours ago
- The Drive
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Review: A Racing Sim You Can Drive on the Road
The latest car news, reviews, and features. It's easy to go gaga over the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N on a short backroad blast or rip around a track. It's mind-blowingly fast and, more impressively, a genuinely unique driving experience. Though I have to admit, I never completely got over the inherent goofiness of fake manual shifting and the video-game interface. I understand why people love this car, but I wasn't sad when my weeklong test came to a close. A curb weight of 4,861 pounds is a lot—but so is an output of 601 horsepower, which can spike to 641 hp with the 10-second N Grin Boost button. The torque figure of 545 lb-ft also increases to 568 when that button is pushed. Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 N can do a zero-to-60-mph run in 3.25 seconds at maximum attack, but MotorTrend recorded an even more dizzying 2.8-second pull and ran the quarter-mile in 11 seconds flat. In a mass-produced car that can also carry four people and a dog comfortably? That's crazy talk—but it's real. Andrew P. Collins The 5 N's specs, grip, responsiveness, and real-time customizability have been discussed ad nauseam on podcasts, in reviews, and here on The Drive . It looks great and loads a lot of cargo because, as you've also probably read, while it may have the shape of an '80s rally car, it's got the footprint of a crossover. Four adults can easily fit, plus luggage. The $70,000 list price is justified, too. A BMW X3 M50 is about the same money, and while that may feel fancier, the Hyundai is far, far quicker. At least, until it runs out of juice, which does happen annoyingly soon. Hyundai's official max range estimate for this car is 221 miles; expect a bit less if you drive as hard as the car invites you to. Former The Drive staff writer Chris Rosales (now at Motor1 ) called out the weak driving range as the 5 N's 'one major flaw,' and yeah, it does make a long day of adventuring less free-wheeling. Where he's at, at the north end of Angeles Crest Highway in California, you could easily rack up 200 miles bombing canyons. Similar story here in rural New York, where I do my relaxation driving—I can put 100 miles on a car just doing weekend errands. This checker-stripe appears all over the place. But as you can see by the scratches in the door card, the car's not made of the most elite materials. Seating materials, however, felt excellent. Rear cargo room is bountiful—this is an SUV, after all. Door handles tuck away when you put the car in drive. The interior door arm rests kind of float on some backlighting. Here's another perspective on that interesting floating interior door trim design. Not much to see under the hood, but at least the motor cover has some decoration on it. This has to be one of the most creative reflector designs on any car right now. When you do need a charge, the car's supposed to be able to go from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes if you can connect to a 350 kW DC fast charger. A 50 kW DC charger should be able to do it in one hour and 10 minutes. Charging the car to max from 10% on a 240-volt outlet at 10.9 kW would take 7 hours and 20 minutes—even that's not terrible as long as you can just have it plugged in overnight. The cockpit layout is tidy but not aggressively minimalist, and the sporty seats are taut and supportive. It can be driven in near-silence, but the Ioniq 5 N has no chill. It wants to party. It wants to be driven hard. It might even be too stiff to be practical in some regions. Rough roads felt extremely unforgiving to me, and there are a whole lot of those in the Hudson Valley. Andrew P. Collins I'm not saying the car should be softer. On the contrary, the ride felt very well matched to the vehicle's vibe and intentions. And while it punishes you in potholes, it does reward you with a good feel for where the car is below you. Arguably, the 5 N's best party trick is its customizability. As our former reviews editor Chris Tsui wrote wrote last year after his drive at Laguna Seca: 'Eleven driver-selectable, fully variable levels of front-rear torque output mean Ioniq 5 N can go from fully FWD to fully RWD (70 rear, 30 front is the default), while an electronic limited-slip differential and 'N Drift Optimizer' function can simulate a clutch-kick to make smoky slides easier.' I was completely blown away by that idea when I first read about it. Now having now driven it on public roads for an extended period of time, I have some salient thoughts. If you're a car nerd, you can amuse yourself for hours running the same loop, trying it with different power distribution. You'll be able to enjoy and appreciate it at socially acceptable speeds, too. The sliding, I have to admit, I simply could not find a place that seemed safe enough to drift. This brings me to another key factor in what this car's like to drive: You really need to treat it with respect. You can sneeze on the accelerator and warp into the next zip code. An EV that's idling? It's not really, but it's a weirdly impressive imitation. The other images here are just to give you a sense of how deep you can go in the car's customization menu. If you like to tinker with settings, you're going to love this car. Andrew P. Collins