New Hyundai has a wild side
Feel like buying a hot hatch is a bit too much like a mid-life crisis? Hyundai’s got your back, writes Damien O’Carroll.
So you fancy a small performance car like the Hyundai i30 N, but you really don’t want a hatchback? Well, luckily there is the Hyundai i30 N Fastback to bring a more grown-up approach to the segment.
So it’s a hot hatch that’s not a hatchback then?
Pretty much. The i30 N Fastback uses the same underpinnings as the standard i30 N and even a lot of the same sheet metal, but rather obviously has a quite different conclusion to its body, with the sleeker, lower fastback body.
That sleeker, lower profile also brings a few other things to the i30 N equation – namely more boot space (an impressive 55 litres more) and a faster 0 to 100kmh time (down 0.1 of a second on the hatch to 6.1 seconds) thanks to a 7 per cent reduction in drag.
But possibly the biggest element it brings to the i30 N is a more mature, less boy-racery look and feel, with its distinctly Eurocentric shape. It’s what the European manufacturers would call a ‘‘fourdoor coupe’’, but thankfully Hyundai has just gone with the more straightforward and honest ‘‘fastback’’ tag.
Put it this way; if you had the i30 N hatch sitting in your driveway, the neighbours would immediately think ‘‘mid-life crisis’’, but they probably wouldn’t think that about the Fastback.
So no-one would need to know I’m having a mid-life crisis then?
Well, not necessarily from looking at it, but as soon as you fire it up and drop it into N mode they would, because despite the more formal clothes, the i30 N Fastback is every bit a hooligan as the hatch it is based on.
Both share the same brilliant 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that pumps out 202kW of power and 353Nm of torque, channelling that through a slick six-speed manual transmission to the front wheels.
As soon as you push the start button you give the game away, with belligerent blare from the exhaust that always leaves a smile on your face.
Put the boot in and things get feral fast, particularly as the torque builds in the mid-range.
The i30 N is a fantastically fast car that is utterly non-threatening – it allows the driver to use everything it’s got but doesn’t intimidate in any way.
It sounds good when you are winding it up too, with lots of machine-gun bangs and pops, but only if you’ve selected the aforementioned N mode via the chequered flag button on the steering wheel, which also adjusts the adaptive dampers to a firmer setting as well as sharpening up throttle response.
On the other hand, it is perfectly civilised and docile in Normal mode, which is perfect for a daily commute that gives no hint of any mid-life crisis that may or may not be happening.
If I am of the age for a mid-life crisis I may not like the idea of a manual for the daily commute. Is there an auto?
Not yet, I’m afraid, although Hyundai has just debuted a dualclutch shifter in the N version of the Veloster, so it may not be far away. For now though, the manual is your only option. And that is in no way a bad thing.
While it is a slick and precise unit when pushing the Fastback along a winding road at a great rate of knots, it also happens to have a nicely weighted clutch that means it is no real penalty around town either, even in heavy traffic.
Pleasantly, it also has a less aggressively firm ride than the hatch too, thanks to a few suspension tweaks to soften things up a bit, but not at the expense of the handling.
So it’s a better car than the i30 N hatch then?
Well, not in every regard. While it rides better, looks better (to my eyes, at least) and is every bit as much fun, it does have a couple of drawbacks.
Headroom is tight at front and rear, thanks to the sleeker roofline, and the added annoyance of a headroom-robbing sunroof only made that more obvious in the driver’s seat.
Rear visibility also suffers in the Fastback as well, with that steeply raked rear window restricting what can be seen in the mirror.
Also, that sleek, Euro-inspired shape can look a little awkward from a few angles. It does look way better in the metal than photos can show, however.
Any other cars I should consider?
The i30 N hatch is the obvious one – as well as all of its competitors, like the Renault Megane RS, Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf GTI and the upcoming Ford Focus ST – but if you specifically want the fastback body shape, then you are limited to the much more expensive Europeans.
Indeed, if you were feeling blatantly provocative, you could compare the i30 N Fastback to the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, because while the 224kW/350Nm German is similar in power and performance to the Korean (it hits 100kmh in 6.3 seconds), as well as sharing a swooping roofline, it does cost a far heftier $85,190.