19 November 2024 - Hyundai Elantra N TCR Edition
Celebrating their success over the last 3 years international Touring Car Racing, Hyundai’s N Division have released a limited edition Elantra N TCR Edition. Alternately known as the Avante N or i30N Sedan TCR Edition, depending on which market you reside.
Is the TCR Edition just a sticker pack or will it pack some serious hardware to further bolster the Elantra N’s track capability? Below we will explore what we know about the latest special edition from Hyundai N.
Rear Wing: The most obvious difference from the ‘regular’ Elantra N is that giant ‘F-Off wing’ described as a motorsport inspired, adjustable, lightweight carbon swan neck spoiler. The wing is mounted to the boot, rather than the chassis, so I’m not sure how much functionality it will provide. However, here is a bar inside the boot lid providing extra bracing , so it will be interesting to see what Hyundai report in regard to downforce numbers. The angle of attack of the wing can be adjusted from -3 degrees up to +5 degrees for maximum downforce. The size of the appendage will no doubt attract and repel potential buyers in equal measure.
Wheels: – Hyundai have equipped the car with 19-inch forged alloy TCR style wheels, manufactured by Hyundai Motorsports (embossed on the wheel). This is Hyundai’s racing division and separate to the regular N division. There will be two colour options – white or black. I imagine the white wheels would be a mission to keep clean and best suited to OCD clean freak buyers you enjoy polishing more than driving. The wheels are lighter than current N Performance wheels at 10.45kg per corner.
Brakes: – the front brake calibers have been upgraded to mono block four piston items along with more track-focused pads that have been used by the Avanti Ns competing at Hyundai N Festival this year. This means the car will probably squeal like a council bus when coming to a stop during regular street driving or when the brakes are cold. Upgraded DOT 5.1 racing spec brake fluid completes the brake upgrades and should be good for consistent braking, lap after lap.
Engine: the only upgrade likely to affect engine performance is the fitment of an ‘N Performance’ intake. Hyundai have not made any power claims in relation to the TCR edition, so we can probably assume power output is unchanged. Unless the intake is accompanied by a ECU tune, it likely that the only significant difference will be a louder ‘swooshing’ intake noise.
Interior: – ‘Performance Blue’ seat belts (front only) will make a return for the first time since they were last featured in the Veloster N. The rear seat belts remain the standard black. The steering wheel is trimmed in Alcantara with a ‘Performance Blue’ marker at the 12 o’clock position. Manually adjustable N-Lite bucket seats, which are found in the Veloster N and i30N, with the illuminated ‘N” logo are the pews for the front occupants and help keep weight down.
Exterior: – An obligatory ‘TCR Edition’ Emblem features on the left hand side of the boot and ‘TCR Edition’ puddle lamps project from the side mirrors. You can option a ‘N’ logo decal on the roof but only if you don’t tick the sunroof option box. A TCR badge also appears on top of the boot to plug the hole where the regular spoiler middle upright would attach. For the extroverts out there, you can option a massive TCR Edition ‘N’ decal on the rear three-quarter panel, replicating the livery of the TCR race car, but only if you option “Performance Blue’ paint
Colours: Only available in four colours - Performance Blue, Cyber Gray, Atlas White and Abyss Black.
Transmission: available with a six-speed manual transmission or 8-speed DCT.
The TCR edition goes on sale in Korea next month, and is expected to go on sale in Australia in 2025 with other markets to follow. What do you think? Is it essentially a cosmetic pack or are there worthwhile mechanical upgrades?
Stuart Ellis