Contents Show
Test Hyundai I30N with 275 PS
Performance Blue is called the paint. It could also be "Little Boys Blue", but a performance-something as a name in the paint color woven in, right at the beginning, no misunderstandings arise. With the I30N Hyundai is suddenly a GTI opponent in the compact car segment. Or rather a RS, M, or AMG playmate?
The managing director of Hyundai in Germany is a petrolhead and active motor sportsman. And the European Development Center of Hyundai is within sight of the Nürburg, only a few meters away from the traditional Nürburgring race track. All of this was probably related to the fact that at some point the decision was made that an “N-model” was needed. N could stand for “Namyang”, the Korean birthplace of the I30, or for a racetrack chicane, or just for “N” ürburgring. It doesn't matter how the legend is knitted in a few years' time, the only thing that matters is what the 275 hp compact (performance model) does on the track.
From 2015 Albert Biermann was responsible for the final development of the I30N. And this Albert Biermann was previously responsible for the development of the M models at M GmbH of the Munich premium brand. For the I480N, Hyundai lists over 10.000 laps on the Nordschleife and more than 30 km of "Green Hell" just for the suspension tuning before it was ready for series production. The four-cylinder turbo gasoline engines had to survive two 24-hour races before they were ready for series production; in 2016 and 2017, Hyundai competed in the legendary classic race track with an I30 close to the series. At the wheel, among other things, the managing director of Hyundai Germany.
Hyundai I30N - State of the Art
Hyundai did not prefer an all-wheel drive model, but deliberately developed a front-wheel drive sports car in the classic manner. A stiff body - even in the trunk there is a bulky strut bar between the domes of the rear axle dampers - is the basis. An adaptive chassis and an electronically controlled differential lock fulfill the basics of the sporty setup. The engine sound and responsiveness can also be adapted to personal preferences, as can the damping and steering. The spectrum ranges from “just tender, but clear” to “meant and taken seriously”. They even allowed themselves a “Rev-Matching”, an automatic double-declutching system with adaptation of the engine speed to the gear engaged.
And the result of the efforts? Already at boarding becomes clear, here comes a very big of his trade. Seldom were moments of surprise so baby blue painted. Sonorous sound from the start, tight-fitting sports seats, an ergonomically mature sitting position. Hyundai has tightened the right set screws and presented a car for drivers.
The four-cylinder with its double-pipe exhaust system does its best and conceals the standard values of four cylinders and almost two liters under the cover of an adult carpet of sound. The fact that the maximum of 378 Nm is only available in overboost mode and that even the performance model has to be satisfied with “only” 275 PS can be attributed to the bourgeois origin of the overall package. But horsepower is only one thing, and the 6.1 seconds of the performance model to 100 are just a number of many - the feeling is much more important.
The sausage-thick sports steering wheel can be wonderfully tackle vigorously, the six-speed gear feels a bit bony, and also the shift ways could be a tick shorter. This ends any criticism of the hardware, which then follows the Hatz on local highways, is an elegant dance of the emotional kind.
The I30N expresses itself from the revolving cellar, seduces with appropriate gear connections to stir in the wheelwork and hums a hearty song. Much better than the average, however, is the chassis of the Korean. Balanced with plenty of grip on the stabilizing rear axle, once the P Zero has become warm, the I30N can be thrown into the corners. Its variable differential lock tugs alive on the steering wheel at the corner exit under full load, but prevents the engine from evaporating into blue tire smoke.
Hyundai I30N Performance in the compact segment goes without any new PS records!
Hyundai I30N - No alternative to the Golf GTI
Much too harmless, much too toothless has become the normal GTI. With the I30N as a performance variant, the Korean automobile giant squeezes past the established sizes of the compact car class with its first serve and raises the bar. You have to imitate this first!
