- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He Fr Ar
Hyundai i30 N Hatchback. 1st generation, 2020 restyling
The Hyundai i30 N is a hatchback by Hyundai, a sports version based on the third generation i30 car. It has been produced since 2017 and was restyled in the fall of 2020. The car is distinguished by productivity gain. Let’s explore a new product, which the manufacturer calls “a sports car for everyday driving.”
The new Hyundai i30 N is an eye-catching, bold and very fast car for those who are used to getting the most out of life. Apart from being sporty, the i30 N remains very safe and comfortable. Horizontal LED lights, larger air intakes and a splitter with a red stripe make it easy to distinguish a hot i30 from a simple i30. The base color of the Performance Blue was inspired by Hyundai racing cars. Before presenting the restyled Hyundai i30 N to the public, the engineers drove 10,000 km on it only along the Nurburgring, not counting other polygons and tracks. Albert Biermann (Former BMW M Head), now head of the Hyundai N sports division) assures that the result is an emotional product, especially the Performance version.
Exterior
The ‘N’ version differs from the civilian i30 by more aggressive bumpers, a rear spoiler, red accents in the exterior design, and special wheels. The 2020 restyling has touched both cars. Like the base i30 model, ‘Mr. N’ got LED headlights with V-shaped DRL sections, as well as a wider radiator grille, which should provide more efficient ventilation of the engine compartment. There is a new front bumper with a modified shape of the side air intakes, and the rear of the car now also looks fresher, featuring a new rear bumper with an enlarged rear diffuser and larger exhaust pipes. The hot hatch is 4,335 mm long with a wheelbase of 2,650 mm. The ground clearance is 136 mm by default and 132 for the Performance package.
The 2020/2021 Hyundai i30 N color palette offers seven different shades, including Performance Blue (N-model exclusive), Polar White, Engine Red and Sunset Red, Shadow Gray and Dark Knight (dark gray)and black Phantom Black. The entry-level car comes with 18-inch alloy wheels and will feature 19-inch wheels when ordering the optional Performance Package. Interestingly, both disc variants also have caps with the letter ‘N’.
Interior
The 2021 Hyundai i30 N interior boasts sports seats and a sporty steering wheel, and the latter houses the buttons for switching modes of the control electronics. There are also metal pedal pads and a redesigned dashboard. Interestingly, the ‘hot’ version still has analog instruments, although the restyled entry-level Hyundai i30 can be ordered with a 7-inch virtual panel display. However, the N-version has a new media system with a wide screen, an expanded set of electronic assistants and other decorative attributes. The top Performance version has new front seats, which are 2.2 kg lighter than the previous ones.
Powertrains
The new entry-level Hyundai i30 N remains almost unchanged from a technical point of view. The two-liter turbocharged engine still produces 250 hp and 353 Nm, coupled only with a 6-speed manual transmission. This modification has the same 18-inch wheels. But the Performance package has become more powerful, and now the turbocharged engine can generate 280 hp and 392 Nm instead of 275 hp and 353 Nm. In addition to the manual transmission, there is also an 8-speed N DCT automated transmission, which the manufacturer promised when introducing the model for the first time. It is a wet dual clutch transmission with paddle shifters. The i30 N models with the automated transmission have an overboost mode, NGS (N Grin Shift), which is activated by a button on the steering wheel to ensure the maximum output of the engine for 20 seconds. And for track driving, the drivetrain has an N Track Sense Shift mode that activates automatically when the electronics detects the appropriate driving style.
The top-end Hyundai i30 N Performance now accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds (0.2 seconds faster). The maximum speed of both versions is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Performance cars also feature an electronically controlled differential lock and a flap-opening exhaust system (larger tailpipes) and Pirelli P Zero sports tires. The front brake discs have become larger to match the increased power (360 mm instead of 345 mm), and 19-inch wheels are no longer light-alloy, but forged, which has reduced unsprung masses by 14.4 kg per car.
Equipment
The 2021/2022 Hyundai i30 N features the latest version of the Bluelink multimedia system with a 10.25-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functions. Safety is monitored by the SmartSense package. It includes a forward collision avoidance system, which has learned to recognize pedestrians. At the same time, the version with the automated transmission can additionally feature a blind spot monitoring system and reverse parking collision-avoidance assist.
