I own this car and I am blown away at Hyundai's first attempt at a genuine hot hatch. A couple gripes include a mediocre stereo system and a boring interior- particularly the doors and front dash. Also no rear AC vents or USB charge points or an extendable centre console. Other than those minor gripes, this car is phenomenal. Genuinely surprised at how well it handles corners and how composed and refined it is. The car feels solid and planted, barely noticeable wind or tyre noise from inside and the exhaust is great, turns heads constantly. I bought mine in Polar White fully optioned, including the panoramic sunroof (highly recommend). I 100% agree with the steering and comparing it to the Golf GTI which I've driven, it is definitely better. I wish to get it tuned in the coming months.
@@larsulven1852 I've never had any elderly people in the back but I've sat in the back and I'm 6 feet tall, leg room is fine and so is headroom, if you have 3 in the back then obviously it will be a bit of a squeeze. But for an elderly person, it will be more than fine. Recommend testing it out yourself so you're 100% sure.
It's a nice car but I only wished they didn't cheap out on the interior and creature comforts. A sister car of it, the Cerato GT hatchback gets leather and heated/cooled seats and is a far more liveable car. I just wished they had a more powerful powertrain. THere is only so much you can tune a 1.6litre engine. I'm already putting custom brembo 4 pot brakes on them, coilovers, engine support mods to take it to 300-350hp. It just doesn't have the cool gadgets like adjustable dampers (I have to physically turn a knob for the soft/stiff setting) and LSD which would be a costly mod.
Oh definitely Normal mode! I've heard that full N mode and hard driving can push it over 20 L/100km (whatever that is in mpg). If you can avoid aggressive accelerating and braking, it's reasonably ok on the fuel. Not great, but reasonable for the kind of car it is.
I have owned one for a couple of years now. It is the most fun I have had driving a car since I drove the original Mini back in 1982. The handling is out of this world. I took a bend(30%) at around 60-70 miles an hour and it did not even hint at losing grip. I am too chicken to push it any further as if i smash it up, then its me who loses out. I recommend it so much. One thing if you are not familiar with LSD, then you will soon enough when you go round a tight corner. There are two stories going around about the meaning of "N". One is Nurburgring where it was tested and the second is that it is the first letter of the Korean city that is the home of Hyundai.
Did I read correctly that the i30N pops and bangs are actually part of an anti-lag system as in rally cars? If true that's pretty cool that they're not just engineered for the sake of sound
They are engineered for the sake of sound. The anti-lag system that uses ignition cuts, doesn’t work the same as real anti-lag in rally cars which is a direct intake on the turbo manifold.
Fabulous cars. I've had mine for 6 months now, put 6,000 miles on it and it's been brilliant. So much fun to lob down a good bit of road, and inspires bags of confidence. Albert Biermann knows what he's doing.
I've recently test driven the i30N and the salesman is a Silverstone racing instructor with loads of racing and instructing experience he has even worked as an instructor at the Nürburgring and he made several points about the suspension setup. Road driving use normal and leave it alone, some UK tracks you could use the sport setting and Silverstone is smooth enough for N mode damping. If you were lapping the Ring though leave it in normal. Also the softer LSD setting is helpful in road use as it gives a bit more steering feel but either is fine.
In is defence... he as said various times that in order to not be influenced by "the general media" opinion or the "paid rewiews" fake ideas... He chooses to read as little articles as possible about a car before driving it. I do understand your point of view ... but this just proves once again that i didin't read the "Nurburgring and Namyang press release package"
You consider it a bad thing, but personally I find the 'judge it on it's merits, not it's press releases' approach to be quite good. Knowing what it's name means isn't as important as how it drives. Honestly..................................................
Do you review and do not know what N means? Namyang - Nurburgring! Namyang is Hyundai R&D Centre in Korea and Νurburgring where the i30 N was further developed and tested.
Good review but Sport+ suspension is absolutely brilliant for fun driving...do not listen to that nonsense 😂 IF you actually push the car hard enough, you can chuck it around most country road bends at 60mph no issue...KEEP IT IN NORMAL SUSPENSION AND YOU'LL BE IN A BUSH. Same with the steering. If you have it in Normal mode, every crack and dip in the road will throw you off. Keep it in Sport + and it doesn't react and keeps the car aligned. (Sorry but it really annoyed me that he said it ruins the car if you use N mode)
Plagiarism is great isn’t it. Buy a Golf GTI and pull it to bits . Take everything it does and turn it up a bit. Price it lower. Hey presto. It’s Korea.
