An even hotter hatch

COLIN

THE new Aston Martin Valhalla is very impressive to look at and has even more jaw-dropping numbers attached to it. It will be able to do 217mph and 0-62mph in 2.5sec.

This hyper Aston is just one of a multitude of super/hyper cars coming on to the market that are completely pointless. The latest Ferrari, the 296 GTB, has over 800bhp and will be capable of similar feats of law breaking.

These cars, and all like them, will usually be bought by people who’ll never drive them, but who will stick them in a garage and wait for values to rise.

We can leave them to their toys while the rest of us, not burdened with hundreds of millions in the bank, can get on with enjoying simple cars that are fun to drive.

This can be anything from a treasured classic to a sensible hot hatch like this Hyundai i20 N.

Hyundai entered the hot hatch arena with the larger i30 N a few years ago. Developed by engineers who’d worked on the company’s rally cars, the i30 N became an instant hit with critics and customers. The i20 N is likely to go down just as well. I liked the entry-level i20 when we drove it last year; a fast one is bound to be fun.

The Hyundai is a natural competitor to the Ford Fiesta ST – another brilliant hot hatch that can still be is a bit faster to 62mph than the Ford.

But it’s not about power and numbers, it’s about sensation and feel. The Hyundai i20 N looks the part. It’s a lot less subtle than the Fiesta which could be any model from the range with an ST badge on it.

The i20 N is an extrovert. From its go-faster rear wing on the top of the tailgate and the chequered flag pattern on its front grille, to the red stripes around the front diffuser and along the bottom of the sills, you know you’ve bought the special i20.

The special feelings go up a notch when you step inside and fire up the engine. You could spend a whole morning working your way through an almost limitless combination of modes. You get Eco, Comfort and Sport but if you hit the N symbol on the touchscreen you are presented with three different settings for engine, steering, traction control, rev-matching and exhaust.

The suspension has conventional springs and dampers so you can’t fiddle with its settings. You can concoct your own mix of settings (you can make two separate groups) and store them to be later retrieved by pressing one of two N Mode buttons on the steering wheel.

In reality the i20 N feels feisty and responsive in any setting so endless experimenting is not needed. In any of its three settings, for example, the exhaust sounds suitably rorty.

The steering is best in default mode since in Sport+ it’s heavy.

There’s not much else about how the i20 N drives to criticise. The ride is a bit jiggly but you expect it in a hot hatch. What it doesn’t do is crash over bumps or throw itself off line over ridges. You don’t have to drive the i20 N fast to enjoy it and if you don’t you will have the bonus of very reasonable fuel consumption. The official combined figure is 40.4mpg and you’ll easily achieve that.

Is the Hyundai i20 N better than the Ford Fiesta ST? Not really. The cars are so closely matched that it comes down to personal taste. If you want a raw hot hatch that looks the part, the Hyundai is the best choice. If you prefer the more subtle approach, then it’s the Ford. But both are much more desirable than an airconditioned garage full of pointless million pound hypercars.