Hyundai I30 N, In Balance Is Virtue

Hyundai i30 N

There is surely no more complete class of vehicle than the compact GTI. They are cars that help you move freely around the city, face long trips, go shopping in the morning and enter a circuit in the afternoon to have fun. Thus, this Hyundai i30 N joins that prized list.

The Korean brand had put these sports versions aside in recent years, but they have come back with a very interesting product. Hyundai calls its sports variant ‘N’, as does Opel with OPC or Ford with ST.

Slight aesthetic changes

Aesthetically it clearly differs from the normal i30, but with a fairly discreet appearance, something typical for this type of vehicle.

At the front there is a redesigned bumper, wider and more aggressive at the bottom, which gives the car a much sportier look. The fog lamps are also of a new format and are placed horizontally.

The lower part of the bumper has a red stripe, a technique similar to that used by Volkswagen on the Golf GTI. They are small details, but they are enough to realize that you are facing a big one.

The side line is less ornate, only the sills under the doors are different, while at the rear the modifications are more numerous. It has a large rear diffuser with two large exhaust outlets and the bumper has quite different shapes to the basic model, with more angular and sporty lines.

The dimensions of the interior do not change compared to the normal i30, but many components do. The Hyundai i30 N brings changes to the seats (sporty cut and with much more lateral support), the steering wheel, the dashboard trims and even the instrumentation, with an optimal gear change indicator.

Hyundai has endowed its sports model with more aesthetic changes than it has made, for example, Volkswagen with its Golf GTI, but it does not reach what Honda has accustomed us with its Civic, a car much more radical than the Korean .

Engine and driving dynamics

The Hyundai i30 N has a powerful four-cylinder engine and 2, or liters of displacement, all animated with a large turbocharger. The brand offers us two power options, both with the same block:

• Standard package : it has 250 hp of power and a maximum torque of 353 Nm. With it, the Korean manages to go from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.4 seconds and a maximum speed limited to 250 km / h. With this package, the i30 is fitted with 18 ″ wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
• Performance Package : with this option the power is increased to 275 hp. Although the maximum torque does not change with respect to the 250 hp, it does manage to improve the acceleration figures and goes from 0 to 100 km / h in just 6.1 seconds. With this pack comes standard 19 ″ wheels with Pirelli PZero sports tires.

With either configuration, the Hyundai i30 N moves with great ease. It starts to gain strength from very low, but it is from 2 500 rpm when a real push is felt that makes us stick to the seat, although in a more linear way than for example an Opel Astra OPC.

The management is very informative and direct; With a very sporty feel, it is 9% better in the car’s turning radius compared to the normal i30. The chassis set-up makes cornering with this Korean a delight. It clings to the asphalt like a limpet and it is very difficult to make it oversteer.

The suspension is adjustable, with several driving modes that make the car meet the track and at the same time be comfortable to go to market; just press a button.

In the ECO position, the car tries to save fuel, the throttle response is more relaxed, the steering becomes a little softer, as does the suspension, and the performance of the ESP and the differential changes. All this happens at the push of a button.

If we configure the Overboost function , the turbo blowing pressure increases and gives us more power for 18 seconds, thereby increasing the engine torque by 25 Nm. Driving this car and using all the available controls to improve its qualities makes you feel like you are in a racing car.

To add fuel to the fire, the Koreans have included Launch Control in this model , a system that improves acceleration capacity from a standstill.

To stop so much craving for speed, it has a specific brake system that achieves a braking no less impressive than its acceleration. When you are used to driving normal cars, these types of vehicles show you that you can brake much later than you think; You just have to mount 345 and 315mm discs from the Performance Pack.

Although it does not stand out in anything, it does very well in everything you expect from a compact GTI. It is going to be a tough opponent for the 308 GTI, Focus ST and company.

Tempting

With the 250 hp configuration, we can get this brutal Hyundai i30 N for only € 33,900, a price similar to many competitors. But the Koreans have an ace up their sleeves, and it’s a launch discount that can put you at around € 28,000. Not bad, right?

If we opt for the most powerful, the base price will be € 37,900, but it will use the same type of special discounts and the actual price will be around € 31,000.

They are very tempting amounts for a model that offers so much and with a spectacular level of equipment. There are many rivals, and you will surely like them more in some respects, but this i30 N will not disappoint you in any of them.