Format: bullet cues only, reference not read-aloud. Hosts riff from beats, never teleprompter the page.
Scored as: 2022+ Elantra N sedan, 2.0L turbo I4 (Smartstream G2.0 T-GDI), 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive (DCT noted, not scored) · Total: 46/70 (ratified by Ramon 2026-09-27, revised 2026-10-11: Risk 8 to 7; Deal scored on the resale rule, Upkeep on its dollar band) · Target runtime: ~6:40, hard ceiling 7:00
Title (curiosity gap): "The Elantra N Costs More Than It Should"
Thumbnail word (emotion/verdict, zero overlap w/ title): "DEPRECIATION" + big 46 on the Board
Order: Deal → Drive → Upkeep → Risk → Daily → Limit → Mods → Board → Verdict

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Hook | One Sentence (~0:05)

1. "Two hundred seventy-six horsepower, a limited-slip diff, a six-speed and a real back seat, for twenty thousand four fifty on book. The catch isn't anything that breaks."
2. "Every recall on a used Elantra N is a free fix, the worst thing likely to wear out is a clutch, and it still only gets a 3 for the Deal."
3. "Same engine family as the Veloster N, one more door, and one more point for the Drive. Here's why that point is our call and not a number."

Recommend #2. It flips the usual buy-or-skip story: this car's problem is the price and the depreciation, not the parts. Cut straight to The Deal on the last syllable.

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1 · The Deal, reveal 3 (~0:55)

Beats

• $20,450 · KBB private party, Good, 2022 Elantra N sedan · KBB doesn't state the mileage · range $18,300 Fair to $22,050 Excellent
• 2022 is the anchor because it's what's for sale: 534 cars.com listings for a 2022, 638 for a 2023, then 5 for a 2024 and 9 for a 2025
• Book by year: 2022 $20,450 · 2023 $22,950 · 2024 $23,370 · 2025 $26,170
• The asking market: 2022 averages $25,915, 2023 $27,262. Across all four years about $28,694, which is 1.40x book. An average of averages, not a median. Say so
• What you lose: KBB had a 2022 at $30,682 in 2023, $26,236 in 2024, $21,110 in 2025. About 17% a year, about $3,487 a year on the buy-in
• What you get: $20,450 for 11.5 lb/hp, against a going rate of about $13,854. That's 1.48x. You pay extra for the power, not less
• $74.1/hp on book, $104.0/hp on the asking average. Say which one you mean
• Against the Veloster N: $20,450 here, $19,500 there, for 276 hp against 275
• Both halves count against it. That's how a car this sound ends up with a 3

B-roll: live cars.com search, 2022 Elantra N · screen-record at edit time and point at the transmission line on each listing: most will say automatic
On screen: the three KBB resale points as a falling line · $20,450 book vs $28,694 asking split · listings by year as four bars, 534 / 638 / 5 / 9 · "-$3,487/YR" stamp
Reveal line cue: "Sound car, dear price, and it's still falling... The Deal, a 3."

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2 · The Drive, reveal 8 (~0:50)

Beats

• 276 hp at 5,500-6,000 rpm / 289 lb-ft from 2,100 to 4,700 rpm · 3,186 lb · 11.5 lb/hp
• 5.4 sec to 60, quarter mile 14.0 sec at 101 mph: MotorWeek, a 2024 manual
• The manual never sees N Grin Shift. That's the DCT's 20-second push to 286 hp, and the DCT weighs 3,296 lb, 110 lb more
• Most buyers took the DCT: Hyundai's own take rate put the manual at about 25%. The manual you want is the minority on the lot
• Steering feel 4, powertrain 4. The engine is the Smartstream 2.0 turbo, and it pulls hard in the middle
• The Veloster N point, say it straight: 275 hp, 3,106 lb, 11.3 lb/hp, 5.2 s to 60. On paper the Veloster N is a hair quicker. Powertrain is a 4 on both
• So the Elantra N's Drive of 8 against the Veloster N's 7 is one point of steering feel, and that's our judgment, not a measurement. Accurate with some filtering here; precise but numb there
• What the Elantra N brings to the corner: a limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, N-specific bracing, square 245/35R19 Pilot Sport 4S. We think it shows up in the wheel. We can't put a number on it
• Cornering is not in this score. That's The Limit

On screen: 276 / 289 chip · side-by-side with the Veloster N, 11.5 vs 11.3 lb/hp, 5.4 vs 5.2 s, then "STEERING 4 vs 3" · "OUR CALL" stamp
Reveal line cue: "Same kind of engine, a better wheel in our hands... The Drive, an 8."

