Car and Driver - USA (2020-05)

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34 MAY 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIVER

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Power Moves

25 Cars Worth Waiting For

2023 Hyundai

RM20 N

M

id-engine cars are like assholes:

Everyone has one. Having

taken grip at blue-collar brands

such as Chevrolet and Ford,

mid-engine mania is now work-

ing its way into luxury marques

known for putting the engine up front, such

as Maserati [see page 46] and Aston Martin

[see page 33]. Of all the newcomers, though,

no vehicle highlights the current sports-car

zeitgeist quite like a mid-engine Hyundai.

Fortunately, unlike assholes and opinions,

mid-engine cars rarely stink.

When it arrives in two or three years,

expect the Hyundai to bring mid-engine

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That’s the hope, at least. As we understand

it, the decision makers in South Korea are

still weighing whether their car should be

a $ 40 , 000 Hyundai or a $ 70 ,000 Genesis.

In our minds, there’s no question. It’s too

soon for Genesis to challenge Corvettes

and Porsches, but Hyundai’s N performance

subbrand will be hamstrung as long as it’s

limited to modifying economy cars, family

sedans, and crossovers. A proper sports car

will validate both N and Hyundai.

As an indicator of its intent, Hyundai

recently stuck journalists behind the wheel

of its RM 19 (“RM” for “racing midship”), a

CRY\`aR_ Z\QV¼RQa\ PN__fNa_N[`cR_`RYf

mounted inline-four between its rear

wheels. Wearing a massive turbocharger, its

YVaR_R[TV[R]bß`\ba & U\_`R]\dR_

and routes torque through a six-speed

sequential manual. This is a proof of con-

cept, not a prototype. The RM 19 is laggy and

peaky, with hard-hitting shifts and a neutral

chassis that will spin if you don’t respect it.

For the engineers, the RM 19 is an opportu-

nity to master the challenges that come with

moving the engine to the back seat.

If Hyundai does get the nod, the produc-

tion car should be positioned to hang with

the Toyota Supra and the next Nissan Z [see

page 48 ], although it may still resemble a

Veloster. The car we’re tentatively calling

RM20 N will probably trade a handful of the

RM 1 9’s horsepower for improved drivabil-

ity. We expect the mule’s feathery weight

to carry over, though. Our best guess is a

two-seat hatchback using an eight-speed

dual-clutch automatic transmission with

specs in the ballpark of 3 25 horsepower and

3300 pounds. If Hyundai can inject a simi-

lar combination of poise and character into

its mid-engine car as it did the Veloster N,

we just might be looking at a poor man’s

Porsche 718 Cayman. —Eric Tingwall