Can the i30 N upstart challenge the current king of the hill?

The Fender Telecaster is one of the great sounds of rock, but too often it’s playing rhythm while the Stratocaster takes lead. Serena Williams brought the world a whole new kind of tennis. But then Venus has won more matches. Istanbul is a captivating Turkish city, but Ankara is actually the capital. The Hyundai i30 N with the Performance package is a hot-hatch of awesome engineering depth, and 275bhp for 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds. Its only issue is the car whose triple exhausts it is currently chasing. The Honda Civic Type R, ditto ditto, but with 320bhp and 5.8.

Hyundai’s argument goes that the i30 N isn’t about chasing numbers or headlines. It’s got the engine that its chassis wants, and the chassis that its hot-hatch driver wants. Follow that line of reasoning and at its terminus is the assertion that you actually can have too much power.

The Civic Type R, on the other hand, has absolutely no patience with moderation. Its engine, like its bodywork, cleaves to the philosophy that too much is very seldom enough.

The Honda isn’t only rocking an extra 45 horsepower. It’s also 2017’s Top Gear Car of the Year. It’s also got generations of Type R breeding, while the Hyundai’s bloodline is a whole lot shorter. Still, let’s not be snobs. If the Hyundai doesn’t quite manage to emerge fully from the white car’s jagged shadow, there’s no disgrace. Really it’s competing more with the Peugeot 308 GTI and various VW Golfs, but we put it up against the Honda because these are the hatches of the moment.

The Hyundai is £5,000 cheaper. Let’s get that out of the way. Mind you, Liberty Walk or Mansory would charge all that and more for making a base Civic look like the Type R, and never mind the engineering changes Honda has made. To be clear though, this body kit isn’t just high-street attention-seeking, but a manifestation of a comprehensive aerodynamic makeover.

Some of the details – air breathers for the arches, the black blades ahead of the wheels that give drag-free downforce, the vortex generators – are gorgeously, spoddishly, right. The size of the rear wing, on a street hatch, might be a little wrong. It’s a plank that gives you rear-view issues, and makes the driver behind think you’ve got self-esteem issues.

I wish the Type R kit had wiped away that silly blanked-off fake mesh, also used on the normal one-litre Civic, around the front fog-lights and rear reflectors. And why are some of the parts fake carbonfibre, not just black plastic? Without that nonsense the rest of the kit would seem more authentic.

Still… I guess I’d be looking for every last Newton of rear downforce if I were pinning it in sixth down into Kesselchen on the way to my seven forty-three point eight. Fat chance; I’m lacking in both skill and bottle.

Your personal attitude towards the Honda’s looks will be a good bellwether for the way you think about the Hyundai. If to you the Civic is de trop, you might enjoy the i30’s subtleness. OTOH, if you love the white car’s single-mindedness you’ll probably think the blue one’s a bit wimpy. The N’s bodywork is no wider than standard. Wider tracks and a bit of arch bulge might argue its case more, but while the R is about lap times the N is about feel, so maybe doesn’t need a wide track. In fact the Honda’s width, and the lowness of its seat, are great for tracks and wide open roads, but the Hyundai can feel more compact and handy on a thin road.

The Honda even has an aluminium bonnet with an air vent. Under which reside those crazed 320 horses. Well, not that crazed actually. Not unless you give them a bootful of encouragement. Up to at least 4,000rpm, it’s a performer, but with the downside of perceptible lag. But if you take the express lift via the fifth and sixth floors to the big seven, it’s a storm, and it has your arm flailing at the gearlever like a white-water canoeist’s.

So, yes, the i30 N is left behind. But hey people, 275 horseradishes are still pretty saucy. Especially as the lag is marginally less of an issue, and with the variable exhaust and electronic sound enhancement in their most liberated settings, the soundscape is perhaps the most satisfying in all of hot-hatchery. And it has a manual box, with a superb shift. As good as the Honda’s – and neither of them are as insanely light and clicky as the old N/A Type Rs were. That’s presumably because in both the new cars you’re shifting cogs that have to be more robust and heavier to cope with the torrent of torque.

Let’s move further down the chain towards where this rotational force meets the road. To try to ameliorate the corruption of torque on steer, Honda has given the R double-pivot front suspension instead of the usual Civic struts. That’s a badge of honour for premier-league front drivers. Hyundai didn’t go that far, but it did re-engineer itself a tighter, lighter front suspension versus the base car. The Civic has a helical limited-slip differential, the Hyundai a fancy electrically controlled job (no, not just cross-axle braking; an actual e-diff, with three user-choosable setups).

So what we’re saying here is, both sets of engineers bust a gut to get the power to the road without the commotion of a spinning inside tyre or the rim-yank of torque steer.