You have to be joking right? 자신의 게임에서 골프 GTI를 이길. That was The note left on Albert Beirmanns desk from day one. I know I sound like a fanboy and I’m not I find the Golf ok. Just ok. But it is the most well known hot hatch ever made and Korea went all nukes a blazing to try and,for want of a better phrase,piss on it’s cornflakes.They did a good job and I’m even getting over the badge issue and considering one as my next daily.
@@leokal457 Do not agree. The Golf 1 GTI was, and still is, amazing. Both the 1,6 and 1,8 engines were strong from low rpm and fitted the very light car well.
I own the i30N. Reviewer pretty much nails how the car feels. By the way, you can turn of the pops and bangs ang keep the Sport+ exhaust sound, by setting Engine Response to SPORT.
1. No you can not only choose the paint, there are 2 basic packages to choose from and you can choose to have a panoramic roof or the strut brace in the trunk. The 2 packages are a navigation pack (bigger screen and so on) and a comfort pack (leather seats, alcantara elements). 2. N stands for Namyang and Nürburgring. 3. There is a "premium sound option" just not in the configurator but in the accessories section. If you order this car you can tell the dealer to install the pack, which costs 400€. 4. The "N-setting" is a setup for a track, not for bumpy, broken roads, that's why there's Custom. Eventho I have to disagree you can very well drive in N-mode if your road is intact.
1. N stands for Nürburgring 2. N-mode is for Nürnurgring or track-driving. If you put it into N-mode on your British roads it's your own fault. I think it's quite nice to have it in a "performance" version hot hatch and there is no need to select it on normal roads.
Prob my first point is false. Indeed, Namyang sounds familiar to me, too. This reminds me of the Yaris GRMN which means "Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring" and yet it reads "German".
The N comes from the name of the Hyundai R&D in Korea. Which is called 'Namyang' each car is designed around a different track. The i30N is designed around track #3 at Namyang.
Disagree. I test drove one of these from three different dealerships and really enjoyed each experience and thought it we be my next car. No. Ended up buying a DSG Golf GTI Performance. Slightly better level of luxury feel but nowhere near as exciting. I think I only bought the Golf because of depreciation worries in the back of my head. This is a new car from Hyundai and depreciation is an unknown at present. My ocal dealer said I could have their 1200mile demonstrator for £26000.
@@HyperBiker i meant similar options, i have a bimmer and they are real assholes regarding equipment almost nothing except sat nav is included, i was wondering about tech package mostly like keyless entry and camera but nevermind
Another good review, of a car that has recently appeared on my radar. Really love the pops and bangs. I’m childish I know, but it’s the little things in life.😉
Albert Biermann lead the designed of this car, he headed BMW M division for many years before leaving to work for Kia Hyundai. Hence N - see what Biermann did there? I think Hyundai have a great future with him in charge, looking forward to more N cars..
Nice review Jay you've made me feel good about owning one. My biggest gripe though is the MPG it is very poor but insurance premiums are silly low . Swings and roundabouts come to mind .
Yes, I agree. Insurance is v.cheap on this but MPG is mid 20’s for me (the commute my wife does kills the mileage I’m afraid) so it’s not necessarily the cars fault! 35-38mpg can be achieved on motorway runs easily enough. It’s a beast of a car and makes me smile every time I know I’m going to drive it. Anyway, nice review. I use N Custom with the Suspension on the softest setting and the steering Normal . Everything else maxed out and it seems to offer the best mix.
@@follyfour506 How does the car do in Eco mode? I only work about 1 - 2 miles from home but in the winter I'm driving in every day so just curious how it would handle it. How often do you fill her up?
@@jenniferleary5713 No I didn’t really pursue the i30N much, I love it and was definitely considering it, but I went for an older Golf GTI for now, maybe in a few more years 😫😂
Top of my list in a few months when it's time to return the Polo GTi...which with no 3dr version anymore, has lost me... sitting in one of the i30N's, I was extremely impressed!
@@shanemitchell5807 It was fine, not a single issue in the 3 years of ownership. I had the 1.8 version though, the 1.4 supercharged one yeah...that had issues.
