Sorting out the N from the boys
Which pocket rocket’s got the right stuff? Join us on the launch pad as we re up the Hyundai i20 N and its Fiesta ST rival
HYUNDAI DIDN’T really do ‘fast’ and ‘exciting’ until a few years ago. And that was just fine, because the world needed practical, wellequipped and dependable cars. It still does, for the record.
But not everyone wants ‘sensible’. Hyundai decided there was room for a little hedonism in its range and, in 2016, created Hyundai N, a subdivision tasked with adding motorsport-style zing to some of its models. First was the acclaimed i30 N hot hatchback that took on potent, family-sized rivals, such as the Ford Focus ST and Honda Civic Type R.
Now the i30 N has a smaller sibling, the Ford Fiesta St-rivalling i20 N, which slips into the cheaper end of the hot hatch market. So, what better car to test it against than the ST itself? After all, earlier this year we named it our best hot hatchback for value.
Over and above the regular Fiesta and i20, these two add sports-tuned suspension, beefed-up brakes, a limited-slip differential, turbocharged power that peaks at around 200bhp, and racier styling inside and out. If you’re a fan of simplicity and purity, you’ll like that they both have old-school six-speed manual gearboxes too.
As ever with hot hatches, how fast they are and how well they scoot through corners is important, but it’s the joy of driving we really need to divine. And the only way to measure that is by the size of the smile you get when sitting behind the wheel.
DRIVING Performance, ride, handling, refinement
While these two cars are broadly on a par for power, their engines are quite different. The ST’S 1.5-litre motor has three cylinders and much more shove low down in its rev range, so it responds more keenly when you put your foot down. The i20 N’s engine has an extra cylinder and, in some ways, a more traditional power delivery.
It’s not as gutsy at around 1500rpm, instead building to a crescendo as you head towards the limiter. It requires you to drop a gear to bring the revs to the boil more often than you might in the ST. That’s fine, though; it’s part of the fun of driving a small hot hatch. It does mean the i20 N loses out to the punchier ST for in-gear zip, but both accelerated from 0-60mph in a swift 6.5sec.
What’s less appealing is the i20 N’s turbo lag (the second or
so delay between flooring the accelerator and the delivery of oomph) and the way the engine continues to surge for a moment when you take your foot off the accelerator. Those lazy responses aren’t ideal in a quick car, where fractional control is key.
Do they sound like a couple of road racers? Well, neither sounds particularly authentic, with digital enhancement that gets more acute as you switch their driving modes from softer to the more aggressive settings. Beneath all that, there’s a traditional hot hatch bark from the i20 N’s engine, while the ST’S is underpinned aurally by a swashbuckling thrum. Which one is better? The truth is, both fit the bill.
Manual gearboxes are a dying art form these days, as more and more performance cars go for paddle-shift automatic ’boxes, so it’s great to have two analogue cars that let you swap cogs yourself and give you the tools to do it well. The ST’S ’box is slightly notchier, but its stubby lever is still a joy to flick every which way in search of gears. The i20 N’s shifter is longer but more precise and meshes the gears more cleanly.
Their clutch bite points are finite enough to feed the drive in smoothly, although the ST’S point of engagement is much closer to the floor. That takes a bit of getting used to. Both cars’ brake pedals feel reassuringly firm, but the i20 N’s has more of an effect, shaving four metres off the ST’S stopping distance from 70mph. It’s not all good news, because the i20 N’s nose dives more acutely when you stamp on the brakes, causing the back end to go light and weave a little. Let’s just say that’s not exactly confidence boosting.
So, the ST has better braking stability, and to go with it there’s less lean in bends, slightly better body control over undulations and a more playful balance between its front and rear wheels. That’s all about the spread of grip and, at its limits, the little movements that make the car feel agile and alive. For example, you can provoke the rear wheels into a little slide on the way into a bend. But why would you? Because it helps the car turn and find the apex, that’s why. Oh, and it’s fun to do.
The problem is the steering. Like a disobedient child that won’t sit still, the ST follows furrows in the road rather than your exact line, and jinks this way and that as the front wheels are corrupted by the shove from the engine. You find yourself holding the steering wheel tightly with a sense of trepidation, trying not to make any overcorrections, because the
steering is fast and you can easily overdo it. Because of that, the ST isn’t a car that flows easily down a narrow country lane that requires absolute accuracy.
The i20 N is calmer. Yes, the steering still twitches, and for all the reasons the ST’S does, but far less aggressively. The steering isn’t as hyper-quick, so you find yourself guiding the car with your fingertips rather than clenched fists. It has mighty front end grip, too, so you can carry at least as much speed through turns as in the ST, even though there’s a bit more body lean and a less playful handling balance. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; you might prefer the i20 N’s more neutral nature. For us, though, the ST ekes out the slightly wider grin.
Hot hatches generally have firm rides, but these two bring that characteristic into vivid focus. Overall, the i20 N is easier to live with, because it’s better at dealing with smaller bumps and feels more settled on a typical motorway. Just avoid potholes and, more so, sharp ridges, because boy do you get a pounding over those. The ST is easier-going over the nastier notches, but it fidgets more the rest of the time, and in many ways that’s even more irritating.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
There’s not much to complain about when you’re sitting behind the steering wheel of either car, although the i20 N’s steering wheel doesn’t have quite as much reach extension. Its seats are good, despite the angled seat squab that digs into your hamstrings slightly, but the ST’S are even better, giving you more support for your shoulders and thighs. One thing to note, though: being narrower between the bolsters, the ST’S seat might not suit you if you have a bit of a bounteous behind. Both cars give the driver height adjustment but no adjustable lumbar support.
