Hyundai i30N Prototype review: When a former M division engineer has free reign...

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Below is a review from the upcoming Hyundai i30N hot hatch whose development is overseen by former M Division engineer Albert Biermann... The car has lift-off oversteer handling characteristics which reminds me of, IMO, the ultimate hot hatch, my now defunct Peugeot 205 GTI!

Looks like a real competitor (or at least a fun alternative) to the Golf GTI and the likes and shows that Hyundai is very seriously getting into performance cars with their N Division. BMW should take notice because Hyundai has a RWD performance sedan now with the Kia Stinger, which will be available in a Hyundai version and in an N version too...

I hope BMW M does not forget about Driving Pleasure in their pursuit of performance, Hyundai M's Albert Biermann definitely has not...


Render from Auto Express:




Article from Motoring. http://www.motoring.com.au/hyundai-i...review-107209/


Hyundai is deadly serious about becoming a dominant, full-service car-maker, as evidenced by the Korean giant’s upcoming Genesis luxury brand and N performance sub-brand. The first example of the latter is the i30N, two pre-production examples of which are now in Australia ahead of the inaugural Hyundai hot hatch’s local release by the end of this year. Does it cut the mustard? We accepted an invite to drive it at a private test circuit in NSW to find out.

Forget everything you remember about cheap and cheerful Hyundai hatchbacks of old — like the and oh-so-pedestrian Excel and Getz — because the world’s third largest car-maker is on the verge of releasing its first bona-fide hot hatch, the i30N.

Based on the slick new-generation i30 hatchback that’s just arrived Down Under (there’s an i30N Fastback coming next year too), the piping-hot five-door is nearing the end of an intensive development program led by former BMW M chief engineer and now Hyundai’s Head of Vehicle Test & High Performance Development, Albert Biermann.

Biermann was in Australia last week to chaperone two pre-production prototype i30Ns, one of which spent two weeks hot weather testing, while the other underwent high-speed handling tests at the DECA circuit in Wodonga.

One car will remain here a while longer; the other will be tested at Bathurst’s Mt Panorama circuit before returning to Germany’s infamous Nurburgring, where suspension tuning will be finalised.

Speaking at a press event at which Australian journalists were invited to drive both camouflaged development vehicles – similar to one held in the UK recently, as part of a global pre-launch promotion, Biermann confirmed the i30N will be revealed in final production form at the Frankfurt motor show “at the latest”.

“The car is not finished, but the basic character is decided,” he said.

Unlike every Hyundai sold here in the past few years, no Australian suspension tuning will be conducted. That’s a good thing, because if our first taste test of the i30N is any indication, Biermann and his team have achieved their goal: to create a credible alternative to the world’s most iconic hot hatch, the Volkswagen GTI.

Two versions of the i30N will be offered, but not necessarily in Australia, where Hyundai is still deciding whether it will bring both the standard i30N, which would undercut the base Golf GTI with a sub-$40,000 price tag, and the i30N Performance, which is – surprise, surprise – a direct rival for the Golf GTI Performance.

The latter would be priced under $50K and also aimed at the all-wheel drive Golf R and cracking Ford Focus RS, as well as the front-drive Peugeot 308 GTi 270 and upcoming Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS.

That said, Hyundai is working on an even hotter i30N hyper-hatch with all-wheel drive, as previewed by the wild 280kW/450Nm RN30 concept.

Basic specs for both initial i30N models have now been confirmed, with the entry-level version running a 184kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder sourced from the Sonata turbo, and the Performance version upping that to 202kW – more than its most direct German rival.

Torque outputs are yet to be revealed but think around 400Nm, and both models will be fitted exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission – at least until eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic versions come on stream within 18 months.

The base i30N rides on lower, firmer suspension and 18-inch alloy wheels with Michelin rubber and drives through an open front differential with brake torque vectoring, while the i30N Performance runs 19-inch alloys with bespoke ‘HM’-branded Pirelli PZero tyres and gains an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip diff.