@@shanemitchell5807 I felt my Polo Blue GT was a superb car in 2014. Fab economy and 60 in a shade longer than the GTi. The GTi was good personally, but not much better to drive than the Blue GT. In ways the GT was nicer overall.
It's great to hear someone else who agrees that ultra stiff suspension isn't the best for everyday roads. Something that flows with the road, rather than try and beat it in to submission with nothing more than sheer stubbornness. 😁
I actually have one of these and you just set the car in n custom and put the suspension in the softest setting and lighten the steering and it's amazing fun. Plus I have only seen 1 other one on the road near me and it feels more exclusive admittedly the stereo is not great but I've found I just like hearing the car anyway. And 26mpg is good I barely get 20mpg but if your worried about economy buy a boring hatch not one of these
I agree about the pops and bangs being overdone. This is the best coverage of the car I've so far seen. It also has the benefit of not being an embarrassment to be seem in, unlike the Civic unfortunately.
Jay. How old was the i30N you drove. I drove one at Millbrook at the N day in 2018 and shortly after Hyundai admitted they were working on revised suspension settings to soften things up a bit as it was agreed it was too stiff and fidgety. Longer bump stops were also mentioned at the time. This has already been incorporated in the i30N fastback. Just wondering if your car had the new settings too.
Likewise, leather seats are terrible and symbolic of how people just agree with consensus rather than objectively assessing things themselves. They are too hot, too cold, too sticky, too damage prone, and are literally stitched together rotting corpses, mmm luxurious!
Exactly Christopher! I couldnt find better words to explain my point! Although this is a point that shouldnt need any explanation really... yet so many people ignore both the actual objective quality of leather compared to other so much better option and the fact that its skin of innocent slaughtered animals.
I know some people will moan about the interior quality but look at the big picture, price and performance which equals a cheaper drivers car which equals fun fun fun!
Would love to drive this car. I see one driving around where I live. Looks great. I do remember hearing that the head of Hyundai N division used to be the head of BMW M. Which is probably why it drives so well. I have yet to drive and review one myself but one day I will. I do like the Hyundai/Kia cars.
4:52 N is for Nurburgring where it was tested and also Namyang where the car was R&D. 12:04 The pops and bangs are actually there for a reason on this car; I believe it's part of the Anti lag system on the turbo. Engineering explained explains it a lot better than I would.
Its not really an anti lag system, its just a little over fuelling that you can turn onn or off, anti lag just sounds like a nice name to call it, and a proper system would destroy a turbo in less than 1000 miles due to the heat. Its like the diff, an electronically controlled mechanical diff, well yes and no, its not mechanical in the way a proper mechanical diff is (torsen etc) but its not a full electric one either. Its terminologies they like to use in marketing.
@@e1337prodigy not even that, it may sound like anti lag, probably as close as it gets lol, it really does nothing to enhance the performance of the car, just some added noise mapped in :)
I test drove one recently and also was really surprised how good the Chassis was. But I felt it was lacking power. But I kept comparing it to my fun car in the garage which is an old Saab 9000 Aero 2.3T stage 3 tuned to 310bhp. So a bit more than the i30N. My old 9000 taps on 100 in 3rd, but the little Hyundai doesn't get close to that.
@@DannyT636Im not a fan of the 9-3 and newer models. All are GM based and not the same as real Saabs that were heavily over engineered. A 9000 also has amazing handling, they really are superb.
Came across your channel searching for the I30N. Really appreciate the work you put into your video, and presentation. But I found your comments quite frustrating at times. If your buying an I30N, your not going in blind. You would pretty much know what it does out of the tin. Anyone moaning about the suspension being to stiff, needs to not buy a hot hatch, although I agree that the most aggressive settings can be too much for some uk roads, and are for use on a track which the Hyundai warranty covers. What really got me and as I see in so many videos, is when the cars being tickled and people talk about being on it. Don’t get me wrong, borrowed car, public road, but if your talking about being on it get your foot in man. What would be more interesting is to find out how much the LSD negates wheelspin with out TC on as it’s the first thing I would turn off.
They stopped making the Hyundai Eon last year, 800cc, 50 mpg! What is the purpose of the i30N? Making a car ban come sooner? This will be insane in taxes and because of that, people will literally gaze in disbelief as you drive by.
I agree with Jay. Why the pops and bangs? I do not want the attention. I do not drive around for others to see me. I want quiet high performance from a nice petrol engine.
