Hyundai have revealed their first high-performance car in the N line-up, the i30 N, ahead of its launch in Europe. Powering the car is a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine mated to a six-speed manual. In the Standard Package it delivers 250 PS, whereas the Performance Package provides 275 PS. Both cars are front-wheel driven and have a peak torque of 353 Nm with a maximum speed of 250 km/h. We expect the cars to make their European debut later in 2017.
Although born in Hyundai’s home in Korea, the i30 N was raised on the Nürburgring. The ‘N’ stands for Namyang (Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea) and for the Nürburgring, where the N line-up was further developed and tested. The ‘N’ is also supposed to symbolise a chicane. The Korean automobile giant claims that the i30 N was built around three major points; cornering, racetrack capability, and everyday sports car.
After clocking 10,000 km at the Nürburgring and participating twice in the ADAC 24-hour race, it seems like Hyundai have done their homework in the endurance department. A lot of input has also been sourced from Hyundai Motorsport’s experience in the WRC.
The car looks stunning even standing still. The aerodynamic exterior when coupled with the generous ‘N’ badging at various places makes the performance orientation of the car fairly evident. Hyundai have made some welcome additions in the form of a glossy black spoiler and the double-muffler exhaust. In accordance with Hyundai’s ‘form follows function’ philosophy, the air inlets on the side of the front bumpers also contribute to cooling the brakes, not to mention aiding aerodynamics. Similar duties are taken care of by additional air curtains behind the grille, front splitter, and the spoiler at the rear.
Powering the car is a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine available with the two power outputs: the Standard Package engine makes 250 PS, whereas the Performance Package churns out 275 PS. Both outputs produce a peak torque of 353 Nm and attain a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The Standard Package can dismiss 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, while the Performance Package is 0.3 seconds quicker. Both cars are front-wheel driven and come equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. The i30 N with Performance Package is shod with 19-inch Pirelli P-Zero high-performance Hyundai N tyres, distinctive red N break callipers and larger brake discs.
The list of features on the car include Launch Control, rev-matching, Electronic Controlled Suspension (ECS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Limited Slip Differential (E-LSD) and Variable Exhaust Valve system. The last couple of features are available exclusively for the Performance Package.
With the hot-hatch space in the Indian market in dire need of an upgrade, the i30 N would be a welcome addition on Indian roads.
Story: Joshua Varghese
