Hyundai Motor has unveiled its first high-performance car under the N line-up – The Hyundai i30 N. The ‘N’ here stands for Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea and for Nurburgring which is base to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre. The ‘N’ logo also symbolises a chicane – the ultimate corner where the i30 N has been tested thoroughly and has proven its ability.
The Hyundai i30 N is built on the new generation i30 and has been developed from the ground up to deliver maximum driving pleasure on the road as well as providing a heart pumping driving experience on the track. The hot hatch has been developed by using Hyundai Motorsport’s experience in WRC.
The Hyundai i30 N is given a very sporty and dynamic exterior design. It features the new Hyundai signature Cascading Grille at the front. The air-inlets on the front provide fresh air to cool the brakes and also house the horizontal LED Daytime Running Lights. The black bezel of the headlamps and the red insert on the front splitter give the hot hatch a sporty appeal.
At the rear, the new spoiler gets a gloss black finish and also houses a triangular shaped high mounted stop light. Adding to the aggressive character of the Hyundai i30 N are the double muffler exhausts which surround a diffuser style cladding that also gets a red insert similar to the front bumper.
Further, the Hyundai i30 N gets special side sills enhancing the sporty character of the lowered body, while the outside mirrors are finished in gloss black. Customers can pick from six different exterior colours – Polar White, Micron Grey, Clean Slate, Phantom Black, Engine Red and the exclusive Performance Blue paint.
The interior of the Hyundai i30 N has been designed with a focus on the driving experience and utilises materials of the highest quality. The dark metal inserts represent the car’s association with motorsports. The exclusive ‘N’ steering wheel gives complete control to the driver for all of the performance related features.
On the left side of the steering wheel, the driver can choose between three drive modes: Normal, Sport and Eco. From the right, the driver can press the chequered flag ‘N’ button to activate the N-mode or a customised setting.
There is also a dedicated rev button to engage the rev-matching control system. The steering wheel gets blue stitching and adorns an N logo at the bottom. The gear shifter also features a unique blue stripe and the N-badge on the ball-type knob.
The new electronic instrument cluster shows key performance parameters while the shift timing indicator placed at the top centre of the cluster indicates when to change gears for optimal race track driving performance.
The rev-counter and the speedometer are surrounded by a blue lightning line. The red zone of the variable LED rev-counter changes corresponding to the driving performance and the engine’s oil temperature. The driving modes are presented on the 5.0-inch or the optional 8.0-inch touch screen with navigation. The screen also shows information regarding power, torque, turbo boost as well as a lap and acceleration timer.
The driver can customise settings for the engine, suspension, steering, differential, transmission rev-matching, exhaust sound and stability control from the N-mode screen menu. Users of the Hyundai i30 N can connect their smartphones using either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity options.
Hyundai Motor also provides a wireless inductive charging pad for mobile phones and a seven-year free subscription to LIVE Services which offer updated information in real time regarding weather, traffic, speed cameras and online searches for points of interest.
The Hyundai i30 N is fitted with high-performance sport seats which have been designed to improve stability and comfort for the driver and front passenger. The seats can be finished in a combination of suede and leather or cloth. Both versions get the ‘N’ logo stamped on the back rest.
The Hyundai i30 N is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. The motor comes with two power output configurations and is only available with a front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission.
The Standard Package engine of the i30 N delivers 250 PS while the engine with Performance Package creates 275 PS. Both engines produce a peak torque of 353 Nm and the hot hatch can reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The 250 PS version can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds while the 275 PS version takes 6.1 seconds.
The Hyundai i30 N with Performance Package comes with exclusive 19-inch Pirelli P-Zero high-performance Hyundai N tyres. It also gets ‘N’ brake callipers finished in red and large 18-inch brake discs at the front and 17-inch at the rear.
The Electronic Limited Slip Differential (E-LSD) and Variable Exhaust Valve System are other features included in the Performance Package to provide the optimal race track experience. The Hyundai i30 N is aerodynamically designed to reduce lift to maintain the car firmly on to the road.
The Hyundai i30 N also comes equipped with rack-mounted motor-driven power steering, Electronic Controlled Suspension (ECS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). The Electronic Sound Generator (ESG) produces a sporty engine sound to create extra acoustic drama and match the mood of the driver.
Hyundai has also provided the i30 N with latest active safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Driver Attention Alert (DAA), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Speed Limit Information Function (SLIF) and High Beam Assist (HBA).
The Hyundai i30 N will be produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech in Nosovice. The hot hatch has been subjected to almost 10,000 km of driving on the Nordschleife at the Nurburgring circuit for durability testing. The i30 N has also taken part twice in the world’s toughest endurance test, the ADAC 24-hours race on the Nurburgring.
2017 Hyundai i30 N – Image Gallery:
