In reply to bobzilla :
Agreed. But he wants to drop the Soul a ton and its just not a good starting point for something like that.
A Kona N has the independent rear found on the 2nd Gen Veloster (and N), and I'm guessing on the Elantra as well. And you can get it with the N drivetrain. If you want a rocket box that seems like a much better starting point.
When I first saw the EN, I thought it was pretty ugly. Not as bad as the Type R, but certainly homely. Driving it made me quickly not care about what it looked like, still, I wanted to go with black because I thought it hid the front end best.
Funny thing is that the more I live with it, the less I think it is ugly. BMW and Lexus have raised the bar on ugly, so by comparison the EN is not that bad. But after many washes and photos, I actually dig the look now. I think it looks purposeful and mean. And now that the CTR went from fugly to a bland Accord, I am still pretty happy with it.
I loved all of the tech and the screens inside, and they continue to get better IMHO. If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would own a car that allowed me to customize the suspension, steering, traction control, stability control and even exhaust at the touch of a button, I would not have believed you. Hyundai raised the bar on features and UI, especially at this price point.
^agreed
its difficult to call that ugly when you have bmw carrying that torch
I had a Veloster N for a bit and loved the performance, but I needed four real doors when my second kid was born. Sold it for more than I initially paid, and I've been planning on getting an Elantra N once the family stuff settles down. I don't mind the looks but the wheels, to me, are pretty hideous (and heavy).
But I definitely agree with the comments about poor customer service at Hyundai dealerships. Every time I walked into the showroom or the service bay I was made to feel like I was just inconveniencing everyone in the entire store.
So now I'm leaning much more towards picking up a new WRX, in Solar Orange, thank you very much...
But either one would be pretty fantastic.