When you think of Hyundai as a car manufacturer, you might think of cars like this.
Or a car like this.
But sometimes, they do make different cars.
This one, for example.
But from now on, they'll make cars like that.
This is the new Hyundai i30N, the first real hot hatch by Hyundai.
And as we're used to by now with the Koreans, it isn't a halfhearted attempt.
This car has passed 50 prototype stages, before they finally got the result they wanted.
And this is the Performance Pack, €3000 more than the normal version,
but for that, you get very serious hardware.
19" super sticky Pirelli's, bigger brake discs,
an active exhaust with valves and an afterburner function. Really, that things goes like there's firecrackers everywhere.
And just to show how far they went, there's a big anti-roll bar.
You can easily remove it with a socket, so you can remove it when you want to do groceries,
which gives you more luggage space. But if you want to throw it around a track on weekend,
you can put it back in and it becomes more rigid again.
But what's maybe the most interesting part about this car, is Albert Biermann.
The German who has worked at BMW Motorsport for thirty years.
He was responsible for the E30 racing car, but also for a lot of street cars called M3 and M5.
That same man has now developed this Hyundai i30N.
So in short; that's a big promise.
Promises which Hyundai really lives up to with this i30N.
You might've noticed my hair is a little different than before, and that's because we just were on a track where I had to wear a helmet.
So that's why. But on the track, this car is quite good.
I might even go as far as saying it's really good. It just works.
The total package you get is just very, very good.
Let's start with the drivetrain. It's got a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder with direct injection,
producing 275 horsepower and 353 Nm of torque. That is, in this Performance Pack-trim,
otherwise you'd get 250 horsepower. But because I haven't driven that,
I'm focusing on this Performance Pack.
It's got a short overboost to 378 Nm, and even though that's a lot,
but it isn't the strongest in its segment. Is that a bad thing?
Not really. It's still a pass.
It still does 0-100 in 6,1 seconds and it levels out at 250 km/h.
On the other hand, it's a fully new label which nobody knows.
It could help to offer just that little bit extra than the competition. Because the Leon Cupra, 300 horsepower,
the Megane is around that figure as well, the Civic Type R even goes beyond that number...
So there's still a defecit of 25 horsepower.
But like I said, the performance is good.
Also, it was mostly about response. The engine has to react smoothly to the throttle,
and they've pulled that off. Depending which mode you're in though,
because I've got two buttons on the steering wheel. One with Drive Mode and one with a little flag.
The button with Drive Mode is for normal modes, like Normal, Eco and Sport.
But behind the flag-button hides the N-mode. Also N-Custom is behind there.
And the latter is a very nice function,
because you can mix and match all kinds of things like power steering, exhaust noise, engine response...
And that's nice, because it could be that you want the sharp engine response,
but not the stiffest damping mode.
Because when it's in its stiffest mode, it just is very stiff. Especially here in Italy, where roads are like craters.
But through this mode, you can get all of the fuzz out of the exhaust,
without having the super stiff dampers, whilst using the sharpest engine response at the same time.
And that's very cool, because in the sportiest modes,
if you release the throttle quickly, the throttle valve remains open.
Which means gasses keep flowing through the engine and turbo, and if you put your foot down again,
the pressure build won't take very long and you'll have your power back in no time.
So the response is good. Also...
Well, we won't look back after 30 years saying the i30N had the best engine sound ever, but for a turbocharged 4-cylinder...
It's a huge amount of noise, with lots of crackles and explosions, and that's incredibly fun.
So the engine isn't the most powerful around, but it's a very fun drivetrain.
The gearbox it's connected to, is also fine.
It's a manual 6-speed, the clutch should've offered more feedback,
but it's fine. The same goes for the gearbox.
It's got short gears, which is quite nice.
There's a lot of feedback, the shifts are nice as well.
But... The gear lever is a little too low.
In a Civic Type R, which shifts even sharper, you're behind the gear lever.
In here you're above it, and that goes together with my next point of criticism.
The seat. It's pretty nice, but again it's too high.
Also, support on the sides could've been better. On the other hand,
there's a compliment in that criticism. You need the support on the sides, because the cornering speeds are incredibly high.
They've knowingly adjusted it safely, so if you really push it to the limit, you'll encounter understeer.
But they've done that deliberately.
The rest just is really good.
The Pirelli-tires offer lots of grip, you can get them to squeal, but you can still push them even further.
The mechanical LSD makes sure that more power goes to the outer wheel in a corner, which gives you a lot of traction.
But most of all, this car is very communicative.
It's not like there's an incredible amount of feedback in this car, but there's enough of it.
Also it's direct, and it's just right. So you exactly know what you can do with this car.
You can push it to the limit, and then it's a very playful car.
It's a fun driving car which gives a beginner a lot of confidence, which is important as well.
But for the more experienced driver, it still offers a lot of driving experience as well.
So yeah, for a first attempt at a hot hatch... This is really good.
The base of this car is really good.
It might not be as wild and oversteered as Megane RS, or as excessive as a Civic Type R.
Actually, it mostly resembles an even more focused Seat Leon Cupra. Accessible, but very quick.
A real compliment, great car.
The only but? The price.
€39.995, and you should actually add €3000 for the Performance Pack.
And that's a lot of money. It's a tad more than the entry Seat Leon Cupra,
it's a tad less than the Civic Type R. Considering the hardware you get, it's a realistic number,
but it's still more than €40.000 for a Hyundai. I don't know if people what to spend that amount of money on this brand.
On the other hand, people who do spend that money on this, won't be disappointed in the slightest bit.