Hyundai i20N - long-term review

The Hyundai i20N is a proven performance car superhero. This month’s experiment is to see if it’s imbued with those genes from the off, or if they’ve been miraculously borne from the automotive equivalent of a radioactive spider bite.

See, you’ll have nearly as much fun in a regular Fiesta as an ST, and you’ll spend less on fuel and chiropractor bills in the process. But what about a regular i20? Well, the black car you see here isn’t quite base spec. It’s an i20 N Line, a beacon of all that’s fashionable in the world of everyday cars right now. Let’s call it ‘M Sportitis’ – the aesthetic sportification of deeply sensible transport.

At first glance it has the visual clout of an i20N, with most of the body kit, just none of the wing. But there are crucial differences, most visually its wheels and tyres. The ‘proper’ N rides on 18s and serious Pirelli P Zero rubber; the N Line gets 17s with run of the mill Hankooks. It naturally doesn’t get the limited-slip differential and additional chassis weld points of the i20N either, and runs a 1.0-litre 3cyl turbo rather than a 1.6 four. 

It's a costume, then, but an attractive one. Inside you’ll find the same N gear knob and while you’re no longer ensconced in a hugging sports seat, it’s still a comfy and reasonably racy looking place to be. That’s what a bunch of red highlights will do.

The impression slips quickly. It starts up in Eco mode every time, and the lane departure tech defaults to ‘on’, too (it’s hyperactive and is best turned off). Curiously it’ll still rev-match your manual downchanges, though only in Sport mode; unlike in the i20N, the system can’t be decoupled from the rest of your settings. A blare of turbo triple power as you enter the Sainsbury’s car park is kinda fun, to be honest.

The driving experience shows just how talented affordable superminis have become. Its refinement is astonishing and it offers a grown-up experience that belies its small size. Its suspension is a touch firm – if a long way off the bustling ride of the i20N – and its steering rather light, but there’s strong grip, the little 3cyl engine responds well, and the gear shift is neat. In urban environs, the biggest clue this ain’t a hot hatch is a soft brake pedal.

Build your speed out of town and the chassis remains unflustered, but what it never really serves up is outright fun. In short, it’s not the entertainer a base Fiesta somehow manages to be.

Which isn’t to say I dislike it – in fact the little Hyundai’s premium feel yet mainstream price makes a mockery of something like an Audi A1. But when it comes to dynamics, it demonstrates just how much of a jaw-dropper the i20N really is. A bargain, too, given the N Line only saves you £2,600 over the full experience. This stock i20 is a wholly likeable Peter Parker, but our red N is the full Spider-Man.