Hyundai i30N review

When the i30N first launched, a base 247bhp car was £24,995. Which is just shy of what the dinkier i20N now commands. Now that Hyundai’s added more tech, dropped the entry model and inflation has taken its toll, you’re looking at a £34,595 base price. That’s still decent among its rivals, and you can lease one from around £360 a month. The DCT gearbox adds £1,975 to the list price, or around £50 a month.

What's the difference in kit?

The pre-facelift entry-level car came with most of the sensible equipment you could ask for – sports seats, sat nav, an array of active safety systems, 18in alloys – with its 2.0-litre turbo engine producing 247bhp, while the i30N Performance added 24bhp, an electronic limited-slip differential, a quite juvenile (but hugely fun) sports exhaust, larger 19in alloys with Pirelli tyres and electric seats trimmed in higher quality materials.

Now that Hyundai’s ditched the base model in the UK, your starting point is the i30N Performance, which as part of the mid-life facelift gets slightly revised styling including new LED light signatures, 19in forged alloy wheels (saving 14.4kg) and larger tailpipes, while inside there’s lightweight sports seats (cutting 2.2kg) and a larger 10.25” infotainment system. And, of course, the slight power upgrade and that optional eight-speed twin-clutch paddleshifter.

That aside, the only real decision you need to make is colour. As standard the i30N is kitted out in red, with the baby blue in the pics above costing £585, and white £300. Hard to look past the now signature blue, we reckon.

Should I buy one?

We lived with an i30N for close to a year, and in all honesty, fell head over heels. But there were a couple of issues using one as a daily driver. Its relatively small fuel tank and typically high-20s mpg meant it’d only just manage 300 miles on a tank, and usually only by playing chicken with the fuel light for a handful of that distance.

Still, the i30’s already impressive five-year warranty also includes track use with the N, which is simply unheard of. It has the potential to be financially crippling if enough people go overrevving their engines on Friday evenings around Bedford, but the fact one of the most fun full-size hot hatches on sale is also the easiest to justify from a warranty perspective feels borderline silly, but that really is the case.