HATCH PLAY

Hyundai blew us away when it launched the i30 N. Can it repeat the dose with the smaller i20 N and deliver genuine old-school hot hatch thrills in a compact package? Here’s where we find out

DEVILISH RED FLAMES SUDDENLY LICK AROUND the centrally positioned tacho, signifying I’ve selected N mode. It’s a fun, if frivolous, flourish of animated theatre, but I’m more interested in the massive oil and coolant temperature readouts that now share screen-space in the binnacle: the more options designers seem to have with TFT screens, the more they seem to provide everything bar the info that enthusiast drivers actually want to know, but not when it comes to Hyundai’s N department.

It’s a tiny detail but it makes me smile all the same. It’s very much ‘Albert Biermann’, once of BMW M, now head of N, and it makes me think of the authenticity and passion for driving that the bigger i30 N is shot through with. The i20 N’s bigger brother may not be the fastest car of its type, nor the most powerful nor the quickest around a lap, but if you’re looking for a mid-price hot hatch that feels like it was developed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, you’ll not find a better one.

Which brings us to this, Hyundai N’s first supermini hot hatch. This is the sub-niche that corresponds most directly to the original blueprint, but it’s a class that has suffered as cars have generally become larger and heavier while purchasing on finance has skewed sales towards more expensive, more powerful alternatives. The Renault Sport Clio is dead and buried; Peugeot Sport is hooked into an all-electric future; only Ford is still cranking out pint-sized terrors with its fantastic Fiesta ST. But now, I’m very happy to report, the fast Ford has a genuine rival.

Not for N a desire to entice the premium end of the market. The i20 N is unrepentant in its hot hatch visuals, particularly in this car’s trademark N pale-blue warpaint. Red pinstriping has always been a genre staple, and there are also slats, skirts, chunkily styled grey alloys and a sizeable tacked-on roof spoiler that all make its sporting intentions clear, albeit possibly at the expense of sneers of derision from some grown-ups. It’s a five-door only, sadly, but hey, that’s the modern way, and other than a slightly plain front end it certainly has road presence.

Dropping into the driver’s seat, it’s clear it’s an epoch ahead of the Fiesta in terms of design and functionality. There are twin TFT screens, one filling the binnacle and a massive landscape job in the centre with hard keys beneath it. The graphics are sharp and clear, while the N-branded sports seats are nicely supportive, with the driving position, for me at least, a big improvement over the lofty perch of the Ford. Superminis have grown, obviously, and while the i20 is a ‘small’ car, it doesn’t feel cramped on the inside, or insubstantial. You might not use it to carry a big family around, but you’d face very few compromises if you pressed it into daily use.

A prod of the starter button and the 1.6-litre turbocharged ‘Gamma’ engine kicks into life. It makes 201bhp and 203lb ft of torque thanks to high-pressure direct injection and a new turbo/intercooler combination, outputs that when combined with a kerb weight of just under 1200kg should deliver what the class demands with ease. Immediately it sounds keen, rorty of exhaust, and snappy to the throttle. The six-speed manual’s shift is precise and the car gathers pace effortlessly, an early impression of a rather unyielding ride seeded by a lateral jiggle over the admittedly poor surface of the evo car park.

Driver modes have been central to the N doctrine from the beginning, and the i20 N is no different. However, their implementation has evolved, with two configurable paddles mounted low on the wheel and a further driver mode button on the centre console. There’s Eco, Normal and Sport to choose from, plus N of course, and then two further ‘N Custom’ settings that allow you to mix and match your own set-ups. The engine’s response, steering weight, exhaust sound and rev-match functions all have multiple levels, but one thing you won’t find is any control of the spring and damper units, because the i20 N uses a passively suspended arrangement.

Naturally I’m just pootling along in Normal to start, and, as is to be expected, the N can do ‘normal’ perfectly well. Nevertheless, the provision of a fixed suspension set-up clearly biased towards fast road and track work, a relatively low kerb weight and compact dimensions all combine to make for a very different experience to that provided by the big, premium hatches this magazine has been testing recently. The Hyundai’s ride quality never strays into the realms of the uncomfortable, but you’d better be prepared for it to give you a thorough rundown on every significant

‘IMMEDIATELY IT SOUNDS KEEN, RORTY OF EXHAUST, AND SNAPPY TO THE THROTTLE’