Hyundai i30 N Fastback Trial: Exclusive and Marginal
Hyundai i30 N Fastback Trial: Exclusive and Marginal
A little more than a year after having debuted on the competitive segment of the compact sports, the Hyundai i30 N adds a string to its bow while declaiming under the astonishing Fastback bodywork. An original sedan-coupe with a character always whole.
Exclusivity is a pretty subjective notion. When some manufacturers advance the quality of finishing or the performances to distinguish their models from the mass, others prefer to bet on trumps more singular. This is the case of Hyundai, which decided to offer its compact i30 five-door coupe body, unpublished on the generalist segment. The i30 Fastback has become the only compact sedan-coupe on the market not to be from a premium manufacturer and it is natural that it now has the 2.0 turbo 275 hp, in order to appropriate the N label and affirm its marginal side.
Indeed, whether considered as the sedan version of the i30 N or the sports variant of the sedan-coupe i30 Fastback, this new car remains truly unconventional in the current automotive landscape. Of course, its rather special design will not please everyone. However, the small bodybuilding session related to the N badge energizes the Fastback and makes it gain charisma. Shields more muscular, diffuser surrounded by two tailpipes, spoiler on the trunk, 19-inch wheels: the amazing coupe has not forgotten anything and even wears for the occasion of an exclusive shade, dubbed Shadow Gray.
Hyundai i30 N Fastback Award
Like all i30 Fastbacks, this N version costs € 700 more than the classic i30. Displayed at € 36,200, it is still among the cheapest sports compact. Unfortunately, the bill is weighed down by € 6,810 of penalty, due to 178 g / km of CO2. And if a Honda Civic Type R does not do better on this point, it has the merit of offering 45 hp more.
The very good surprise for this amazing sport comes from the very complete standard equipment, including the leather and alcantara upholstery, the navigation with eight-inch screen, the adaptive suspension or the limited slip electronic differential. Thus, in good Korean, the only options that will require handing the hand to the wallet are the metallic paint (200 or 630 € depending on the colors) or the wheel galette replacing the repair kit (100 €).
Driving the Hyundai i30 N Fastback
If aesthetically, the i30 N Fastback clearly marks its difference with the compact from which it comes, it seems very difficult to feel any shade flying in hands. And this is not really to displease us! At the same time, both cars are technically identical, either mechanically or chassis. Although the Fastback is 12 cm longer, it is based on the same wheelbase and it is not the extra 12 kg that will change the balance or performance. Moreover, these are the same as the i30 N five-door, with a 0 to 100 km / h shot in 6.1 s. Similarly, if the Fastback has a drag coefficient lower than 7%, well advised whoever can say that this is really sensitive.
So we find with happiness what we liked so much about the compact: the playfulness of the 2.0 turbo, the precision of the manual gearbox, or even the ideally firm and consistent direction. On a dynamic level, the three-box bodywork does not change the sensations offered by this endearing sporty. The nosewheel is still as sharp as the curve, thanks to the limited-slip differential, and the rear is a good companion to the movement, showing some mobility.
The driving modes clearly mark their difference, between the Normal offering flexibility and comfort and the N that seems to turn it into a rally bombinette: suggestive sound, just what you need to scramble to the exhaust and a box giving the impression to be a pro heel-tip, thanks to the "rev-matching" ideally calibrated. Like its five-door sister, the i30 N Fastback is perhaps not the most effective and efficient compact sports car, but it remains a truly entertaining car, rewarding for the budding and ultimately endearing driver. A car to have fun, and that's the point!
Competition Hyundai i30 N Fastback
A little more than a year after having debuted on the competitive segment of the compact sports, the Hyundai i30 N adds a string to its bow while declaiming under the astonishing Fastback bodywork. An original sedan-coupe with a character always whole.
Voiture à l'essai : Hyundai i30 Fastback N
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À partir de36 200 €
6 810 € de malus
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Hyundai i30 N Fastback Award
Like all i30 Fastbacks, this N version costs € 700 more than the classic i30. Displayed at € 36,200, it is still among the cheapest sports compact. Unfortunately, the bill is weighed down by € 6,810 of penalty, due to 178 g / km of CO2. And if a Honda Civic Type R does not do better on this point, it has the merit of offering 45 hp more.
The very good surprise for this amazing sport comes from the very complete standard equipment, including the leather and alcantara upholstery, the navigation with eight-inch screen, the adaptive suspension or the limited slip electronic differential. Thus, in good Korean, the only options that will require handing the hand to the wallet are the metallic paint (200 or 630 € depending on the colors) or the wheel galette replacing the repair kit (100 €).
Driving the Hyundai i30 N Fastback
So we find with happiness what we liked so much about the compact: the playfulness of the 2.0 turbo, the precision of the manual gearbox, or even the ideally firm and consistent direction. On a dynamic level, the three-box bodywork does not change the sensations offered by this endearing sporty. The nosewheel is still as sharp as the curve, thanks to the limited-slip differential, and the rear is a good companion to the movement, showing some mobility.
Just like the standard Fastback i30, this N version seems without real competition. The few sedan-coupes that can be opposed are in the premium category and seem inaccessible in comparison. An Audi S3 sedan, certainly more powerful and equipped with four-wheel drive, appears at € 56,110, almost € 20,000 more. A price level that should also be that of the new Mercedes CLA in its future 35 AMG variant, not to mention that the latter is about 20 cm longer.
In the end, the closest competitor of this i30 N Fastback is perhaps the Honda Civic Type R, which finally finds a rival adopting the same bias, with dimensions more generous than the average and an atypical style. The latter is more expensive, with a price of € 40,680, but it is also more powerful and more efficient.
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