Both models will come with adaptive two-mode suspension damping, a switchable rev-matching function, completely revised chassis kinematics to increase traction, a stronger clutch, improved gearbox syncromesh and, compared to the Sonata 2.0T, a larger turbo and uprated intake, cooling and exhaust systems, plus an artificial sound generator.

Naturally, there are sports front seats, beefier front and rear bumpers and a rear roof spoiler as part of a sportier body kit, but apart from two lower reinforcing struts the i30N’s body in white is unchanged from the standard i30.

Aside from wider, sticker tyres and extra engine performance courtesy of a different turbo overboost strategy, the top-spec i30N – which was benchmarked against the hot Golf GTI 40 Years edition – comes with an active bimodal exhaust, two-mode differential and stability control functions, shorter final drive ratio, 5mm lower ride height, stiffer springs and shocks, upgraded brake rotors and pads, sportier front seats and an ‘N mode’ switch.

Beyond the standard car’s Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes, buyers of the i30N Performance will be able to select N mode via a steering wheel button, in which the steering, damping, exhaust, rev-matching, ESC and e-LSD systems are set more extreme levels.

There is also launch control and a gear shift light, and dealer-fit options in some markets will include a lap timing and data-logging accessory, lighter wheels with stickier Cup tyres and racy bucket seats. ESC can be disengaged, but it will not entirely disable understeer control.

The i30N Performance weighs in at 1450kg – a few kilos more than the standard model – and both versions will be built exclusively in the Czech Republic (all other i30s will come to Australia from Korea).

Hyundai is so serious about its first N car, which takes its name from both Namyang (Hyundai’s global R&D centre) and the Nurburgring, that two near-production i30Ns will contest the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Green Hell later this month in a final shakedown test.

Despite this, Biermann said N development focused on steering response, turn-in, control, feedback and general fun factor, rather than sheer acceleration or speed, but promises that both i30Ns will be as quick as their closest rivals, meaning a 0-100km/h time in less than 6.5 seconds.

“We don’t care about the lap time,” he said. “I couldn’t even tell you a lap time. We test [its competitors] in the media pool and I can tell you it’s very fast – faster than many cars with more power.

“It’s designed for everyday use as well as the track, even in base level. Other cars you need to spend $5000 in options, but the tyres, brakes and cooling are all OK for track use.

“It was tuned at the Nurburgring, which is very fast so we don’t want too much throttle-off oversteer and we need stability for the autobahn.

“It’s hard to say whether it’s better [than a Golf GTI]. It has a different character – definitely closer to a Clubsport [sold here as the 40 Years edition]. The standard car is more road-biased, but still more focused than GTI.”

That’s a big call but after a half a dozen laps in the i30N Performance on a long, tight circuit with a couple of fast straights, followed by a couple more in the standard car (fresh from a week of driving VW’s benchmark-setting Golf GTI 40 Years), we can say that both models are indeed rapid – both in a straight line and around corners.

The hotter i30N amplifies the experience in almost all areas, but both cars are a barrel of fun to drive, offering more steering feel, response and feedback and more lift-off oversteer than a GTI, while also being incredibly stable and reassuring.

On a greasy, drying surface, we had a couple of big oversteer moments on the way into a pair of 180-degree hairpins, where N mode allowed enough yaw to require a half a turn of opposite lock to correct, and both times the ESC gathered the car up seamlessly and effortlessly.

Power-down out of corners even in the low-grip conditions was impressive, the i30N getting its fat wads of low-end and mid-range torque to the road effortless and without fuss.

Yes, there’s also more torque steer than in a GTI, and the i30N suffers from the similar levels of front-end axle tramp during big-throttle standing starts, but its quick (2.3 turns lock to lock) steering remained free from rack rattle, bump steer and kickback at all times.

The switchable throttle-blip function in both cars works well on downshifts, making you sound like Dan Ricciardo even if it breeds laziness by making heel-toeing redundant, and both cars’ undoubted straight-line pace is accompanied by a hairy-chested exhaust crackle on the overrun, which is extra-loud with the performance pack.

