Born in Namyang and honed on the Nurburgring. It is designed to be an everyday sports car that’s a corner rascal and extremely capable on the racetrack. These are what best describe the all-new Hyundai i30 N, in a nutshell.
Unveiled by Hyundai Motor as part of the i30 lineup, together with the i30 Fastback, the i30 N represents the Korean carmaker’s foray into the realm of high-performance motoring. In fact, a quick glance at the first model from the high-performance N brand shows racy styling cues such as an aggressive front and rear bumper with large air intakes, a red character line, a rear spoiler with triangular brake light, spiffy 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels, and dual exhausts.
Inside, the driver is greeted by equally sporty gauges and a full-featured steering wheel that houses all the necessary buttons nd controls. This allows him to keep his hands on the wheel while paying attention to the business of driving. And both front passengers are kept in place in heavily bolstered bucket seats.
And yes, the Hyundai i30 N isn’t all show and no go. On the contrary, it boasts a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline direct injection (T-GDI) four-cylinder mill that puts out up to 275hp and 353Nm. Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, it allows the little Korean hot hatch to sprint from rest to 100kph in just 6.1 seconds (in overboost function). There is even a rev matching function to help drivers make the most of the potent engine.
The straight-line speed is made even more pleasurable with goodies like Electronic Limited Skip Differential, Electronic Suspension, and five (5) driving modes. The latter lets drivers choose between Eco, Normal, Sport, N, and N Custom. Moreover, these are enhanced by the variable exhaust to provide a truly sporty drive—whether on the street or on the track.
Spekaing of track, Hyundai notes that the i30 N has undergone some 10kms worth of track time on the world-famous Nurburgring. This means that it promises to be a corner-carver even in the most extreme driving situations.
The Hyundai i30 N will be available in Europe later this year.