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3 · The Upkeep, reveal 5 (~0:45)

Beats

• $5,248/yr: $1,920 fuel · $2,282 insurance · $596 tires · $450 service
• 25 mpg combined, 22 city / 31 highway, the manual's own fueleconomy.gov rating. Not the N Line's numbers
• Premium, 91. Dealers and spec pages say it needs it for rated power. We couldn't find the owner's-manual wording, so treat it as needed
• Insurance is an Elantra average, not an N quote. MoneyGeek's $2,282 covers the whole nameplate. It breaks out the N Line at $3,036 and has no row for the N. Expect to pay more than our figure
• Square 245/35R19, all four corners the same. They rotate. Board tire rule: a Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 in the factory sizes, SimpleTire's price, a set every 24,000 miles. $297.99 a tire, a $1,191.96 set: $596 a year
• The score is the dollar band: $5,248 sits in the 5 band. Two lines hurt at once: fuel and insurance
• Against the Veloster N's $4,940 a year

YEAR-ONE COST

• Maintained ~$2,200–3,000 · Typical ~$3,800–5,200 · Neglected ~$6,500–9,000
• Against the $20,450 book, roughly 11-15%, 19-25% and 32-44%
• Say the caveat on camera: these are built at 120,000 miles, and no Elantra N is anywhere near that yet. Our estimate from part costs, not a track record
• The recalls are free and not in it

On screen: running-cost stack · "ELANTRA AVERAGE" tag on the insurance bar · the three year-one bars with "ESTIMATE" across them
Reveal line cue: "Fuel and insurance both bite, and the insurance may bite harder... The Upkeep, a 5."

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4 · The Risk, reveal 7 (~1:10)

Beats

• No catastrophic failure on record. The costliest thing likely to go is a clutch, ~$900-1,500, our estimate. That's wear, not a failure mode
• Three safety recalls, all free, all on a VIN check:
• 24V-528, the one that matters for a used buy: fuel pump control valve on 2022-23 cars, 8,533 of them, built 09/15/2021 to 11/23/2023. Wear can richen the mix and cut power at low speed. ECM update, new pump if code P0088 is stored. Free regardless of warranty
• 22V-746: DCT oil pump, 2022 only, 1,165 cars. Fail-safe mode, then loss of drive. Doesn't reach the manual we scored
• 26V-254: B-pillar airbag sensor may be misassembled on 2025 cars, which can delay deployment. Reported April 21, 2026, letters from June 11, 2026. About 2,931 units in the shared campaign. Free
• The TSB is different, say why: 24-EM-010H, every 2022-2025 car. Water gets into the knock sensor connector in heavy rain or a wash, sets P1326 and can drop it into limp mode. It's a warranty repair: covered inside Hyundai's warranty, not free outside it. Out of warranty, about $255 in labour plus parts
• NHTSA complaints: 39 across 2022 to 2025 (17, 14, 1, 7). Too young for a trend
• One owner on Hyundai's own forum says a stock 2022 engine claim was declined. One account, no cause, no cost. Mention it as that and no more
• No catastrophic mode, and on that alone it would read an 8. It's a 7 because the record is short: the first cars are about four years old, and the Veloster N sits on 7 on the same reading

PPI CHECKLIST: hold it on screen
1. Confirm it is the six-speed manual
2. Run all three recalls by VIN
3. Check for stored code P0088 or P1326
4. Hose the bay, watch for a limp-mode fault
5. Check clutch bite point and high-gear slip
6. Confirm service history, not just mileage

On screen: "$0 x 3" recall stamp · recall list with model years · "WARRANTY, NOT FREE" tag on the TSB · PPI checklist held long enough to pause
Reveal line cue: "Three free fixes, a clutch, and a short record... The Risk, a 7."

