UK Drive: The Hyundai i30 N is a raucous, riotous hot hatch here to shake up the segment

What is it?

With his knowledge along with plenty of development at the firm’s Namyang home and the formidable Nurburgring circuit in Germany, high hopes have been pinned on the newcomer. At the international launch in Italy we were mighty impressed by how fun and capable it was on the road and track, but the key question that needs answering now is how it holds up on Britain’s broken road surfaces…

What’s new?

There are also subtle aerodynamic tweaks to the exterior to improve downforce and cooling of vital parts, with attention even paid to the underside of the car – quite a commitment for a hot hatch. There are also different drive modes that can be selected depending on whether you fancy driving in a relaxed or sporty manner, with a track-specific N mode stiffening everything, and a fully customisable mode, too.

What’s under the bonnet?

The i30 N is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that makes 247bhp in entry-level form or 271bhp in the go-faster N Performance trim we’re testing. Both engines make 353Nm of torque, which is boosted to 378Nm at full throttle for up to eight seconds at a time.

Despite being about 30bhp down on key rivals, crucially the Hyundai never feels like it’s lacking any puff. This is in part because the power delivery isn’t particularly linear, feeling like the engine spools up its energy and dumps it on the front wheels in one fell swoop. It’s a little unrefined but a total blast.

What’s it like to drive?

Our first drive in Italy showed it to be sharp and responsive while retaining a playful character that’s so often missing from modern, overly sanitised performance cars – and any worries about it failing to put up with the UK’s crumbling road network are quickly put to bed.

True, in the N drive mode it’s far too stiff, so this should only be used on track, but dive into the menus to fiddle with settings such as the engine response and suspension stiffness, and it doesn’t take long to find an agile, beautifully set-up hot hatch.

How does it look?

That’s not to say there’s no aerodynamic trickery going on. Hyundai put a lot of research and development into improving air flow over the car, evident in the rear wing, flat panels beneath the car and pressure-relieving ducts around the wheel arches.

What’s it like inside?

For a start, while most of the materials you touch are high quality, there are some cheaper plastics used throughout the cabin, while the infotainment system looks awkward plonked on top of the dashboard – and the sat nav is terrible, so we ended up using Google Maps whenever possible.

What’s the spec like?

Opt for the Performance model, which starts from £27,995, and you get even more kit. Go-faster equipment includes the torque steer-stifling electronically controlled limited-slip differential, 19-inch alloy wheels with grippy Pirelli P-Zero tyres, and leather and suede upholstery.

Verdict

In N mode it’s far too stiff, but a few minutes fiddling with the settings is all it takes to make the N a brilliant B-road blaster. The Honda Civic Type R is easily the best in this segment, but for a few grand less you can get something almost as good that does without the lairy styling – and for some, that’ll be a huge selling point.