Hyundai Compact Cars

Let’s face it, Performance vehicles as we know them like the BMW M4, Hyundai Veloster, – and by that, I mean cars with raw internal combustion power – aren’t exactly staring down the barrel of a bright future. By 2030 or 2040 at the latest, there’s a good chance that you’ll only be able to buy electric vehicles and, while they can offer some great performance as we’ve learned from cars like the Porsche Taycan, the basis behind performance vehicles is changing. That’s probably why automakers are offering so many performance vehicles that, well, probably shouldn’t even exist.

The Hyundai Kona N, as cool as it is, is one such model. The world doesn’t need a high-performance Kona, but here we are with one. Other automakers are doing the same thing, and it’s only because we’re willing to snatch them up as quickly as they can produce them simply based on the fact that this is probably our last chance. And that’s probably a big reason as to why Hyundai has just promised a whole bunch of N Performance models….

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is considered the forefather of the hot hatch segment. The first Golf GTI was introduced in June 1976 and has been going strong ever since. Nowadays, the Golf GTI is in its eighth generation and is still one of the best all-around performers in the segment. It’s also sold both in Europe and North America, which is not something that can be said for all the cars on the list. With that being said, the modern hot hatch scene is as dynamic as ever and many new contenders for the best hot hatch title. Here are some of the best alternatives that aim to de-throne the GTI.

If it is not broke, do not fix it. The world’s appetite for crossovers and SUVs is still going strong and as long as people will buy these high-riding people carriers, carmakers will do everything in their power to milk the trend.

Hyundai is one of those carmakers and the milking will now be done via its new Europe-headed crossover, the Bayon. This is everything you need to know about the car that is supposed to poach customers from the likes of Ford Puma and Nissan Juke.

Hyundai has had the Ioniq moniker in its arsenal for quite some time. In fact, it has jumped shipped within the portfolio many times. It was first launched as a hybrid car, then as an electric one, and finally as a plug-in hybrid. Last year, however, it received a promotion and became the South Korean automaker’s electric sub-brand. Hyundai plans to have 23 EVs by 2025 and the journey commences with the Ioniq 5.

The Ioniq 5 comes with futuristic looks, a couple of battery pack options, and an insanely spacious cabin that makes it one of the best crossover utility EVs in the market today. Will it set the tone for Ioniq’s bright electric future?

Hyundai initially launched the Ioniq as a hybrid car, then as an electric one, and finally as a plug-in hybrid. But, in 2020, the company decided to relaunch it as its sub-brand that will consist of all-electric models only. Fast forward to the present day and we already have a glimpse of its first vehicle, the Ioniq 5 mid-size crossover. Hyundai released three teaser images of the Ioniq, a month before it makes its full-fledged debut.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona N is an upcoming high-performance version of the company’s subcompact SUV. Launched in 2017, the Kona has become so popular in just three years that Hyundai is pushing it into high-performance territory. The Kona is the brand’s first SUV to feature an "N" badge, joining cars like the i20, i30, Veloster, and Elantra. Is the 2021 Kona N just as powerful as Hyundai’s N-badged cars and will it come to the U.S.? Let’s find out in the review below.

Ignore the "official" spy photos provided by Hyundai. Ever carmaker is in that game today, as lame as it may be. However, it shows that the Koreans are hard at work trying to ready the spicier Kona N for its debut. To keep the hype up, they’ve published the said set of pictures and new spec-related details.

The 2021 Hyundai i20 N is the high-performance, range-topping version of the subcompact i20 hatchback. The third N-badged model from the Korean company, the i20 N joins the slightly bigger i30 N and Veloster N.

Unlike its larger siblings, the i20 N features a smaller, less powerful engine, but it looks just as mean on the outside. Does it have enough oomph to compete with popular models like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Fiesta ST? Is it a match for the new and wild Toyota GR Yaris? Let’s find out in the review below.

The Hyundai Veloster N is one of the most capable hot hatchbacks on the market, and it’s about to be even more capable. The 2021 Veloster N features a higher output, a new dual-clutch transmission, and a plethora of new standard equipment - a lot of which were classified as options in earlier models. Does this shift in standard equipment and improved output justify a significantly higher price tag, though?

The 2021 Hyundai i30 N is the facelifted version of the high-performance hatchback that the Korean company introduced back in 2017. The mid-cycle refresh doesn’t bring radical changes, but it does improve the car’s exterior design and adds new technology inside the cabin. The 2021 i30 N also comes with a more powerful Performance Package. But is it finally good enough to take on the popular Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST? Does it have what it takes to go against the new-for-2021 BMW 128ti? Let’s find out in the review below.