The i20 N has a fully digital display behind the steering wheel, and the set-up will make avid gamers feel at home; the display can be configured in a multitude of ways to show everything from how much brake pressure you’re using to your lap times on a track day.
The ST’S instruments are analogue, but that’s also fine. They’re clear and have a small digital screen between them that lets you call up some driving data. Beyond that, both dashboards have simple switches for most major functions, so they’re easy to use.
You get a clear view out of the front of both cars, but their chunky 1290mm 660mm
pillars compromise rearward vision. Still, you get standard rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to help you avoid prangs.
The i20 N has full LED headlights as standard. The ST has LED dipped headlights as standard, with halogen bulbs taking over when you flick on the main beams. Full LEDS are available as a £700 option.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
Despite differences on paper in their interior dimensions, there’s not a lot to separate these two cars in real-world use, and they both have more than enough front leg and head room for six-footers. In terms of storage, each has trays and cupholders, a small glovebox and door bins, although if you tend to travel with lots of odds and ends, you might be left wanting more.
The rear seats show up more variance, starting – rather obviously – with the three-door ST’S lack of rear doors. You can buy a five-door version for a £400 premium, saving front seat occupants from having to get out of the car to let someone climb into the back and improving access for rear seat passengers. The i20 N comes in five-door guise only.
The i20 N has more rear leg room, too. Even tall adults will have a gap between their knees and the back of the seat in front, whereas they’ll probably need to position their legs either side of the front seat to fit in the ST if someone tall is in the front. Both cars have enough rear head room for anyone around six feet tall.
Again, looking at the official figures, you’d think the i20 N had the more useful boot, but that’s not the case. It’s fine for a car of its size, but its shape meant we struggled to fit four carry-on cases below the parcel shelf. They did eventually go in, but the ST accepted five cases with relative ease – even though there’s a higher lip to negotiate at the boot entrance. Both cars come with 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks for those occasions when you need extra storage space.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
There isn’t much here to help you make up your mind. The i20 N costs £415 more (but remember it has five doors as standard), and that difference becomes just £218 when you take Target Price discounts into account.
The two cars sit in the same insurance group, so there’s price parity there, and they both
averaged the same 40mpg in our real-world fuel economy test.
Servicing costs show up the biggest difference, with the ST’S pit stops working out £664 more expensive than the i20 N’s over three years. Depreciation is predicted to be near-enough identical over three years.
Monthly payments if you’re buying on PCP finance are roughly the same for each car. Let’s say you put down a £2500 deposit and decide to spread the payments over 36 months, covering up to 9000 miles each year: the ST will set you back £311 per month, while the i20 N will cost £327.
Even company car drivers will need to look at factors other than cost, because it’s unlikely the ST’S £532 saving in benefit-in-kind tax (between now and April 2024 for a 40% taxpayer) is going to swing most people’s vote.
What about equipment, then? Again, they’re even-stevens, by and large. Each car comes with a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, 18in alloy wheels, automatic climate control, keyless entry and power-folding door mirrors. The ST adds a heated windscreen and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
The latest i20 hasn’t been appraised for safety by Euro NCAP. The standard Fiesta has, and there was room for improvement in adult and child chest protection, but that result doesn’t cover this ST variant, because – unlike the rest of the Fiesta range – it doesn’t get automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard. That’s part of a £600 option pack that also adds blindspot monitoring. The i20 N has AEB as standard and both cars include lane-keeping assistance.
The Fiesta needs to improve its reliability score, too; it’s bottom of the small car class in our 2021 Reliability Survey. Hyundai as a brand came joint third, while Ford was a lowly 27th out of 30 car makers. The South Korean manufacturer also offers a better standard warranty: five years with unlimited mileage, against Ford’s three-year/60,000-mile cover.
‘Fiesta servicing is more expensive, and it needs to improve its reliability’
If you want the most exciting little pocket rocket you can buy for around £25,000, get the Fiesta ST. Its agility makes it so much fun in corners, and a potent engine ings it along willingly, with driveability at all revs. It’s not perfect, though. It could do with some steering tweaks to calm down the nervousness as you accelerate or go over uneven surfaces, but it’s still thrilling.
As is the i20 N. If you drive aggressively, it won’t bite, and if you’re precise, its calm dynamics work with you to generate pace. It’s as fast as the ST in most respects, but is it as invigorating? Not quite. Details like the engine’s unresponsiveness and the car’s unsteadiness under braking let it down. In a tight ght, they make all the difference.
Ford Fiesta ST For Flexible in-gear performance; more agile handling; more stable under braking; great driving position; cheaper PCP nance
Against Inconsistent steering; tighter rear seats; important safety kit optional; more expensive to service; poor reliability record
Recommended options
Full LED headlights (£700), Driver Assistance Pack (£600), spare wheel (£150)
Hyundai i20 N For Easy to drive quickly; lots of grip; quicker outright acceleration; more comfortable; more safety kit; ve doors as standard
Against Not quite as exciting to drive; gets squirrelly under hard braking; less responsive engine; awkward boot shape
Recommended options Bose stereo (£500)