URBAN GRIND
YOU NEED A HOT HATCH WITH MANNERS WHEN THE DRIVING IS TEPID
HAVE YOU ever been embarrassed by your car? I have. When I started up the Hyundai i30 N in my neighbourhood street one early morning, I winced as the i30 N’s exhaust tips shattered the pre-dawn peace with the car’s soundtrack. There isn’t much you can do to suppress the i30 N’s exhaust note during a cold start, either. The idle plays a bassy tone, no matter what the revs are, sometimes fooling me to think the exhaust’s valves are stuck open until I accidentally hit the N-mode button. Then it really turns things up.
I love the i30 N’s wild streak far away in the mountains, but its obnoxious exhaust has even strained relations closer to home. Hovering my thumb over the N mode button with my girlfriend on board, which instantly flicks the exhaust valves open, always draws a cold stare.
It serves as a reminder that daily manners are important in a hot hatch. For instance, when reminiscing about the late Honda Civic Type R, it’s not just the Type R’s mind-blowing performance that sticks in mind, but also how liveable it was day-to-day.
Keeping that in mind, we reckon the i30 N’s doing all right as a daily chariot. Thankfully, the i30 N’s soundtrack is more subdued while moving in its Normal or Eco modes. The engine also partners nicely with the dual-clutch transmission, which acquits itself incredibly well around town for driveability.
The DCT behaves much like a torque converter in start-stop traffic, taking off smoothly from a standstill. Transmission creep is strong, but you can switch it off if you find it unnerving. Otherwise, the surge forward is easily managed with light braking.
You’re only confronted with the car’s seriousness when the DCT clunks downshifting to first gear sometimes when you come to a stop. It’s perfectly normal and imbues the transmission with a race-bred feel. But when cruising in any mode other than Sport+, the DCT’s operation is
refined to the point of anonymity.
As for the engine, its larger turbocharger has lifted the i30 N’s peak outputs higher in the rev range. It now delivers a stronger top-end rush, but driving around town on part throttle reveals the car’s significant mid-range torque is slightly delayed compared to the old i30 N. This is easy to overcome when keeping with traffic, you simply add more throttle before the boost arrives. But the lag is noticeable when trying to seize a gap or jump across lanes.
Beyond this power delivery niggle, the i30 N can be tricky to manoeuvre in tight situations. The steering is heavy off-centre. And although engineers quickened the steering to 2.14 turns lock-to-lock (from 2.57), the turning circle has grown from 10.6m to 11.6m.
Because of this, whipping the i30 N around in anything less than a wide street requires a three-point turn. Thankfully, the DCT tackles the change between forward and reverse gears without fuss, smoothly taking up either drive even before you’ve fully come to a stop.
Despite Hyundai cranking up the spring rates on the i30 N for this facelift, the dampers also provide a cushioned ride when they’re slackened off in Normal or Eco modes and offer excellent wheel control over small imperfections.
You’ll have to amble over speed humps, though, since soft damping under compression lets the front-lip scrape the road if you’re not careful. Or at least that’s what it feels like.
I once jumped out of the driver’s seat expecting serious damage, only to discover a dam integrated into the underside of the bumper. This protective piece extends 25mm underneath the front lip and sounds a crucial warning when it graunches into the pavement.
As you’d expect from a city car, parking the i30 N is simple enough once you’ve adapted to the larger turning circle and heavy steering. I’d only recommend parallel parking in quiet streets, as the sensitive Rear Cross Traffic alert will jam the brakes on unnecessarily when it detects traffic passing a lane over.
As for small things, the central cupholders won’t accommodate a protein shaker, but they at least fit coffee cups and small drinks. But otherwise, storage is great. The boot easily swallows my bicycle when the rear seats are dropped flat. And when the seats are up, the 381L rear boot accommodates a large amount of stuff in its sunken floor.
As time goes on, the i30 N DCT is proving incredibly versatile, even if slightly flawed. We’ll get to weigh it all up next month before saying bye.