HYUNDAI i30 N DCT
Updated feisty Korean hot hatch takes its clutch internal to grab more buyers
IT WAS three years ago that the then-budding N Division gave us their landmark debut, the Hyundai i30 N.
It blew us away with pure talent and huge fun factor, all bundled within a package that punched well above its tax bracket.
Australians gave a warm welcome to South Korea’s breakout star athlete, with more than 2700 pre-facelift examples sold locally over the past three years. That makes our fair nation one of N Division’s leading markets, behind Germany and the UK.
But Hyundai knew the i30 N could do more, for more people, flagging years ago that a self-shifting DCT variant was coming. A couple of delays and three years later and here, finally, is the 2022 i30 N resplendent with Hyundai’s new eight-speed wet-style dual-clutch transmission.
The initial headline $39,990 pricing has risen to $44,500 (before on-roads) for the standard six-speed i30 N. Add $3000 for a base eight-speed DCT (or a manual in Premium trim), at $47,500. A Premium pair with sunroofs top the range at $49,000 and $52,000 for the manual and dual-clutch respectively. That’s not an insignificant increase in coin, but this isn’t an insignificant update either.
From the kerb side test, you’ll notice the wicked new V-shaped LED headand tail-lights, new N-specific cascading grille and forged 19-inch wheels.
Inside, the standard equipment list looks generous with a new 10.25-inch infotainment screen; plus SatNav, DAB+ radio, Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto compatibility, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charger, 4.2-inch central TFT instrument screen, and sport bucket seats being the notable appointments.
Hyundai’s SmartSense active safety suite has also expanded, adding Lane Following Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Blind-Spot warning and Rear Cross-traffic alert. The i30 N also benefits from Hyundai’s five-year/ unlimited-km warranty.
Our Premium (with sunroof) test car adds beautifully sculpted fixedheadrest bucket recliners with an illuminated ‘N’ logo, Alcantara/leather upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers and an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror.
Apart a slightly buzzsaw-like engine note, when you’re simply noodling around town it feels as friendly as a base i30. The automatic gearbox is smooth in its shifts under normal driving and delivers a rather lazy throttle response in its default setting.
There is some jerkiness in stop-and
go traffic under transient braking, however initial take-up is smooth. There is significant idle creep transmitted through the twin-clutch which can build to quite a pace in low-speed settings.
Similarly, in situations like basement parking, frequent changes between drive and reverse can see the car creep to an eye-widening distance before the clutch engages. This isn’t helped by the fact that the i30 N possesses a noticeably large turning circle at 11.6m, a metre more than a mainstream i30.
Ride and body control is extremely liveable. There’s an undertone of firmness to the adaptive damping, but it remains wonderfully compliant and comfy with a wider scope between Sport and Normal modes. Steering is also light and, at 2.1-turns lock-to-lock, is quick and effortless to pilot around town.
But inner-city manners make up only part of the self-shifting i30 N’s remit. Thankfully it’s as poised as ever on a country road.
Sport sharpens up the throttle and weights up the steering into a beautiful sweet spot without needless heft. The dampers also firm up significantly, communicating fine bumps, contours and changes in road surface you were unaware of having just run up the same road in Normal mode. The exhaust also drops an octave and there’s an awesome induction noise on the move. At speed the twin-clutch is brutally effective, delivering frenetic gear changes through fine metal paddle shifters.
Flick the N-Mode button to the right-side of the tiller and ESC loosens into Sport while the exhaust seemingly kicks up another notch again, signalling downshifts at max attack with a raucous staccato “thratatat”. It sounds unreal.
Steering remains as brilliantly judged as before. The ceiling of the front-end’s mid-corner grip is very high, and even as you approach the threshold, the car never ploughs, the Pirelli P Zeros instead easing into steady-state understeer as it pulls round the bend. It’s very confidence inspiring and forgiving, with the i30 very receptive to mid-corner corrections and inputs.
This new update brings meaningful improvements to an already resoundingly capable package. The associated price rise means the initial value proposition may have been diluted, but, if you were previously deterred by the sole-available H-pattern, N Division now has a car for you.
The self-shifting i30 N has been a long time coming, but good things really do come to those who wait.