Hyundai i30 N
Our South Korean hot hatch makes a pilgrimage to the German racetrack where it was developed
‘In N Custom mode the i30 proved quite a hoot when the roads became more interesting’
YOU’RE PROBABLY AWARE THAT THE letter ‘N’ attached to our Fast Fleet i30 not only refers to Namyang, Hyundai’s main test facility in South Korea, but also to the Nürburgring, another development venue favoured by the team behind this new performance sub-brand. In fact, a preproduction i30 N competed in the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in 2016, so it seemed appropriate to take our long-termer to the Ring for the 2018 event, in which a pair of i30 N TCRS were entered.
The journey started easily enough from my digs in west London, out to the M25 and down onto the horror that is the M20’s corrugated road surface. Once out of the Channel Tunnel, France’s smooth, dull roads were supremely undramatic, but after crossing the border into Belgium, the deterioration in tarmac quality was instantly felt. I don’t remember Belgian roads being particularly brilliant the last time I drove in the land of overrated chocolate, but those toward Liège featured chasms so wide in the middle of dual carriageways that you could re-enact the pod race from Star Wars:
Episode I in them. Aside from testing my patience, they proved – as had the M20 earlier – that the relative compliance felt in the i30 N’s softest suspension mode is enough to keep it comfortable. Just.
Into Germany, and my first and only chance to explore the upper limits of the car’s performance on some derestricted autobahn proved too hard to resist. With N mode selected, the i30 surged its way to 140mph. From here, though, the climb to a best effort of 151mph was significantly slower, due perhaps to the turbocharged engine’s lack of top-end pizzazz, although it was still an impressive feat for what is essentially a South Korean family hatchback – albeit a potent one in 271bhp ‘Performance’ spec.
Back into German contraflows, and a quick gander at the satnav revealed some pleasingly twisty minor roads nearby that looked far more appealing. In the past I’ve felt that the i30 N seemed to lack a little front-end bite, but on the smooth, sweet, deserted roads that I found myself on, the high grip levels and the e-diff challenged my previous impressions. Meanwhile the steering, which I’ve generally found a tad heavy for my tastes even in its lightest mode, came into its own, conveying a surprising amount of feel as the front Pirelli P Zeros edged between total traction and subtle slip out of tighter bends.
having survived the worst that Britain’s motorways and Belgium’s dual carriageways could throw at it, the i30 N makes its way through the village of Nürburg on its way to the Ring
Antony Ingram, our i30’s usual keeper, has mentioned in previous reports the array of customisation options available within the car’s drive modes, and I agree the choices can be dizzying, but kept to the N Custom combination that he divulged in evo 249 (sans the rev matching – I’ll do that myself, thanks) it proved quite a hoot when the roads became more interesting.
At the Ring, the attention the i30 N received, often from sunburnt and intoxicated N24 race fans, suggested that Hyundai may have finally escaped its economy car image and reached the motoring big league. That’s an image that second- and fourth-in-class finishes for the i30 N TCRS on track can surely only bolster.
Date acquired February 2018 Total mileage 6671 Mileage this month 2953 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 32.5