But I'm happy to confirm that, unlike with some modern performance vehicles, you don't need to drive this thing like you're in a Mission: Impossible movie to enjoy it. Lastly, you can also select between a traditional EV experience and a simulated 'engine,' where you get a tach that climbs as you push the tall pedal, and then 'shift' with the paddles. The way the car bucks as you 'shift' and stutters if you hit the 'rev limiter' is spectacularly realistic. As a fan of science and technology, I'm deeply impressed with Hyundai's achievement in creating what is essentially a drivable video game. That said, as a driving enthusiast and open-road appreciator, the 5 N kind of leaves me feeling like the kid in this meme: TheOdd1sOut/YouTube I know—one could argue that every modern performance car has a degree of this experience. With today's traction management tech and almost-everything-by-wire, how connected to the road are you, really, in anything built after about 2015? In principle, the idea of a manual mode that can only affect performance adversely, and forces the computer to behave exclusively for my amusement, feels kind of cringey, just like the sound piped in to give the motor an aural character. I'm glad Hyundai allows you to silence it with the push of a button. As long as you can work with a 200-ish mile range EV, this is an easy one to endorse. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is absolutely a compelling option if your car budget is in the $70,000 neighborhood. It's got a great combo of novelty, style, and serious speed. Personally, I would rather get a softer, cheaper EV for getting around and keep my 22-year-old manual Bimmer for fun. I can push that E46 and probably not even break the speed limit. Andrew P. Collins The weight of the wheel in your hand, the sigh of the straight six when you make a higher-rev shift, the momentum transfer through corners. It's cliché to say, but new hardware just doesn't hit the same, even if it does a perfect job simulating a transmission. The other side of that is something I touched on above—the speeds you can hit in this car without even thinking about it. I get that it's cool, and I certainly admire the capability from a technological standpoint. But at the risk of sounding crotchety, do we need mass-market vehicles that snap to 60 mph in under three seconds? The Ioniq 5 N didn't convert me to categorical EV superiority, but it impressed the hell out of me. There's no question this is a good car; it's just not the ultimate performance experience. Andrew P. Collins Want to talk about what the most enjoyable 0 to 60 time is? Email the author at
Car and Driver
a day ago
- Car and Driver
Land Rover Reveals Defender 110 Trophy Edition and a Competition for It to Conquer
Land Rover has announced a special-edition 2026 Defender 110 Trophy Edition, which features expedition gear and callback Trophy design elements. The Defender 110 Trophy Edition features a deployable roof ladder, a large roof rack, a raised air intake, and 20-inch wheels fitted with all-terrain tires. To challenge the new model, Land Rover has created a rigorous off-road Defender Trophy competition that will be shared online to promote African wildlife conservation efforts. One of Car and Driver's own having narrowly avoided death from all angles behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery TDi during the 1993 Camel Trophy in Borneo, we can attest that the British marque and its vehicles know how to take adventure to the ragged edge. While the notoriously rigorous Camel Trophy and subsequent G4 Challenge are no more, Land Rover is introducing a new Defender Trophy international adventure series for 2026 and a special Defender 110 Trophy Edition model to go with it. Land Rover The new Defender 110 Trophy Edition will serve as the competition's off-road weapon of choice, fitted with celebratory styling elements and expedition-ready parts. The special-edition model is offered in two colors: Deep Sandglow Yellow or Kenswick Green, with the former recalling a staple hue on historic Camel Trophy vehicles and the latter celebrating the U.K.'s lush greenery. Exclusive Trophy decals also adorn its gloss black hood, C-pillars, and rear tailgate. On the inside, Ebony Windsor Leather seats preserve some luxury in the cabin. Land Rover Apart from the unique colors and decals, most of the Trophy Edition's external modifications are already available on the standard four-door Defender via the $5400 Explorer Pack, but they'll be put to good use during the Defender Trophy. To reduce underbody threats, it comes with a front undershield, a rear scuff plate, and wheel arch protection. Gloss black 20-inch wheels fitted with all-terrain tires should also make quick work of iffy topography, and a raised air intake is meant to filter out any airborne dust clouds. Since gear storage is aways a critical aspect of lengthy safaris, the Trophy Edition features a large roof rack, a side-mounted gear carrier, and a deployable roof ladder to reach objects stowed overhead. The Trophy Edition is available to order now, priced at the equivalent of about $121,000. Final Will Be in Africa in 2026 Ultimately, the Discovery Trophy is meant to put the new special-edition model to the test, but contestants from more than 50 countries will initially duke it out on the regional level before