The Honda is more successful. On the wet roads of our test, it ekes out a load of unlikely traction, so full credit to its combination of tyres, diffs and damper settings. In the dry it’s plain amazing. And when the roadway is lumpy, the first time your right foot goes adventuring it’s suddenly apparent the Honda has the torque steer business better sorted.

The i30’s wheel yanks and frets in your hands and the nose darts around as its tyres sniff the hollows and lick the lumps. Let’s not get this out of hand, mind. Versus an Astra VXR or Focus last-gen FWD Focus RS (both of which sported Honda-like double-pivot struts), the Hyundai is a model of decorum. But the Type R is by some way better again, and has more feel too.

The Honda has a borderline insatiable gluttony for corners, as well as the straits between them. You bear down on a bend with the massive brakes clenched, pitch it in, mash the throttle improbably early, and off it catapults. The drama lies in the combination of extraordinary precision with sky-high g-loads. The ferocity is eye-widening.

Both these cars steer quickly (but not too quickly) and roll little. Both are fundamentally well-balanced. But the Hyundai, because it clings slightly less hard, is a subtly different proposition. It’s a dance for two. Driver leads and car follows, then car leads and driver follows. Actions and reactions on both sides. Lift off and it’ll oversteer (even in the ESP’s on-but-loose mode). Get on the throttle too soon and it’ll wash the front tyres out. It doesn’t just give you more options than the Honda, it feeds you more communication. On the track, it’s prepared to trade lap times for fun. So it goes on the road.

In the setup of its electronics, the i30 N goes beyond interactivity into parody. On its steering wheel are two blue buttons. The left one cycles through the driving modes affecting eight parameters. Here goes: throttle map, downshift rev-matching, exhaust flaps and sound enhancement, dampers, diff, steering weight, ESP. The right one, the one with the chequered flag icon, calls up the N mode. That cranks all those systems one louder.

Finally you can configure, via the main screen, all those eight parameters through up to four stages to form a ‘custom’ mode. Well, you can, but trust me after a while you won’t, because picking your ideal from among those combinations will do your head in. My perms and combs theory days are long behind me, but I tentatively calculate you have 1944 possible options. If you devote yourself to the task you might eventually find one setup that feels dead right, but then the road or your mood will soon change and you’ll have to start again. By which time you’ll have forgotten to look through the windscreen and crashed.

The Honda has comfort, normal, sport and R+. Sometimes you might feel deprived of a way to combine livelier ESP with gentler dampers. But as an escape route from the Hyundai’s tyranny of choice, the R’s simplicity is just fine thanks.

Anyway the Honda provides its own driver distractions. On the steering wheel are menu buttons to control its entertainment and driver info. It’s a howling lash-up of counterintuitive ergonomic inconsistencies. Its main central touchscreen isn’t a whole lot better, and it runs horrid, garish graphics. Fortunately you can just mirror your Apple or Android device.

That though won’t cover up the rest of the cabin’s visual clutter, or its mishmash of materials and subtlety-free rude redness. But then, the Hyundai goes the other way. As with its outside, the basic hatch is never buried. Maybe that’s what Hyundai wanted. This is the first N car, and it has to give you a mental trackback to the rest of the range, giving the whole Hyundai brand a lift.

The Hyundai might have a strut brace in the back but it doesn’t ruin the boot. The Hyundai back seat is the more habitable, but the Civic’s is OK. Their powertrains don’t shunt and cough in town, and their exhausts quieten down on motorways. Their springing is stiff but they don’t convulse you to a pulp. Both of them, in other words, will operate as normal cars.

But they are also fabulous machines for pure driving. The Type R operates on a plane where you didn’t think FWD hatches could ascend. It’s focussed to a pixel-sharp philosophy: get there quicker. The i30 N isn’t such a mad intrusion into your visual field, and its power and lap times reflect that. But for simple rumbustious hot-hatch fun, it has enough, maybe even more, going for it.

Sure the R is the Strat, but the N, the Tele of this pair, is music we love to hear too.

The All-New Hyundai i30 Fastback is the latest addition to the i30 range, available across Europe by the beginning of 2018. The new body type reflects Hyundai's design language while giving it a sophisticated twist. This classic and elegant coupe brings a unique and new approach to the popular C-segment, underlining Hyundai's commitment to innovation and customer choice.

Sophisticated silhouette and charismatic proportions

The Hyundai i30 Fastback is characterised by its strong stance and sporty, elongated lines. The sophisticated silhouette features dynamic sports coupe proportions created by an elegant sloping roofline and a long bonnet. This special silhouette is achieved with a lowered roof and a tight cabin sitting on a bold body.

On the front, the bonnet is emphasised and appears wider thanks to the reduced height of the Cascading Grille. Additionally, the lower horizontal air intake below the grille gives the i30 Fastback a charismatic front. Full LED Daytime Running Lights and headlamps with a premium dark bezel round off the Hyundai i30 Fastback's visual impact at the front.

