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What happens when you take two of the most popular compact cars, double the power, and nearly double the price? You get the Toyota GR Corolla and the Hyundai Elantra N. Both feature turbocharged engines, fully re-engineered powertrains, and upgraded suspensions and braking systems. These are essentially each brand’s race-bred compact car, offered at a relatively attainable price.
But which one delivers the most performance for the money? The Hyundai Elantra N arrived new for 2022 and was refreshed for 2024. The Toyota GR Corolla debuted for 2023 and has seen updates every year since. Both cars are built in limited numbers for a very specific kind of buyer: if you know, you want one. Let’s find out which is the better buy.
Full Elantra N Review:
Full GR Corolla Review:
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Presenter: Clifford Atiyeh
Cinematography: Michael Venn, www.VennCreativeMedia.com
#elantran #grcorolla
———
0:00 The Hyundai Elantra N vs. the Toyota GR Corolla
0:42 Exterior: Elantra N
1:44 Exterior: GR Corolla
3:24 Driving the Elantra N
14:03 Driving the GR Corolla
22:26 Inside the Elantra N
23:04 Inside the GR Corolla
23:34 Rear Seats
23:53 Cargo Space
24:26 Infotainment in the Elantra N
26:47 Infotainment in the GR Corolla
27:55 Pricing
28:17 The Verdict
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Elantra N, what you get for the price is amazing. The aftermarket world is also pretty decent and let me tell you this car in a DCT FBO with a stage 2 tune is an absolute riot to drive as a daily.
I owned a modded 2015 Genesis coupe 3.8. Best sounding 6 with exhaust ever! But that damn clutch was super anal. It had like a half inch of engagement. Definitely hard to get used to.
I keep browsing cars, trying not to buy another GTI but that car while it was new was so good. Maybe a save a few bucks and get a cheaper car and then wait it out to see what Toyota does next with a switch to 4 cylinder or something.
The Toyota interior is just so ugly, and it’s overpriced.🤷🏻♀️
corolla looks like picanto… ha ha ha ha
GR Corolla 🙌🙌
When looking for a vehicle in '23 the Elantra N was on my list, along with the Civic R & GR Corolla. Bought the GR, happy with the car but it is a small car. No car is perfect but for me it checked a lot of boxes. Had a person Sunday, "bet this gets great gas mileage" uh, not so much. I did get 26mpg a couple weeks ago driving to Florida with a paddleboard on top (77mph). I'm glad performance small cars are still being produced and we have some good choices.
I’m on my second Elantra N. Absolutely love it
Have had the opportunity to live with both and ended up with the GR Corolla. The Elantra N is a good car for the cost, and I think that is the selling point of the car which is typcal Hyundai. The interior is nicer and more modern over the Corolla, the factory pops are fun too. Plenty of space inside (surprised it is still considered a compact car). I just wish Hyundai did something more to make it more distinguishable from the regular Elantra apart from the front end and back bumper (especially on the facelift model). I was not a fan of the panel gaps on this car however, when comparing to other Elantra Ns each has different panel gaps. If panel gaps annoy you get a Black Elantra N, it hides it better. The adjustable suspension is a nice added feature too. Now the GR Corolla, this car is pretty raw. Yes the interior is very basic but I love the simplicity to it. The GR Corolla is very rigid which is a trade off if you're daily driving it. This car stays true to being a compact car, it is not roomy as the Elantra. I do like the wider fender flares and the big grills on it, it looks very aggressive. I will say though, the AWD system overheating is a bit overplayed. I've talked to numerous people who track the car and haven't had the issue. Props to Toyota as each model year they find a way to try and improve the car. One thing I will say is that this car is more of a rally car to the likes of a Lancer Evo or a WRX and that's were it would shine the most.
Toyota "tax" is crazy. Pricing is off from dealers, meanwhile carmax is littered with GRCs because no one wants to keep them
Hyundai 😂😂
That’s like getting a Stinger KIA
The Toyota GR Corolla is the only choice.
I have driven the manual Elantra and the dual clutch…. Manual me please… This video is the reason manuals are going away. I know the dual clutch automatic is faster. But the manual is the better car.
Elantra N, better value. Plus, N you can buy at a bit of a discount while the Carolla has added BS from the dealer.
What year is the elantra N? I just picked up a 2026 and the infotainment is snappy as hell
Give me the GRC. Its tons of fun to toss in the canyons!
This guy is completely biased toward the Toyota. The N will dump all over the GRC
Elantra N for Autocross and price.
GR Corolla and Yaris are hand-assembled in one section of the Motomachi plant in Japan. From the bolts and parts they use, number and location of spot-welding, or the tolerance, alignment, and precision is different from the regular Corolla and Yaris. It's not a commercial car that was turned into a race car, rather it's designed and built as a rally car (for Toyota's Gazoo Racing team to compete in the WRC) that is also made available in small volume to the public. Reportedly, they only assemble about 6,000-8,000 units per year. The waiting period from order to delivery in Japanese market is typically over 6 months.
Elantra N for me, but im biased. Had mine for 3 years and its been a riot! Before I bought it I had looked at several cars (Camaro SS, Kia Stinger GT2, Type R, and the GR Corolla). Well, all those were much more expensive, at least here with dealer mark up in Eastern NC, so I opted for a new Elantra N. Glad I did. Amazing performance bargain
To be completely fair the money you're going to save by buying an elantra in. You can go through and replace all the motor bushings. On the motor mounts and transmission mount and get rid of that will hop
Such a dumb comparison.
Do you daily?
Do you see a true winter?
Then the answer is clear.
Elantra for real driving definitely.