HYUNDAI i30 N

Set to file into the hot-hatch class 40 years late, the i30 N will have to play catch-up. Our proto drive suggests it’s on the fast track...

Hot-hatched i30 paves way; provides hi-po promise

IF YOU STARTED at ‘A’ and consecutively assigned letters of the alphabet to the manufacturers most famous for hot hatches, Hyundai would, appropriately as it turns out, fall somewhere around ‘N’. The odd dabble in turbocharging and a likeable (but long-dead) coupe have barely registered in bolstering the 50-year-old South Korean firm’s brand image, so Hyundai has belatedly decided that a proper performance line is in order, starting with the camouflaged hot hatch you see here, the i30 N.

Hyundai’s performance ambition is no secret, seeing its WRC cars have been wearing ‘N’ logos for several years now, but this is our first taste of what ‘N’ will mean to its road-going range. This is just a spoonful, though, because we’re driving a pair of not-quite-ready i30 N prototypes on a private closed road. Many engineering details are yet to be signed off, including final suspension tune, engine outputs, and drive-mode calibration, yet even in an unfinished state, Hyundai’s hot hatch shows real promise. The production versions won’t launch until late this year, closely followed by the i30’s new-generation coupe twin, the Veloster N.

Two versions of the i30 N will be offered – an entry-level car with around 184kw and an up-spec version with 202kw, or thereabouts. Torque on both Ns is expected to hover around 375Nm, but the Performance Pack version will make that available across a broader rev range. The 202kw car will also get a lower final-drive ratio for slightly snappier gearing from the only