Despite the crossover madness in recent years, the sedan niche is still one of the most popular and competitive segments when it comes to choosing your next daily driver. This is why the Hyundai Elantra is already in its seventh generation. Over the past decade, the Korean brand has been on a crusade to steal as many clients as possible from the likes of Toyota and Honda – brands that dominate the compact sedan segment with the Corolla and Civic models.

It’s been four years since Hyundai launched its high-performance N division in 2016, and the Korean brand already introduced two models. The i30 N debuted in 2017, while the Veloster N arrived in 2019. Come 2020 and Hyundai is preparing the release of the i20 N. Rumored to be in the works ever since Hyundai started racing the i20 in the World Rally Championship, the i20 N will arrive alongside the third-generation hatchback, introduced for 2020. Teased in a series of new shots from Hyundai, the i20 N will compete against the already popular Volkswagen Polo GTI and Ford Fiesta ST.

Hyundai has been pushing pretty Elantra numbers over the past three years, with sales comprising between 175,000 and 200,000 units sold yearly. It’s no surprise then that the South Koreans gave the greenlight to a more attractive, N-badged iteration of the Elantra sedan, albeit not in the same verve as a fully-fledged N car, but dressed in what Hyundai calls the N Line treatment.

The Hyundai Elantra GT and GT N-Line, especially in regard to the most recent generation, had all the makings of a true hot hatch that could have competed with the likes of the Ford Focus ST, Honda Civic Type R, and even the Volkswagen Gold R. It has the looks, but Hyundai forgot one major ingredient – performance. Now, with a new Elantra GT N Line sedan on the horizon and the introduction of the Hyundai Venue, the Elantra GT hatchback is going to be killed off for the for the 2021 model year – at least in the United States, anyway.

Hyundai introduced the Venue subcompact crossover for the 2020 model year as an all-new model that’s based on the same platform as the Ascent compact sedan. As a subcompact, you can get a well-equipped model for less than $20,000, but that affordability doesn’t come without its tradeoffs. Being an all-new model, we’ve been itching to see how Hyundai’s latest entry to the U.S. market holds up, especially against long-running nameplates like the Ford EcoSport and Nissan Kicks. We finally got our chance with the mid-level SEL trim, and this is what you can expect from it.

The death of the manual transmission has been lurking for some time as laziness kicks in and sales continue to decrease. But, what if there was a middle ground where you can still shift on your own without dealing with finessing a clutch pedal? As it turns out, Hyundai has a solution for that, and it’s called the Intelligent Manual Transmission. That’s right; Hyundai now has a manual transmission that doesn’t have a clutch pedal. How the hell does that work?

The Hyundai Sonata entered its eighth generation for the 2020 model year, finally completing the transformation from econobox family sedan to something that looks luxurious and sporty. In fact, at a glance, it even looks a lot like the new Audi A7 or RS7 with a slightly tweaked front end. So, do the aggressive exterior design cues, sporty proportions, and upscale appearance actually push it into a position to leave the Honda Accord and Kia Optima behind as it starts to compete with brands like Audi, BMW, and Porsche? Well, after spending a week with eh all-new Sonata, we can comfortably say it isn’t quite there yet, but it’s not far off. This is what it was like to live with the 2020 Hyundai Sonata.

The Hyundai Veloster is a fun, affordable car that is positioned securely in the compact hatchback niche and, while it doesn’t rank necessarily high in terms of power, its unique style, performance, and fairly upscale interior is quite noteworthy. Currently a year into its second generation, we decided it was time to get behind the wheel of Hyundai’s fan favorite, and to our surprise, a Veloster Turbo landing in Topspeed HQ’s parking lot. This, my friends, gave us the perfect opportunity to see how the Veloster Turbo holds water against models like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Honda Civic Sport Touring. This is our story after spending a week with the one and only Hyundai Veloster Turbo.

For the better part of a decade (since 2014, to be specific), Hyundai has been teasing us with a stand-alone N-branded halo car that would feature a mid-engine configuration and hatchback body. We’ve seen four concepts – the RM14, RM15, RM16, and most recently, the RM19 – and now we’ve received even more information that helps us paint a clear picture of what we can expect from the N halo car and when we can expect to see it. The future is here folks, and Hyundai’s affordable sports car isn’t far off. Here’s everything we know about it!