Drive Review: Hyundai I30N to rewrite hot hatch hierarchy

Better late than never

It’s been two years since the I30N was launched in Europe and only now has it arrived in South Africa. That’s two years of smooth sailing for the VW Golf GTI and Renault Megane R.S., as well as for outliers like the Honda Civic Type R and Mercedes-AMG A 35. Factors behind the I30’s delay come down to pricing as well as supplying the larger markets first before allocating a limited number to South Africa.

Is now the right time?

Yes and no. Vestiges of VW’s Golf 7.5 GTI run-out could leave a small window through which to lure buyers who can no longer wait for the upcoming Golf VIII GTI. But on the other hand the vanilla-version I30 is months away from being facelifted in Europe, plus there’s widespread rumour of a dual-clutch version of the I30N that’s already far down the development path. Worth waiting for? Perhaps.

It looks understated as a performance hatch

True, but that’s an appealing recipe that has traditionally fared well in our market. It’s practical in most of the right ways (chiefly 5 doors) yet retains an aura of exclusivity. Less polarising than a Civic Type R, probably lacking the panache of the Megane R.S. but the Hyundai I30N still packs twin pipes, meaty N brake calipers in red and a boot spoiler to help build trust between this start-up performance skunkworks and a new audience.

How does it drive?

Hyundai’s catchphrase is “developed in Namyang, honed at the Nurburgring”. Interestingly (perhaps tellingly) they have never revealed its time around the ‘Ring. We drove it on road and track and it excelled in both environments.

The Hyundai I30N might just have the best range of damper control I’ve ever sampled in a hot hatch; fluent and supple in comfort mode then firming up with more finesse than the Megane R.S. Cup we had on longterm test.  There’s a neutral and confidence-inspiring way about the swiftness in a change of direction or how the electronic differential doesn’t viciously corrupt the steering on corner exit.  Grip from the Pirelli tyres is astonishingly good. Brakes are sharp. Noise, particularly with the rev-matching on, is a good substitute for vrrrr pa in hot hatch literature, albeit enhanced by motorsport know-how from Hyundai’s WRC car.

The I30N is a great all-rounder.  Not viscerally fast but a flavoured mix of sensations and responses that keep you enthralled and engaged  The 2.0-litre turbo, front-wheel drive layout is no more interesting than the outputs of 202kW and 353Nm but like all the great hot hatches you appreciate the nuances behind the lovely harmony. Much to the chagrin of motoring purists, like myself, the only time the package felt out of synchrony was when I had to take a hand off the wheel to grab the next gear from the six-speed manual gearbox. Terrific gearbox (name all the shifting hyperboles and they’re there) but on a tricky mountain pass it feels more disruptive than rewarding. It’s also bound to restrict the car’s appeal to a very specific type of driver.

It’s very customisable

The N setting allows you to set the chassis how you want it, the fireworks from the exhaust, rev-matching, steering weight etc. There are shades of BMW M Division in the way it stores settings right by the tips of your thumbs, which is no coincidence since the i30N was part of Albert Biermann –former M Division chief – first projects at Hyundai.  

Elsewhere Hyundai has poured a solid quantity of standard equipment into the i30N although you can’t blame our hot hatch reference point for expecting some red stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel or brightly coloured seatbelts to uplift the conservative cabin, not mentioning one attached to a R680,000 price tag. Some finishes are just plain poor, like the door handles, window switches and cheaply exposed manual handbrake.

Verdict

A facsimile of the GTI’s all-round capability but upon leaving a traffic jam in the city, it’s the Hyundai i30N I would rather point in the direction of a twisty loop. Hyundai has nailed its first attempt at creating a hot hatch that hits all the right notes without going overboard on the tech or power. This is just the tip of N Performance brand which has already proved that it is not afraid to take on the hot hatch pecking order of yesterday. VW fans get out your pitchforks, you’ll need them… Andrew Leopold

Specification: Hyundai I30N

• R679,900
• 2.0 4cyl turbocharged petrol
• 202kW
• 353Nm
• 0-100kph in 6.1 secs, 250kph
• 8.5l/100km, 163g/km

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