Solid, fade free brakes complete a well sorted package that comes complete with all of the new i30’s advances in refinement, quality and technology, no doubt making it as effective on the road as it was on track, where the fun was over all too quickly.

No, a handful of laps around a track aren’t enough to make a definitive statement about how good the i30N really is, but it was sufficient to confirm Hyundai’s first hot hatch is far more than an i30 with a turbo four and a body kit.

Indeed, it was enough to demonstrate a depth of engineering and technology that goes beyond even its lauded chief rival, and to prove the i30N will be a finely honed, heart-pumping hot hatch that nobody should dismiss lightly.

[Never_Enough]

290 hp & 0-60 in 6 seconds? Nothing to see here.

[AtlasM]

Originally Posted by Never_Enough

290 hp & 0-60 in 6 seconds? Nothing to see here.

You're misreading. The article says:

"Both i30Ns will be as quick as their closest rivals, meaning a 0-100km/h time in less than 6.5 seconds."

That does not mean they will do 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, it means that all the cars the i30 N competes with do 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds or less, and the i30 N will be within this range. No specific number for the i30 N is mentioned.

Also, there's no mention of 290 hp. It says base engine with 184 kw and "performance" with 202 kw. Those are 247 and 271 hp, respectively.

A little early to start with the bench racing.

[ShocknAwe]

Might be cool and all, but doubt we'll see it here in the states.

[chillindrdude]

0-60 in 6 seconds? *hits snooze button*

[AtlasM]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Might be cool and all, but doubt we'll see it here in the states.

You are correct. The i30 N is not going to be sold in the U.S. or Korea.

According to Car & Driver, Biermann said at the Paris auto show, “The next car is focused on the U.S. and Korea—it’s a different platform.”

The i30 is sold in the U.S. as the Elantra GT. Right now the top Elantra sedan and Elantra GT trim is the Sport which has a 201 hp 1.6 liter turbo motor, a multilink rear suspension instead of the twist beam on the lower trims, and assorted other sporty bits. The Elantra Sport has been out for a little while now and the Elantra GT Sport will be available soon.

The simplest guess is that since the U.S. tends to prefer sedans over hatchbacks, we might get the i30 N in the form of the Elantra rather than i30 a.k.a. Elantra GT, since they are essentially sedan and hatchback versions of the same car.

[No Boost]

BMW M has not forgotten about Driving Pleasure in their pursuit of performance. They have a model that proves this.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by AtlasM

You are correct. The i30 N is not going to be sold in the U.S. or Korea.

According to Car & Driver, Biermann said at the Paris auto show, “The next car is focused on the U.S. and Korea—it’s a different platform.”

The i30 is sold in the U.S. as the Elantra GT. Right now the top Elantra sedan and Elantra GT trim is the Sport which has a 201 hp 1.6 liter turbo motor, a multilink rear suspension instead of the twist beam on the lower trims, and assorted other sporty bits. The Elantra Sport has been out for a little while now and the Elantra GT Sport will be available soon.

The simplest guess is that since the U.S. tends to prefer sedans over hatchbacks, we might get the i30 N in the form of the Elantra rather than i30 a.k.a. Elantra GT, since they are essentially sedan and hatchback versions of the same car.

Elantra looks like a feckin horrid little econobox though. Because it is. As opposed to a hot hatch which always looks the part somehow.

[48Laws]

Originally Posted by chillindrdude

0-60 in 6 seconds? *hits snooze button*

Lol

[AtlasM]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Elantra looks like a feckin horrid little econobox though. Because it is. As opposed to a hot hatch which always looks the part somehow.

Agreed, I'd rather have the hatch. Unfortunately not every car company gets the enthusiasts-prefer-hatches memo, like Subaru making the WRX only a sedan.

The Elantra Sport is a pretty decent looking little econobox imho.