Photo: SB-Medien
The i30 N is the first car to come out of Hyundai's performance brand. People who have driven the prototypes say it's great, but the Frankfurt Motor Show debut isn't getting a lot of attention.
To be fair, even the i30 N's arch rival, the Golf GTI, wouldn't be noticed in the company of new Ferraris and Porsches. But the people who love hot hatchbacks are more preoccupied with the new Megane RS.
Renault Sport are the grand masters of making family cars go around tracks, and they too have directly targeted the Golf GTI by offering a standard 5-door body an optional double-clutch automatic. What's more, the Megane brings rear-wheel steering for the first time in the segment.
So what do we think of the i30 N in person? Well, the sky blue paint is very fetching, particularly in combination with all those black and red accents. But while it stands out, not everybody will get that those are the Hyundai rally colors. We want to see this hatchback in another tone, perhaps white or red.
The back view remains the sexiest, as the N brand stuck two massive exhaust pipes and a spoiler. But the inside remains slightly disappointing, as there are no accents to liven up a black and gloomy cabin. We also through Hyundai would notice the trends and offer larger screens or a digital dashboard, as we saw during the GTI's facelift.
Most of the money must have gone towards powertrain development. The base i30 N packs a 250 HP version of Hyundai's 2.0-liter turbo and will get from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds. There's also a performance version with a mechanical differential, 275 HP and 352 Nm of torque (260 lb-ft). It gets to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and both seem to have a top speed of 155 mph (250 kph).
So far, the i30 N looks like a no-go for America, but there will apparently be a Veloster N, maybe even a Tucson N in the future.
Renault Sport are the grand masters of making family cars go around tracks, and they too have directly targeted the Golf GTI by offering a standard 5-door body an optional double-clutch automatic. What's more, the Megane brings rear-wheel steering for the first time in the segment.
So what do we think of the i30 N in person? Well, the sky blue paint is very fetching, particularly in combination with all those black and red accents. But while it stands out, not everybody will get that those are the Hyundai rally colors. We want to see this hatchback in another tone, perhaps white or red.
The back view remains the sexiest, as the N brand stuck two massive exhaust pipes and a spoiler. But the inside remains slightly disappointing, as there are no accents to liven up a black and gloomy cabin. We also through Hyundai would notice the trends and offer larger screens or a digital dashboard, as we saw during the GTI's facelift.
Most of the money must have gone towards powertrain development. The base i30 N packs a 250 HP version of Hyundai's 2.0-liter turbo and will get from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds. There's also a performance version with a mechanical differential, 275 HP and 352 Nm of torque (260 lb-ft). It gets to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and both seem to have a top speed of 155 mph (250 kph).
So far, the i30 N looks like a no-go for America, but there will apparently be a Veloster N, maybe even a Tucson N in the future.
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