Rumorpile: Hyundai Sonata N in the Cards?

The Hyundai Sonata is likely to make a big splash with its good looks when it hits dealers in a few weeks. One thing that was missing from the original release of the Sonata was an up-level engine option. To review, the Sonata can be optioned with a 191 horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder or a 180 horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with a wide peak torque band and 195 lb.-ft.   Gone is the 245 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo.

Back in April, Hyundai confirmed that it would produce an N-Line version of the car with 275 horsepower.  That car is likely to be debuting at the LA Auto Show later this month. The kicker is the N-line is not the full performance edition like a Sonata N would be. 

Now, rumors out of Korea via Korean Car Blog say that the full N will be coming late next year. Powering the Sonata N would be a 2.5-liter turbocharge direct injected engine producing at least 300 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft of torque. Power would be fed through an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. This powertrain has already been shown at a 2019 Hyundai Kia Motors Powertrain Conference, so we know they'll be building this engine for something.

Of course, Hyundai has not commented on any of these rumors, so take a Sonata N with a grain of salt.  Still, a performance tuned Sonata could make an exciting addition to the otherwise stale and fading mid-size car market.