The slim cabin is emphasised by wide wheel arches giving the car a strong stance. The wheel design was specially developed to perfectly match the i30 Fastback's silhouette: unique 18-inch alloy wheels are available, as well as specific 17-inch alloy wheels. Using classic automotive design codes, the roof has been lowered by 25 millimetres compared with the i30 five-door, enhancing the car's wide stance on the road, improving aerodynamics and creating a dramatic impression.

Tapering towards the rear, the cabin has a sleek shape, inspired by the shape of a teardrop. The generously arched rear spoiler is integrated into the tailgate and continues to the rear lights. The rear of the cabin is additionally supported by strong shoulders, which makes the Hyundai i30 Fastback look capable and assertive.

Dividing and sculpting the surfaces creates a vivid play of light and shadow, adding drama to the car. The C-pillar and the rear windscreen are inspired by the premium segment and designed with refined shapes, reinforcing the car's tapered belt line and its sense of dynamic, strong forward motion.

Customers can choose from eleven exterior colours for the i30 Fastback: three pearl choices - Phantom Black, Platinum Silver, Stargazing Blue, six metallic choices - Ara Blue, Clean Slate, Fiery Red, Micron Gray, Moon Rock, White Sand, and two solid choices - Engine Red and Polar White. For the interior, customers can choose from three colour options: Black, two-tone Gray and Black or the new and unique Merlot Red interior.

More fun than a Golf GTI, but can it be as satisfying to live with? Let's find out

If you’ve not noticed, we’re living through a golden age of hot hatchbacks. From bargain VW Up GTIs to supercar-slaying Audi RS3s, every carmaker with both a hatchback in its range and a modicum of petrol coursing through its engineers’ veins has something to offer. Even Hyundai.

Previous tests have already established the i30N is a belter, but we’re running one for the next few months just to check it’s not a novelty that wears off. It feels more fun than a Golf GTI on first, second and third acquaintance, but the VW’s a tougher benchmark as a long-term ownership proposition.

What’s so good about the i30N? It has enough horsepower to be exciting – our Performance model has 271bhp and hits 62mph in 6.1secs – and tons of usability. There’s every bit of equipment you could reasonably hope for, a big boot and five seats. Honda Civic Type Rs only have four seatbelts, something I’ve been scuppered by in the past.

Good behaviour is only one half of a great hot hatch, of course, but luckily the i30N is also a proper tinker. Its front wheels do manage to put that power down, but only just. It’s a wild ride on the right sort of road, and I mean that as a compliment.

It’s also dripping with the sort of details normally found in only the most serious performance cars. My favourites? The illuminated red line moves around the rev counter as the engine warms up, while the manual gearbox’s rev-matching function turns on and off with just one simple button press. There’s no auto option, either, and the handbrake is old-school mechanical. I could go on…

Entry-level i30Ns cost £24,995, but you really should spend an extra three grand (or £20 a month) on the Performance pack, which takes the 247bhp base car and adds a limited-slip differential, 24bhp, bigger brakes, 19in wheels in Pirelli P Zero tyres, a riotous sports exhaust and some properly hugging seats.

It’s a no brainer, then. To that, we’ve added the N’s signature Performance Blue paint, taking us up to £28,580. A lot for a Hyundai, but still very competitive in the hot hatch market, with only the new Renault Megane RS really challenging it in value terms.

I adore hot hatches and this might be my current favourite, but I’ve got loads planned with the i30N in the coming months, y’know, just to be absolutely sure. If there’s anything you’re dying to find out about the i30N, or something you want to see ours do, feel free to say so in the comments box below.

So far: 2013 miles, 30.9mpg average (39.8mpg claimed)

Spec: 1998cc 4cyl turbo, FWD, 271bhp, 279lb ft, 0-62mph in 6.1secs, 155mph (ltd), 1429kg

The warmed-over hatchback shares a few sporty cues with its more powerful N sibling.

Hyundai is planning a range of warmed-over N-Line products slotted just underneath its hardcore N range. Already we’ve seen a heavily camouflaged i30 N-Line hatchback, finished with a light performance treatment, but now new spy photos show the handsome hatchback completely uncovered testing on the Nürburgring.

Like its more-hardcore sibling, the i30 N-Line adopts a number of sporty design cues. The front fascia gets more aggressive with a larger lower grille and a red accent detail on the diffuser. LED running lights are also embedded into the accenting grilles, and give the vehicle a more upscale look. The i30 N-Line also appears to get unique wheels over its standard counterpart.

Out back, a few of the same sporty design elements carry over. The bumper is now more sculpted, and a larger diffuser with red accents continues the aggressive theme. The same dual exhaust tips spotted on the prototype can also be found.

