Spyshots: Hyundai i30 N Hot Hatch Seen for the First Time

Last December, Hyundai revealed an all-new 2014 WRC car and launched its new performance brand, called "N'. The company has a test center near the Nurburgring where the i30 N and other cars like it will be put through their paces under the same conditions chosen by German automakers.

So What Should We Expect?

The reason why this i30 is camouflaged is that it's undergoing a mid-life facelift. However, its sister car from Kia, the cee'd, is a little newer and has its own hot version called the pro_cee'd GT. It comes with a 1.6-liter GDI Turbo engine rated at 204 PS and 265 Nm of torque.

Those numbers are impressive for a 1.6-liter, but performance is nowhere near that of what people consider to be a hot hatch. 0 to 100 km/h in the Kia model takes 7.7 seconds, while most rivals are near or bellow the 6 second mark.

However, Hyundai and Kia aren't making direct rivals for the SEAT Leon Cupra or Focus ST. Think of the i30 N like a Megane RS that's powered by a Clio RS engine and offered more cheaply.

In Germany, Europe's largest new car market, a Kia pro_cee'd GT is priced from €23,200 and is very well kitted as standard. The Golf GTI, a segment best-seller, is €28,675 before you go into a long list of options.

Can't They Give Us More Power?

Probably not, since the 1.6 GTI Turbo shares too many parts with the mainstream 1.6 used by many Hyundai models. Peugeot has already shown the world an engine this size can produce as much a 270 PS with the RCZ R, which in independent test has proven faster than a Megane RS.

It's unreasonable to expect Korean car companies are going for an all-out war with the Evo and STI. Just like it's unreasonable to expect the i30 N will have all-wheel drive, like the i20 WRC. But Hyundai is working on performance cars, as in more than one, and that's very good news.