STEERING HYUNDAI IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

The best hot hatches invariably let the driver get on top of the car’s power. Key to this is accurate, dependable steering with an unwavering channel of communication between front axle and steering wheel. Listening to Albert Biermann give a technical briefing at Vallelunga Circuit, just north of Rome, it’s clear that the team behind the i30 N understands this explicitly.

The system uses an unusually powerful motor (rack-mounted, not column-mounted, for increased precision) – something that allows it to remain uncorrupted and consistent in its response, even when working against the massive loads experienced when using slicks on the Nürburgring. The i30 N should cope well at a typical British track day, then, its driver able to make tidy alterations to lock at any point during a lap.