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5 · The Daily, reveal 8 (~0:30)

Beats

• 5 seats, 4 doors, 14.2 cu ft trunk
• Could it be your only car? Yes
• 10.25-inch touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital cluster in one panel. Wired CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless isn't confirmed for the N, so don't promise it
• Against the Veloster N: four seats, an odd door count, 19.9 cu ft in a hatch. The Elantra N has a real back door on each side
• Why 8 and not 9: rung 9's cargo figure is a seats-up hatchback measurement no sedan trunk reaches

On screen: rear doors open, adults in the back · 5 SEATS / 14.2 CU FT chip · "WIRED" tag over the CarPlay screen
Reveal line cue: "Five seats, a trunk, and your phone on the screen... The Daily, an 8."

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6 · The Limit, reveal 7 (~0:35)

Beats

• SCCA G Street. The 2026 rulebook's Appendix A names "Elantra N (2022-25)" there. Some buyer's guides still say D Street; the rulebook says G
• It also appears in B Street Touring and F Street Prepared. Those are prep classes, not a second answer
• Same Street class as the WRX
• Limited-slip diff, standard. Adaptive dampers. Square 245/35R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on 3,186 lb
• Front-wheel drive caps the Limit at 7 on our rubric, whatever the class and whatever the diff. The Civic Type R is the front-drive exception at 8, with 1.02 g measured
• Grip is not captured. A figure exists from an outlet outside our source list, so it doesn't go on air

On screen: "G STREET" banner · the Appendix A line, quoted · "FWD CAP: 7" stamp
Reveal line cue: "All the hardware, and still pulling from the front... The Limit, a 7."

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7 · The Mods, reveal 7 (~0:35)

Beats

• First step: an ECU tune, about $606 (N75 Motorsports), no hardware
• Tuner-reported: 40-50 whp over a stock mid-260s to 270 whp. One DCT car went 273 to 314 whp. Tuner dyno sheets, not an independent test
• ~$1,478 per +100 whp is the tune-only rate scaled up. A real +100 needs a downpipe, intake and a bigger intercooler we haven't priced. Say that every time the number shows
• Stock bottom end: forum consensus puts it near 300-350 whp. A tuned car lands around 310-314. Nobody has proved the ceiling on a dyno
• Vendors: N75 Motorsports, SXTH Element, KDM Tuners, Tork Motorsports, plus a running parts list on Hyundai's own forum. Growing, not settled
• Against the Veloster N's $1,250 flash. Same rung, a 7

On screen: "$606 → +40-50 WHP" · the ceiling band 300-350 shaded with "FORUM ESTIMATE" · vendor logos row
Reveal line cue: "Cheap to wake up, and nobody's found the top yet... The Mods, a 7."

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The Board + Verdict (~0:50)

Beats

• Total lands: 46 / 70
• The shape: an 8 for the Drive, an 8 for a real four-door, a 7 for the Risk, and a 3 for a price that sits 1.48x the going rate and falls about 17% a year
• Cross-shop line: the Veloster N's engine family with four doors and a trunk
• VERDICT: "Buy a 2022 or 2023 manual with its fuel-pump recall done, and price in about $3,487 a year going back to depreciation."
• The condition, repeated so it sticks: every recall by VIN, a hose-down for the knock sensor, a clutch that bites where it should
• Why 2022-23: that's the market. 534 and 638 listings, against 5 and 9 for 2024 and 2025
• Skip case: you want this power for less money. The Veloster N is 275 hp for $19,500 on book, if a hatch with one door on the driver's side will do

On screen: the 46 hits the Board · Buy stamp with the condition line
Close cue: one line to the Board · end

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Runtime + notes

• Sum ~ 6:40. The Deal and The Drive carry the extra runtime: the price is the story, and the Veloster N point needs saying carefully. If it runs long, pull from The Daily.
• Scores: all seven ratified by Ramon on 2026-09-27. Deal is on the resale rule (lose 1, get 2), Upkeep on its dollar band. The Drive's extra point over the Veloster N is steering feel, a judgment; the Limit's 7 is the front-drive cap.
• Do not say on camera: a grip figure, the DCT's 0-60, a stock-block ceiling as fact, the tuner's gain as independent, "free" about the TSB, or wireless CarPlay.
• B-roll warning: about three in four Elantra Ns were sold as DCTs, and N Line cars look close. Check for the third pedal and the N badge before a shot goes in as the scored car.
• Title and thumbnail share zero words per channel rule.