moving on to a rigorous global final in Africa. Land Rover hasn't said what the exact hurdles will be, only that the contestants will face "driving challenges, ingenuity challenges, and physical challenges" along the way. The African final will be hosted in the fall of 2026 by Tusk, an African wildlife conservation group, with the teams' progress to be shared online. After completing the adventure, Land Rover says, the winner will "get the opportunity to leave a positive legacy with the people and places touched by Defender Trophy." If you're in a participating country, at least 23 years old, can swim 50 meters, can drive internationally, and speak fluent English, your chance to get dirty is coming. Austin Parsons Associate Editor Austin's car fixation began at a young age and at 1:64 scale. Eventually, Hot Wheels weren't cutting it anymore, so he developed an obsession with his father's full-sized 1965 Ford Mustang instead. Desperate to break into the automotive industry, he bartered his way into a job at a local BMW dealership by promising to stop hurling nerdy technical facts at the salesmen who came into the neighboring coffee shop where he worked. That was also around the time when he started writing automotive reviews, news articles, and technical guides for a number of local and international publications. Now at Car and Driver, Austin brings more than 10 years of experience in the automotive industry and an all-so-common love-hate relationship with German engineering to the table. Read full bio
Car and Driver
2 days ago
- Car and Driver
Tested: 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS Brings the V-8 Thunder
A question pops into my wife's head about 30 minutes after she climbs into the 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS: "Does this car make you want to drive faster?" (Oh, no. Here it comes.) But then she continues: "Because I would. I mean, just listen to that exhaust." (Wait, what?) Well, yeah, sometimes I look down at the speedo and find I'm going much faster than I intend to. But do you think that exhaust sound is a bit too much? "No, not at all," she replies. "It's got a good growl." Sound On She's right. The new Cayenne GTS has a most excellent growl. It starts when you fire up the car, and it really brings the thunder when you stand on the loud pedal. And unlike the last Cayenne GTS we tested, a 2021 Coupe, this vehicle wasn't equipped with the tuned exhaust that was optional on Coupe back then. No matter. A rorty exhaust is now standard on the 2025 GTS, and it's one reason why the base price has crept up. View Exterior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver Matting the throttle now uncorks 86 decibels, as opposed to 82 decibels with the tuned pipes back in 2021. When you're cruising at 70 mph, it still settles into a very civilized 66-decibel hum, just like before. The extra noise at wide-open throttle just might have something to do with the tweaks to the V-8 engine. It now makes 493 horsepower and 486 pound-feet of torque, which is 40 horses and 29 pound-feet more than the previous version. Changes include a higher-pressure fuel-injection system, electronically controlled wastegates to speed up throttle response, mono-scroll turbos instead of twin-scroll units to increase resistance to higher exhaust temperatures, and a new variable-lift intake cam that improves high-rpm performance while still allowing for mid-rpm fuel economy. Highway fuel economy is up some 3 mpg to 22 mpg. Some of these changes are shared with the new V-8 Cayenne S, but the GTS has been calibrated to run more boost. There are also quicker gearchanges in Sport and Sport Plus modes. View Interior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver Faster Acting All of this amounts to superior acceleration times. The new GTS gets to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, continues on to 100 mph in 9.2 seconds, and completes the quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 112 mph. Compare that with the 2021 Cayenne GTS Coupe, which did 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, 100 mph in 10.2 seconds, and the quarter-mile in 12.5 seconds at 110 mph. This is despite that the new model is heavier, measuring 5145 pounds to the old Coupe's 5014 pounds. HIGHS: V-8 thunder, composed ride, grippy handling and braking. It doesn't end there. All new Cayennes use a larger tire diameter than before, 31 inches instead of the prior model's 30 inches. The new rubber essentially rolls over cracks that the last car seemed to fall into, although an extra inch isn't that significant. The GTS certainly does ride more smoothly than you'd expect, even in Sport mode. Credit also goes to the change to two-valve adaptive dampers, with separate control of compression and rebound, and two-chamber air springs, which are set to make the GTS ride 0.4 inch lower. Our car was also fitted with the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control's active anti-roll bars ($3580) and rear-axle steering ($1280). View Exterior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver As before, the tires are Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 (sized in 285/40 front and 315/35 at the rear to fit our new test car's 22-inch wheels instead of the previous gen's 21-inchers). The GTS's front end also has an additional 0.6 degree of