Hyundai i20N
Hot hatch’s searing performance leaves Ford and VW rivals trailing
ON the face of it, it doesn’t look like the Hyundai i20N and the Kia Niro have too much in common. After all, one is a hot hatchback, the other a sensible family crossover. However, both are stand-out models for their brands and each scooped a gong at our 2022 New Car Awards.
As our hot hatchback of the year, the i20N managed to combine so many of the qualities we look for in a performance car that’s also designed to be easy to live with every day – something it proved emphatically in May, when it faced off against two of its toughest rivals: the Ford Fiesta ST and the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
It’s off to a great start with the on-paper stats. Hyundai’s N division shoehorned a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine beneath the bonnet, endowing the dinky i20 with 201bhp and 275Nm – plenty for a car that measures barely four metres long and weighs roughly 1, 200kg.
A six-speed manual gearbox and a trick launch control system – which optimises the revs and traction away from a standstill – mean the i20 powers its way from 0-62mph in just 6.2 seconds. That’s 0.3 secs up on either of its rivals. Find a place straight enough – and legal enough – and the Hyundai tops out at 143mph.
But bare stats are only part of the story. The i20N is a brilliant hot hatch because of the grin it puts on your face. As we discovered when we set its key rivals from Ford and Volkswagen up against it, the Hyundai proved more than able to hold its own. The chassis is razor sharp; turn-in is very positive, yet the back axle has the sophistication and outright traction to keep up.
The turbo petrol engine produces an angry tone that’s full of pops and crackles on the overrun, while the six-speed manual gearbox is fantastic. Picking a weakness in its impressive armoury is incredibly tough.
And that extends beyond just the driving experience. The hot N model gains all of the positives we associate with the standard car. In other words, there’s plenty of space inside, a big boot – at 352 litres with the seats up, it’s well ahead of its closest rivals here – and strong value for money. Prices start from £25, 250, undercutting the Ford and VW by almost £2,000. If we’re nit-picking, the interior plastics don’t feel great, but there’s a strong chance that you’ll be having too much fun to notice.
“The turbo petrol engine produces an angry tone that’s full of pops and crackles on the overrun, while the gearbox is fantastic”
Alex Ingram Chief reviewer