Really enjoyed that one. As a massive Honda fan and S2000 driver for the last 15 years or so, I’d love a type r.... if it weren’t for the fussy, plastic cobblers going on. This appeals somehow as a left-field alternative especially as I’ve seen used ones at the £20k’ish mark. Alongside the S2000 of course! In reality I’m more likely to get an ep3 or fn2 civic cos I like my motoring depreciation free. Yes I’m tight! Look forward to the next episode....
Great review. I’m sure it’s a great car but it just doesn’t do it for me. I’d buy a m140i instead as I want a 6 Cylinder and 350bhp. If I was going for a fwd I’d get the civic type r as I love the over the top styling.
Why not buy the performance pack version? I can think of around 3500 reasons. That's a fair chunk of money to find over and above the cost of the standard version, no matter how much perceived 'value for money' you're getting.
Top notch shirt! I like the look of the N cars compared to the rest of the ugly hatchback class, but of course I’d prefer RWD and a V6. Imagine a manual stinger drivetrain in a C segment hatch or the Veloster, now we’re talking!
A good review , nicely explained and concise but............. For the love of God do not wear that shirt again mate , my eyes were watering after this video and I dont think it was down to the cars looks! 😀
"Maximum road feel." Yes it does! If the road is perfect than you can feel that and if the road is crap you can feel that too :P...But most of the roads are not prefect so we don´t want maximum road fell in "normal" cars. Just those for the track....I am gonna buy a new car very soon and it´s between Leon Cupra ST (300Hp, 7speed DSG, digital cocpit, 4WD, 5s 0-100km/h) and i30 Fastback N. Still can´t decide...Automatic vs manual, most fun to drive? The looks...and so on...Anyone else in same situation?
Man, you should call this the Ignorance Car Review. The N stands for Namyang. It's Hyundai and Kai's R&D centre in Korea which also has its own test track. The car also comes in 2 performance options. Option 1 comes with the basic specifications and lower bhp. The option 2 comes with the sport pack with a higher bhp bigger wheels better tires and brakes etcetera. It's not a golf mate. It's for the manual purist for people who have gear shifting skills. May I remind you, its not a golf in terms for comparison. If you want finesse, refinement, softer suspension, and coffee shops, and your butler "Mr DSG Transmission" , due to cardiovascular arm shifting disabilities, then Golf is for you.
Very few criticisms out there about this car. Cant help but think it would sell even more were it not wearing a Hyundai badge because of badge snobbery which us Brits seem to be so good at...... £3500 for full leather a proper diff an extra 25bhp 19" wheels etc seems a bargain thats even before dealer discounts/negotiations. I also think they would sell more if the choice of hues was better. This blue to me looks bleached. Not as bad as Audi's current trend of painting cars that look like they are still in primer with their Nardo Grey paint. A nice strong blue like ford or vw would be a hit or gunmetal grey. Also they should have a delete option on that red front trim piece to black for a more subtle look..... Pricewise I think the cars a bargain at starting £26000 mrrp. Looking forward to the Civic video and hope it doesnt win on the grounds of just having another 40bhp. It certainly wont win on looks compared to most other hot hatches.
good vid again buddy! iv drove the new civic r and must say did shock me just how good it really was! but this is cool car that if only it had a little more power!
I would go with the performance model however I would much rather have 18" wheels with normal PS4 tyres. 19" wheels with rubber bands are crap unless you are on a track.
The BMW seems unfinished as a sports car. No lsd, poor brakes and gear shift feel. BMW just don't seem to get real drivers cars right anymore. They have gone too luxury focused.
I really really like these, but when I looked into them discounts weren’t forthcoming and ultimately I ended up paying £28k for an M140. Plus the monthly costs were better on the BMW due to better residuals (I’m coming out of a company car scheme onto an allowance so monthly costs were king). I do really like the i30N though. A lad in our village has one and it sounds great. Regards the BMW not being a sports car, well the gear shift is perfectly nice since you can only buy a new one as an auto, brakes are massively improved since the E46 days an an LSD can be fitted by a dealer if you really want one.
@4:34 At least what you think an interior of 30.000 quid car should look like. It is IMHO good enough for hot hatch with 275 horses and all the features you get for 30 grand. @19:20 Don't you think Hyundai has a motorsport devision?
