Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

NEW CAR BUYER | 69

H

yundai’s fi rst crack at the
hot hatch class, the i30 N
was hyped to the max prior to its
arrival, a dangerous thing to do if
the walk don’t match the talk.
The fi rst product of Hyundai’s
N performance division, the
i30 N is the creation of Albert
Biermann, former engineering
chief of BMW’s M operation.
At $40,490, i30 N is the best
value in the class, whichever
way you look at it. Its 2.0-litre
turbo four produces 202kW
of power and up to 378Nm of
torque on over-boost, so it has
the traditional hot hatch value
measure (bang for your buck)
well covered against rivals at the
$40K price point.
A Fastback variant, with a
longer, lower coupe style body,
costs $41,990. It features the
same drivetrain as the hatch, and
comparable standard equipment,
but the adaptive suspension has a
slightly more compliant tune that
will also be introduced on the
hatch by the end of 2019.
Hyundai’s warranty includes
coverage for non-competition

track days — bankable quality,

reliability and low servicing costs.

Specifi c performance N

hardware includes 19-inch alloys

with 235/35 Pirelli P Zeros, an

adjustable electromechanical

limited slip diff, multilink rear

end (the regular i30 has a torsion

beam), adjustable dampers

all round, larger brakes, extra

bracing and a sports exhaust.

Apart from a few discreet

N logos, blue stitching, dark

roofl ining and a fat-rimmed

M-style steering wheel, the

cabin differs little from a

shopping trolley i30.

Our test car’s $3000 Luxury

Pack option includes heavily

bolstered, heated and power-

adjustable Recaro-lookalike front

seats, upholstered in suede and

leather, that offer great support

when cornering and all-day

comfort when cruising.

You can set engine

responsiveness, rev matching,

limited slip diff operation, exhaust

sound, damping, steering weight

and stability control intervention

to any combination you like

in Custom mode, using the

infotainment touchscreen. If it’s

all too hard, just tap t he N mode

paddle for full-monty everything.

Daily drive modes include Eco

— which, of course, not many will

use — Normal and Sport.

The 2.0-litre is a touch lazy at

low revs but at 2000rpm, a full-

fat serve of solid turbo shove

arrives and continues unabated to

6250rpm. Sequential shift lights on

the instrument panel tell you when

it’s time to grab another gear.

With looser and longer throw

than the best Euro manuals

(there’s no automatic as yet),

Hyundai’s gearbox is acceptably

slick in action. Rev matching

works nicely if you’re no heel-

and-toe hero; downshifts are

accompanied by loud, menacing

staccato bursts of machine

gun-like fi re from the exhaust,

guaranteed to get you a chat

with your friendly highway patrol

offi cer if they’re within earshot.

A mechanical limited slip

diff, together with the adhesive

Pirellis, ensures that even on full

throttle, the N gets clean, strong

drive out of corners.

It turns in quickly and

accurately, with a tight, fl at

attitude, though the Hyundai

is also quite nose heavy, so

you work fairly hard on a tight,

winding road. The steering

itself is M-style meaty and

communicative; there’s inevitable

torque steer, too, but it’s not

excessive. Brakes — humble

twin-piston units all round — are

powerful and fade-free.

On forgiving suspension

settings, the ride is still fi rm

and considerably less absorbent

than the Golf. It’s tolerable over

long distances, but the more

compliant Fastback suspension

will be an improvement.

THINGS WE LIKE

 Great value

 Long warranty and low running

costs

 Punchy, tuneful 2.0 turbo

 One of the best-handling hot

hatches

 Loaded with serious performance

tech and engineering

 Works as an everyday drive, too

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Fairly basic driver-assist safety

specifi cation

Touchscreen is too far away and

has unresponsive icons

Tight back-seat space

SPEX

Made in the Czech Republic

2.0-litre four cylinder turbopetrol/

six-speed manual/front-wheel drive

202kW of power at 6000rpm

353Nm of torque from 1450-

4700rpm

0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds (claimed)

6.4L/100km highway; 10.6L/100km

city; 95 premium; CO2 emissions

are 186gkm

Warranty: Five years/unlimited km

Standard: Seven airbags, stability

control, autonomous emergency

braking, lane keep assist, tyre

pressure monitoring, automatic

headlights, camera, rear parking

sensors, eight-inch touchscreen,

Bluetooth, digital radio, Apple

CarPlay, Android Auto, 19-inch

alloys, leather-wrapped steering

wheel.

Redbook future values: 3yr: 48%;

5yr: 35%

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

HYUNDAI I30 N FROM $40,490

compare with ...

Honda Type R, Renault Megane RS,

Subaru WRX, VW Golf GTi

S