After months of speculations and spy shots, the Hyundai i30 N has finally come out of the closet officially. The i30 N is Hyundai’s first high-performance car under the N line-up. Built on the i30, the i30 N has been developed from the ground up to deliver driving fun on a daily basis.
The model was honed at the Nurburgring, one of the most challenging race tracks in the world and home of Hyundai’s Testing Center. Hyundai says that the N logo symbolises a chicane and that the i30 N is inspired by the brand’s motorsport experience in WRC since 2014.
The i30 N is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine available with the two power outputs: the Standard Package engine delivers 250bhp, whereas the Performance Package engine's maximum power is boosted to 275bhp. Both outputs deliver a maximum torque of 353Nm and allow the car to top out at 250 kmph. The 250bhp version accelerates to 100 kmph in 6.4 seconds while the 275bhp version does it in 6.1 seconds.
The i30N is a front-wheel drive hot hatch and features a six-speed manual transmission. Grip levels are guaranteed by the 18-inch Michelin or 19-inch Pirelli high-performance tyres. Interestingly, there are five drive modes, including Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom settings, which can be selected by using two dedicated buttons on the steering wheel. The different modes change the character of the car, adjusting the performance-focused parameters of the engine, the dampers, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), electronic limited slip differential, sound, steering and rev-matching.
The i30 N will be produced at Hyundai’s manufacturing facility in Czech Republic. The facility opened in 2008 and started production of the first-gen i30 the same year.