I can’t deny the I30N is a cracking motor and looks fab.To petrol heads it’s fantastic and ticks those boxes my Golf GTI PP turns a blind eye to. But..... and it’s a big but to the unknowing masses it’s a Hyundai in a track suit and it just hasn’t got the kerb appeal a Golf GTI and that’s a shame.
buck3366 I tend to agree. I considered the 130N but went with the Golf Gti PP. I really like the N but just didn’t suit my preferences as much as the Golf. No doubt the N is more biased towards the fun side but the Gti is just so slick at everything. One of the great things about the Gti is you can put it in Sport mode and it’s really well suited to uk roads. Every thing stiffens up and doesn’t turn in to a crashy mess. Plus I would need to take the strut brace out of the N to get my dogs in the boot lol. I agree the Golf has the kerb side appeal and they are so popular in middle England.
Well said. Yeah it was a contender for me too but my wife screwed her face up when I said I was swapping in her Golf and considering a Hyundai. So another VW it was. I’m a dog owner here too and it may be a Golf R estate for me next. Wife can get in the boot and dog ride up front with me🤣
buck3366 Haha that’s one of the aspects you would have to deal with when buying a Hyundai ..People’s faces looking puzzled ! ..you would have to explain to people why you bought one. That I guess is the snobby side of the badge as the N is the only performance car they make. At least with Gti people know what you are talking about. Both Awesome cars but subjective to preference what you want in a hot hatch
Good points. The Golf is perfected over the years and more comfortable on bad roads but here a similar spec Golf PP is about 12k€ more then the N performance (only Germany is a bit cheaper). I went with the N because where I live the roads are decent and we even have a nearby 'touge' road where I can use full N mode without bouncing into the ditch. I noticed an improvement with the suspension in hardest setting on a smooth slower track like Zolder. It's more then comfortable enough for a 800km trip to the Nordschleife, do some hard laps with suspension a tad 'less hard' and drive home. On the other hand, where my parents live the roads and traffic are no fun, there the N makes less sense. Choosing the right car all depends on where you want to live.
How would you say it compares to the mk7 fiesta st? I like the fiesta but hate how hard the ride is. I've considered trading it in for an i30n in the future as i like the idea of the adjustable suspension but I'm not sure as a package the hyundai would still be a downgrade over the fiesta st
Id be really interested to compare it the 130i, at the limit and not tootling in traffic. Very different in price and age, but on paper the performance is near identical to the I30N performance.
@@JayEmmOnCars This is true OOTB, you need to do the well documented handling/suspension upgrades +LSD to make it be what it should be and then it's a different story however
Great review James, great product knowledge. And you are right hot hatches are the most fun and versatile for fast fun uk road driving enjoyment. I think I would still prefer the excellent Civic type R over this Hyundai. Although the i30N looks really fun to drive.
Everyone would prefer the Type R, but many of us can hardly think of affording the i30N... go figure the Type R, with emission taxes striking it in many countries, tyre replacement cost substantially higher (it wears 20" wheels) and so on.
A good review, my son has the same model. However the way you express yourself and your presentation of this car reminds me of 1990s top gear presenter Chris Goffey 😁
I own this car and I am blown away at Hyundai's first attempt at a genuine hot hatch. A couple gripes include a mediocre stereo system and a boring interior- particularly the doors and front dash. Also no rear AC vents or USB charge points or an extendable centre console. Other than those minor gripes, this car is phenomenal. Genuinely surprised at how well it handles corners and how composed and refined it is. The car feels solid and planted, barely noticeable wind or tyre noise from inside and the exhaust is great, turns heads constantly. I bought mine in Polar White fully optioned, including the panoramic sunroof (highly recommend). I 100% agree with the steering and comparing it to the Golf GTI which I've driven, it is definitely better. I wish to get it tuned in the coming months.
What about passenger comfort? Can you have a couple of old people in the back seats for a couple of hours without turning them into "sacks of bone"?
@@larsulven1852 I've never had any elderly people in the back but I've sat in the back and I'm 6 feet tall, leg room is fine and so is headroom, if you have 3 in the back then obviously it will be a bit of a squeeze. But for an elderly person, it will be more than fine. Recommend testing it out yourself so you're 100% sure.
@@syd_jzx100 how is the stereo system any tweeters etc ?
