When we first sampled Hyundai’s Elantra N, we were impressed. Not only did it live up to the high expectations Hyundai set for themselves with their new N performance brand, but it made a great showroom companion to the funky and fun Veloster N. Well, that was just two years ago and already the Elantra N is getting better!

It’s totally fitting that Hyundai chose the humble Veloster and Elantra to introduce us to their N performance brand, as it mirrored their own humble beginnings here in the U.S. in the 1980s. What started with a single subcompact economy car has grown into a full lineup of cars, SUVs, a pickup truck, and even multiple battery-electric vehicles, one of which recently got the N treatment and set a new benchmark for high-performance EVs.

All that to say, when we had an opportunity to test the recently updated 2024 Hyundai Elantra N sedan, we jumped at the chance.

Now, not to be a downer right away, but there is nothing new to report in the powertrain department, as most updates follow the systemwide midcycle refresh that the Elantra has received for ’24, which mostly highlight styling and tech. But there are other meaningful upgrades, specifically to address the N’s ride and handling. More on that later.

We’ll start with styling tweaks which include a new front with a larger two-piece grille, slimmer daytime running lights, and flat stainless-steel logo. Inside, materials get a premium boost with lots of N logos, some of which are even now illuminated. Both the steering wheel and shift knob are also new in the N, as are the sport bucket seats which are definitely aggressive, though ride quality remains plenty street friendly. Now those N suspension enhancements include new urethane bushings, along with a complete overhaul to the steering system, and additional structural upgrades including engine mounts.

And they were all readily apparent in our handling course where the N showed great balance, an eagerness to turn in, and fantastic grip. It really is crazy how competent front-wheel-drive cars have become. It’s also more responsive to driver inputs, and there was a lot of feedback coming through the chassis, encouraging us to push harder and harder. You can find a little bit of remaining understeer if you go looking for it, but it’s not the natural tendency at anything less than the absolute limit.

Under the hood is the same 276-horsepower 2.0-liter I4 with 289 lb-ft of torque as last year; and when keeping a hand on that new shift knob for some acceleration runs, the Elantra N didn’t feel overly quick, as it was hard to find a good compromise between a soft launch and massive amounts of wheel hop. Still, we got to 60 in the same 5.4 seconds. The available eight-speed DCT automatic is a few tenths quicker if that’s your priority.

The engine sounds cool, nice and raspy, not high-strung, and the shifter works and feels great, with no missed shifts during our track time. Our best quarter-mile run was 14.0 seconds flat at 101 mph. Not bad for any family sedan. In braking runs, stops from 60 were strong and fade free, averaging a mere 100 feet. There was very little nosedive, as the N had a more of a hunkered down feel to it; and there was also very little ABS pulsing through the pedal.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with the manual are 21 City, 29 Highway, and 24 Combined. We recorded a good 25.8 mpg of Premium on our mixed driving loop. As for Hyundai’s traditional high value, Elantra N pricing starts at only $34,850, with the DCT a $1,500 option.

If you subscribe to the original Hot Rod ethos of making things go as fast as possible, for as little as possible, Hyundai is glad to have you along for the ride. This 2024 Hyundai Elantra N is a fun-filled modern-day Hot Rod in an economy car disguise. Those that are willing to take their next compact purchase to the power of N will get a driving experience that very few other affordable cars can approach.

The Z returned to the Nissan lineup in a big way last year, using a design that drew inspiration from previous Z sport coupes, while packing a twin-turbo V6 engine with more power than ever before. But leave it to NISMO to make it even better by boosting every aspect of the Z’s performance. So, time for us to open up the next chapter of the legendary book of Z.

If you’ve got a need for speed, then stay tuned for this track test, which is brought to you by the letter Z. It’s the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO, meaning it’s not only the latest Z, but one that’s been amped up with performance goodies derived from Nissan’s MotorSport expertise.

Looking every bit the track hero, the NISMO gets a completely different front treatment with a longer nose and a revised grille with thinner mesh. Vertical winglets were also added at the corners to manipulate airflow. The rear fascia also gets reshaped to reduce drag, while the rear spoiler is both taller and wider, extending out onto the fenders for additional downforce. And finally, the side skirts were reshaped to reduce lift; all of it done cohesively to not just maximize downforce, but to deliver better balance overall. With some thin red line accents to enhance the visuals. 19-inch wheels are both wider and lighter, with the rears wearing 285/35 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx performance tires similar to those on the Nissan GT-R.

Both the double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension have gotten a thorough reworking with unique dampers and stiffer springs, along with additional chassis bracing and retuned steering. At Summit Point Motorsports Park’s Jefferson Circuit, the NISMO Z did show great balance, but it does still feel like you’re sitting over the rear tires and aiming that long front end around the track. The front tires could still use a little more grip, but we were in total control with good communication from every component of the car. Throw in the nicely weighted and responsive steering, and this is one very fun car to man-handle around a racetrack.

More horsepower is always appreciated by us, and going from 400 to 420 may not seem like that big of a deal, but the torque increase from 350 to 384 lb-ft is more significant. It all helped this 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 be much more responsive on track, with plenty of reserve available when we needed it. Engine cooling has been upgraded and an additional Sport + drive mode added; the exhaust sounds good for a six-cylinder, but it could be louder.

Despite being a track-focused car, no manual transmission is available, as the NISMO comes exclusively with a nine-speed automatic. That seemed like a bummer going in, but on track, shifts were quick and smooth, and the transmission did a decent job of anticipating proper gearing for coming out of corners. Shift paddles were responsive too, but helped mostly when it came to downshifting; though the twin-turbo’s broad, confidence inspiring power band allowed us to worry less about whether we were in the right gear or not.

NISMO front brake rotors are larger by 1 inch and stopped us from 60 in just 94 feet, while being smooth and consistent out on the track. In straight-line acceleration runs at Mason Dixon Dragway the NISMO launched aggressively, and was a real handful until it shifted into second and calmed down a bit. Despite the additional power, the 4.5-second trip to 60 was exactly the same that we got last year. But, the NISMO did pick up the pace as we went down the track finishing the quarter in 12.8 seconds at 112 mph.

Suspension is borderline too stiff for a street car, which means it’s just right for enthusiasts, and there are some unique trim and logos inside to set it apart from lesser Zs. Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 17 City, 24 Highway, and 19 Combined; we averaged a fine 19.6 mpg of Premium. That’s only slightly worse than average for the Energy Impact Score, with 15.7 barrels of oil consumption and 7.8 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Pricing for Z NISMO starts at $66,890, which is about 12-grand over a Z Performance.

We believe that Nissan has quite effectively captured the spirit of the original Z with this seventh gen reboot, and we very much appreciate the track focused upgrades found on this 2024 Nissan Z NISMO. It kind of makes us think this is where the new Z should have been in the first place. But regardless of how they got here, it’s just good to know the Z is not just surviving, its thriving.