While the full-on N model may produce 275 horsepower (205 kilowatts) and 260 pound-feet (352 Newton-meters) of torque, don’t expect the same figures on the N-Line trim. With the standard i30 producing either 118 hp (87 kW) or 138 hp (102 kW), depending on the trim, the i30 N-Line should be closer to 200 hp (149 kW).

While U.S. buyers won’t be able to get their hands on the i30 N-Line, the European market should expect the hatchback in just a few months. The full-on N version – which is already available in the region – costs €39,995 (approximately $46,375). The N-Line will undoubtedly be less expensive when it does go on sale.

Those in the U.S. hoping to take home a hot Hyundai will have to wait for the arrival of the Veloster N. The hatchback produces the same 275 hp as the i30 N, and goes on sale later in the year.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra has been completely redesigned for the new model year, and it's a pretty substantial overhaul from a visual standpoint. The front and rear fascias are all new with sharp, angular styling. Besides the styling, most Elantras get minor equipment tweaks. SEL and higher trims pick up additional forward collision prevention and lane-keeping assist. The base SE trim and top level Limited trims also get a few minor equipment additions, which you can check out, here.

With the redesign comes a slight price increase across the board. The base trim sees the smallest increase and goes up $150 for both the manual and automatic varieties. The turbocharged Sport model has the largest increase of $600. The other trims go up by $400 to $600. Nothing changes with the powertrains, either. The Eco gets a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder making 128 horsepower, the Sport has a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine making 201 horsepower, and the rest have a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine making 147 horsepower. You can see the full price breakdown below for both the new 2019 model and the outgoing 2018 version. The new car is on sale now.

Hyundai Elantra 2019 2018
SE (Manual) $17,985 $17,835
SE (Automatic) $18,985 $18,835
SEL $20,285 $19,735
Value $21,285 $20,735
Eco $21,835 $21,435
Limited $23,485 $22,985
Sport (Manual) $23,285 $22,685
Sport (DCT Automatic) $24,385 $23,785

Just like the hot hatch, it's available with either 246 hp or 271 hp.

The third “N” model after the i30 N and the Veloster N, Hyundai’s brand spanking new i30 Fastback N is here as a more practical sports car without sacrificing any of the performance. Billed as being the “first five-door hot coupe in the C-segment,” the new member of the N family adopts the same aggressive design cues as the other two models, but adapted for the different body style easier to live with on a daily basis.

At the heart of the i30 Fastback N is the already familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine, which will be available in two states of tune: 246 horsepower and 271 hp for the version equipped with the optional Performance Package. Regardless of the one you go for, maximum torque stands at 353 Newton-meters (260 pound-feet) or a temporary 378 Nm (279 lb-ft) with the overboost function activated. Power is channeled to the front wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual transmission.

While the base model of the go-faster Fastback needs 6.4 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill, the hotter one slashes that time by three tenths of a second to complete the task in only 6.1 seconds. Flat out, both will reach a maximum speed of 155 mph (250 kph).

The vehicle’s character can be altered courtesy of five selectable driving modes, as follows: Eco, Normal, Sport, N, and N Custom. The driver can choose his favorite setup by using the buttons mounted on the steering wheel, while the instrument cluster’s N mode screen menu extends the customizable settings by allowing the driver to fiddle with the engine, rev matching, and the exhaust note. Features reserved to the Performance Package can also be accessed from the N mode screen menu.

Even though it’s being unveiled today, the i30 Fastback N has already taken down a record thanks to professional HyundaiMotorsport drivers Thierry Neuville and Gabriele Tarquini. They competed against each other in a race between Rome and Paris. No, not Italy’s and France’s capitals, but the villages in western Denmark bearing these well-known names. In the end, Tarquini took the win by crossing the finish line in 8 minutes and 18.49 seconds. Apparently, this is a new record.

Hyundai will have the i30 Fastback N on display starting next week at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.

Complementing the performance of Elantra GT is the announcement of the new 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N Line trim. Elantra GT N Line is the first N Line model for the United States from Hyundai. N Line trims add sporty design elements and refined powertrain/chassis upgrades to existing Hyundai products. N Line is part of Hyundai's 'N' product portfolio that includes the brand's growing ultimate 'N' range of vehicles (Veloster N, i30 N, i30 Fastback N). The 2019 Elantra GT N Line replaces the 2018 Elantra GT Sport and signals more N Line models to come on future Hyundai products.

The 2019 Elantra GT continues to bring increased utility and enhanced driving dynamics to the compact hatchback segment. Elantra GT and the new N Line trim are poised to compete head-on with hatchback competitors and provide a fun-to-drive alternative to small CUVs. Elantra GT is the best of both worlds.