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Hyundai released the first images of the 2021 Sonata N-Line today, showing off a racy exterior design. In addition to the sporty-looking visual tweaks, the N-Line will come with a more powerful engine than the base Sonata and will have unique suspension tuning. The Sonata N-Line will join the Elantra N-Line and the Veloster N in Hyundai’s performance-oriented lineup. The N-Line cars represent tweaked versions of non-N cars rather than full reimaginings in the vein of the Veloster N. Think of them as Hyundai’s version of BMW’s M Sport or Mercedes-AMG's 35 lineup.
The Sonata N-Line is easily distinguishable from the standard Sonata with its quad exhaust, extra front air intakes, standard 19-inch wheels, trim-specific side-skirts and rear diffuser, and black trim on the lower part of the bumpers. Inside, there are touches of red trim, dark chrome accents, and sport seats to round out the performance-oriented design. There’s also N-Line badging sprinkled across the cars exterior and throughout the interior, in case you forget.
While today’s announcement didn’t make any mention of the N-Line's powertrain or trim-specific tuning, we learned some specifics on that front when we drove a prototype version of the Sonata N-Line in December of last year. Hyundai said then that the N-Line would have a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that will make at least 290 hp (they wouldn’t rule out the idea that a last-minute tune could add a few extra horses) and 310 lb-ft of torque. That engine will pair with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The N-Line will ride 0.2 inch lower than other Sonatas and has trim-specific dampers, springs, and anti-roll bars. The N-Line also gets larger brake rotors.
Hyundai told us last year to expect the N-Line to go on sale late in 2020. Hyundai neither updated that estimate nor confirmed it today. It’s possible that the coronavirus pandemic has impacted launch timing, but this new set of pictures is a good sign that production is near at hand.
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