However, here in GT7, it's saddled with a few problems. The first and most glaring are the 21st century Evos and WRXes, which are similarly 4–door sedans with established fan followings, often have more power, carry comparable mass, but have the advantage of AWD. Though the main difference between the Evos/WRXes and the Elantra is the driven wheels, in practice, the AWD cars are just so much faster than the Elantra, as though we were racing in different classes altogether. And yet, despite that big pace difference, the Evos and WRXes are just within 10PP of the Elantra's stock rating (500.55PP as of v1.63) for reasons only PD knows. So not only do the Evos and WRXes unfairly trounce the Elantra stock for stock, the AWD monsters also have a higher performance ceilings, as well as established fan followings to boot. Plus, long–time GT7 players would have already been showered with plenty of free FK8 and FL5 Civics by the time the Elantra was added to the game. But perhaps the most damning of them all is that Single–Player races in the Elantra's stock performance bracket are all weirdly region–locked, being split into European/Japanese FF Challenges and Clubman Cups, none of which the Korean car is eligible for. At 600PP where these arbitrary restrictions lift, an FWD car is just going to struggle immensely, and that is before we even consider how prone the Elantra is to have its tyres hit the bodywork and lock up the steering at higher performance levels. Heck, there isn't even a single Korean Scapes location to shoot the pretty car. It's almost like the game is doing everything it can to deincentivise players from buying the Elantra.
That said, the Elantra does have some party tricks that make it stand out. For one, the Elantra's blind spot indicator warnings are replicated in GT7, with a yellow triangle lighting up on the side mirrors whenever another car or obstacle is within range. This might only be relevant for PSVR2 players, but I imagine it must be a godsend to have something like that with the headset on, given how minimalistic the HUD is in VR.
Heck, PS5 Pro players might appreciate the quirk, too: on a base PS5, this blurry mess is the best I can get the reflections to look.
Second, the Elantra has an engine torque readout on the dash that not only reflects throttle and revs, but also tuning parts! With a full* tune and full–strength Nitrous, I was able to achieve around 1,070N·m (789.2lbf · ft) of torque, going beyond what the 3–digit display can handle. Call me a child, but that still makes me smile with glee as I write this.
Obviously, the engine temp readout doesn't work; I'd like to see an engine maintain 85°C putting down 634HP plus full NOS!
Maybe the Elantra isn't made for GT7, but rather, a future Gran Turismo game. A future GT game that seems poised to be more focused on street driving, perhaps? Be that as it may, it's still good fun here and now, as out of place as it appears to me.
*Excluding the High–Lift Camshaft mod. The Cams actually lower the max power output with a full tune.
My Single–Player Challenge run:
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