negative camber compared with other Cayennes, thanks to the adoption of upper pivot bearings from the Cayenne Turbo GT. The result: a directness and a degree of control that are unmatched yet don't stray into the realm of hyperactivity. The chassis takes a balanced set through corners and holds the line resolutely. On the limit at the skidpad, it grips just a wee bit better than the previous model, 1.01 to 1.00 g's, despite being 131 pounds heavier. With larger brake rotors, particularly in front—16.1 inches versus of the 2021 model's 15.4 inches—the GTS sees improved brake performance as well. The iron rotors hauled our Cayenne down from 70 mph in just 144 feet, versus 153 feet for the previous model. The difference is even more dramatic in stops from 100 mph: 294 feet for the new version versus 313 for the old one. And this is with zero drama, zero brake fade. LOWS: Wonky start-stop tuning, no quiet mode for early-morning starts. One thing we didn't like as much revealed itself at low speeds around town. Just puttering around in Normal mode, the auto start-stop system was too eager to shut down the engine, even when in a rolling stop. Sport mode is an easy remedy because it disables start-stop, but we don't mind this feature if it's done well. Porsche clearly has some work to do here. View Interior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver Money Matters Inside, our Cayenne GTS was thoughtfully appointed yet didn't go overboard with Porsche's options list. The most extravagant addition here is the color-matched interior, which was $2980 for Carmine Red accents that match the exterior. The $2450 Premium package is a grouping of essentials that you probably want anyway: a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist, heated rear seats. Finally, for $1720, there are the utterly fantastic adaptive 18-way power sport seats (with memory, thank goodness). That's it for the interior bits, unless you want to include the $580 thermally and noise-reducing front glass or the ubiquitous $1100 Sport Chrono package, which brings along a push-to-pass button, Sport Plus mode (for the most aggressive launch-control starts), and an intermediate Sport setting for the stability control. View Interior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver All of this made our test car amount to $145,185, which isn't crazy when you consider that our 2021 GTS Coupe stickered for $142,171. Sure, at $126,895, the base price is higher than before, but many of the items on the 2021 options list are now included because, well, everyone bought them. These include a Bose surround-sound stereo, a surround-view camera system, lane-change assist, keyless entry, soft-close doors, wireless phone charging, and auto-dimming mirrors, features amounting to $6180 worth of now-standard equipment. Heated front seats, which previously came in a front/rear package for $1060, are also now included. And let's not forget the tuned pipes of the Sport exhaust, newly standard as well. Porsche has made it clear which non-GT-spec Cayenne is the driver's model. It's the one with the extra oomph, the slightly lower ride height. The one with the bigger brakes and tweaks that give it a little more grip. The one that'll make your passengers take notice of the glorious exhaust note. And it's all in the name. The 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS essentially means Get This Spec. View Exterior Photos James Lipman | Car and Driver VERDICT: GTS stands for Get This Spec. Specifications Specifications 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $126,895/$145,185 Options: Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, $3580; GTS Interior package in Carmine Red, $2980; Premium package (panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist, heated rear seats), $2450; adaptive 18-way sport seats with memory, $1720; 22-inch Turbo Design wheels, $1630; Carmine Red paint, $1430; rear-axle steering, $1280; Sport Chrono package, $1100; black-painted brake calipers, $910; ultra-high-performance tires, $630; thermally and noise-insulated front glass, $580 ENGINE twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 244 in3, 3995 cm3 Power: 493 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 486 lb-ft @ 2100 rpm TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink Brakes, F/R: 16.1-in vented disc/14.4-in vented disc Tires: Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 F: 285/40ZR-22 (110Y) NC0 R: 315/35ZR-22 (111Y) NC0 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 114.0 in Length: 194.1 in Width: 78.6 in Height: 65.9 in Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 60/26 ft3 Curb Weight: 5145 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.5 sec 100 mph: 9.2 sec 1/4-Mile: 12.1 sec @ 112 mph 130 mph: 17.3 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.8 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.4 sec Top Speed (mfr's est): 171 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 144 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 294 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.01 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 18/15/22 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Dan Edmunds Technical Editor Dan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by (no relation) to build a testing department.
