2025 Subaru WRX vs. 2025 Hyundai Elantra N Review

2025 Subaru WRX tS ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Compact sedans are among America’s least expensive cars. They’re built to be simple, affordable, economical transportation. But small cars have another built-in advantage. They’re small and light, which means they can be secret performance machines when fitted with a big engine and a sportier suspension. 

That’s what you get with the 2025 Subaru WRX and the 2025 Hyundai Elantra N. The WRX was designed from the ground up as a sports sedan, while the Elantra N dresses up the body of an ordinary Elantra. Both sedans have more than 270 horsepower and a choice of manual and automatic transmissions for a starting price of less than $40,000. For this review, we tested both the WRX and the Elantra N to see how they compare in each of seven categories. Keep reading to learn how they stack up, which one we picked, and which one sounds like the best affordable performance sedan for you. 

Pricing and Features

The WRX has a base price of $37,750 for the entry-level Premium trim level. It’s decently equipped with amenities that include automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, and heated front seats. For $42,310, the Limited adds a power-adjustable driver’s seat, leather and suede upholstery instead of the Premium’s cloth, blind-spot monitoring, and an 11-speaker Harman Kardon stereo (instead of the Premium’s six speakers). At the top of the line are the GT and the tS, which have more sophisticated suspensions, Recaro sport seats, and a few other upgrades. The GT model is sold only with an automatic transmission, while the newly introduced tS, like our test vehicle, lets you get the best features with a manual. Both the GT and tS start at $47,705. 

The Elantra N costs less: $34,350 with an manual transmission and $35,850 with an automatic (plus a sunroof). Overall, it’s equipped roughly between the WRX Premium and Limited – while costing less than either. It has leather and suede upholstery but manual seat adjustments. It has an eight-speaker Bose stereo. It also has blind-spot monitoring, a wireless smartphone charger, and GPS navigation. 

If you want a power driver’s seat, a more potent stereo, or a sunroof with a manual transmission, only the WRX delivers. But the Elantra N costs so much less, we’re comfortable overlooking those few points. 

Winner: Hyundai Elantra N

2024 Hyundai Elantra N ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Exterior Design

For an economy sedan, the standard Hyundai Elantra had a pretty wild body when it debuted as a 2021 model – all angles and creases, and with big headlights dipping down into a big, low grille. Even five years later, it doesn’t look dull. The Elantra N builds on that by blacking out parts of the front end and adding red accents along the bottom of the bumper. It doesn’t look like a fancy car, but it looks fast. 

The WRX doesn’t share its body with any ordinary economy sedan, and yet, it looks as if it could have. Its headlights and grille look like a Subaru Outback crossover’s, while its profile is more upright and formal than the Elantra’s. A big hood scoop, pronounced fender flares, and a blacked-out lower bumper area say “I’m fast.” But for better or for worse, they don’t say it that loud. Nor do the WRX’s angular taillights match its gentler-looking headlights. We won’t name a winner between the subtler Subaru and more exuberant Hyundai, leaving this to your personal aesthetic taste. 

Winner: Tie 

2025 Subaru WRX tS ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

Inside, we once again face a flashy Hyundai and a mild-looking Subaru. The WRX’s chunky dashboard is built around the same 11.6-inch portrait-orientation touchscreen as most other Subarus. And like other Subarus, it doesn’t always work perfectly. Responses can lag, and some functions are buried in menus. Even changing the drive modes requires tapping away at the screen, which means dialing up your performance takes more attention and advanced planning. 

The Elantra N’s cabin isn’t as nicely trimmed as the WRX’s. There’s more hard plastic and fewer padded surfaces. But its touchscreen and digital gauge cluster work better than the Subaru’s. And Hyundai provides more physical controls to complement its digital experience. We also subjectively appreciate how the Hyundai’s dashboard feels lower and slimmer than the WRX’s. It gives the car a more sporting feel, while the WRX looks like the dashboard of an SUV. 

We do welcome the Subaru’s better-finished interior at this price point, but we’ll still give the win to the Hyundai for working better. 

Winner: Hyundai Elantra N

2024 Hyundai Elantra N ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Space and Comfort

Like the ordinary Elantra, the Elantra N can fit two adults comfortably, four adults without much squeezing, and five in a pinch. There isn’t room in the back to stretch out and relax, but it’s certainly usable. We’ve heard mixed impressions of the Elantra N’s sport seats, but we found them to be an agreeable balance between holding you firmly in place and leaving you uncomfortably constrained. And its 14.2 cubic feet of trunk space is among the best you’ll find in a compact sedan. 

Still, we’ll give a nod to the WRX. It gives you a choice of Recaro sport seats (on top trim levels) or a more relaxed fit (on the Premium and Limited), and we found both to be comfortable and supportive. The Subaru is the only one of the two to offer power-adjustable seats. It fits adults in the rear seat, too, like the Elantra. And while its trunk is a little smaller, at 12.5 cubic feet, you can fold down the rear seat for some more flexibility. When you do that in an Elantra N, most of the opening is blocked by a structural brace. 

Winner: Subaru WRX

2025 Subaru WRX tS ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ride and Handling

Besides their aesthetics and price, the biggest difference between the WRX and Elantra N is how their engines connect to the wheels. The Hyundai is sold exclusively with front-wheel drive, while the Subaru comes only with all-wheel drive. That helps the WRX put power smoothly to the road, improving its traction when you’re driving hard and in messy conditions. 

The WRX also has a more forgiving ride than the Elantra N. Subaru sports sedans are rally cars that race on dirt tracks, not just perfectly smooth tarmac. You’ll also appreciate the WRX’s gentler suspension on your everyday commute. 

The Elantra N has crisper steering and handling than most WRX models. We loved driving the new WRX tS, with adjustable suspension dampers and steering responses. It let us dial in a more precise, responsive driving experience than the WRX Limited we’d tested before. On the other hand, as we mentioned, the tS costs more than $10,000 more than the Elantra N. We’ll call this category an overall tie. You’ll decide if you prefer maximum on-road agility at a reasonable price (Elantra N), a smoother ride and all-wheel drive (most WRX models), or AWD plus outstanding steering and handling at a higher price point (WRX tS). 

Winner: Tie

2025 Subaru WRX tS ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Acceleration

The Elantra N makes 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That beats the output of the WRX’s own 2.4-liter turbo: 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Expect the Subaru to reach 60 mph in less than six seconds, while the Elantra N can get closer to five seconds. The torquier Hyundai also felt more responsive to us in everyday driving, and its manual transmission shifted more crisply than the Subaru’s. 

The bigger difference is if you prefer an automatic transmission. The Elantra N offers a dual-clutch automatic like a traditional performance car. That gives it quick shifts for maximum speed. The WRX, meanwhile, has a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). On paper, CVTs optimize power and fuel economy by perpetually adjusting their transmission ratios. In reality, that means if you floor the accelerator, you get a steady drone as the engine holds redline. If you don’t max it out, the WRX’s CVT simulates shifts, but this isn’t a joyful engine. 

Winner: Hyundai Elantra N

2024 Hyundai Elantra N ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fuel Economy

Though they’re small cars, the Elantra N and the WRX both have a thirst for premium gasoline. In EPA testing, the manual Elantra N gets 21 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 24 mpg combined. The manual WRX is even less economical, with ratings of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. We averaged 27 mpg in our Elantra N and 26 mpg in our WRX. If you opt for automatics, the EPA ratings drop by another mile per gallon or so on both the Elantra and WRX. 

The WRX does have the advantage of a big 16.6-gallon gas tank. Even though the Elantra N burns less fuel, you’ll have to stop often to fill up its 12.4-gallon tank. But we’ll still give the Hyundai the win for lower fuel costs.

Winner: Hyundai Elantra N

2024 Hyundai Elantra N ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2025 Subaru WRX is a curious study of contradictions. It’s a sports sedan with understated styling and a relatively smooth ride. And unless you get a top trim level, it has looser handling. We love how the tS drives, but it costs nearly $50,000. And while all-wheel-drive is useful, you pay for it every time you put in another tank of premium fuel. 

So the 2025 Hyundai Elantra N is our winner. It’s the sportier-looking car inside and out, and it backs that up with livelier and more engaging handling and acceleration. And it costs thousands of dollars less than the Subaru. 

The Hyundai’s ride is a little stiffer than the Subaru’s. The interior isn’t quite as nice. And it doesn’t have quite as many luxury features. But it’s more fun to drive for less money, all while holding its own for everyday functionality. 

Winner: Hyundai Elantra N 

2024 Hyundai Elantra N ・ Photo by Brady Holt