@@ph-ju1fo Honestly man, not the best. Only real thing I'm disappointed about.
It's a nice car but I only wished they didn't cheap out on the interior and creature comforts. A sister car of it, the Cerato GT hatchback gets leather and heated/cooled seats and is a far more liveable car. I just wished they had a more powerful powertrain. THere is only so much you can tune a 1.6litre engine. I'm already putting custom brembo 4 pot brakes on them, coilovers, engine support mods to take it to 300-350hp. It just doesn't have the cool gadgets like adjustable dampers (I have to physically turn a knob for the soft/stiff setting) and LSD which would be a costly mod.
Owned one since March, it still manages to put a smile on my face 2700 miles later 😁😁
The only thing that worries me about this car is the MPG
I've had mine for 2 weeks, put 600km on it so far and currently averaging 8.6L/100km. It's nearly broken in so I'll get to stretch it soon.
@@donkeysunited that's quite decent tbh. Has that been in N mode or just normal?
Oh definitely Normal mode! I've heard that full N mode and hard driving can push it over 20 L/100km (whatever that is in mpg). If you can avoid aggressive accelerating and braking, it's reasonably ok on the fuel. Not great, but reasonable for the kind of car it is.
Do you ever wish it had more power?
I have owned one for a couple of years now. It is the most fun I have had driving a car since I drove the original Mini back in 1982. The handling is out of this world. I took a bend(30%) at around 60-70 miles an hour and it did not even hint at losing grip. I am too chicken to push it any further as if i smash it up, then its me who loses out. I recommend it so much. One thing if you are not familiar with LSD, then you will soon enough when you go round a tight corner. There are two stories going around about the meaning of "N". One is Nurburgring where it was tested and the second is that it is the first letter of the Korean city that is the home of Hyundai.
Did I read correctly that the i30N pops and bangs are actually part of an anti-lag system as in rally cars? If true that's pretty cool that they're not just engineered for the sake of sound
If it's turbo on the engine the pops are indeed turbo lag pops, it happens for many reasons. But yes on the N cars it is because of that.
They are engineered for the sake of sound. The anti-lag system that uses ignition cuts, doesn’t work the same as real anti-lag in rally cars which is a direct intake on the turbo manifold.
Fabulous cars. I've had mine for 6 months now, put 6,000 miles on it and it's been brilliant. So much fun to lob down a good bit of road, and inspires bags of confidence. Albert Biermann knows what he's doing.
I've recently test driven the i30N and the salesman is a Silverstone racing instructor with loads of racing and instructing experience he has even worked as an instructor at the Nürburgring and he made several points about the suspension setup. Road driving use normal and leave it alone, some UK tracks you could use the sport setting and Silverstone is smooth enough for N mode damping. If you were lapping the Ring though leave it in normal. Also the softer LSD setting is helpful in road use as it gives a bit more steering feel but either is fine.
"I don't know what 'N' stands for"... really, WTF! You didn't do much research before making this video... did you?
In is defence... he as said various times that in order to not be influenced by "the general media" opinion or the "paid rewiews" fake ideas... He chooses to read as little articles as possible about a car before driving it.
I do understand your point of view ... but this just proves once again that i didin't read the "Nurburgring and Namyang press release package"
@James Smith That's a lot of dots after my name, mate... three is enough!
@@BradGrove Kinda have to agree with Brad here. Please stop abusing the ellipsis.
You consider it a bad thing, but personally I find the 'judge it on it's merits, not it's press releases' approach to be quite good. Knowing what it's name means isn't as important as how it drives. Honestly..................................................
The i30n has been developed in ...Nurburgring and the ex enginer for the M models ( A.Bierman ) at BMW is now in Hyundai and make the ....N models
Do you review and do not know what N means? Namyang - Nurburgring! Namyang is Hyundai R&D Centre in Korea and Νurburgring where the i30 N was further developed and tested.
I still like ("M"+1). Maybe I'm just a bit sad!
It was driven there after it was made. Wasn't developed there at all.
@@aaronlean1350 yes it was
Of course it helps that the head honcho responsible for developing a lot of the M cars moved to Hyundai...
30 shirts in 1 shirt, that's brilliant...
It's an impressive piece of kit, as the Brits like to say.
Good review but Sport+ suspension is absolutely brilliant for fun driving...do not listen to that nonsense 😂 IF you actually push the car hard enough, you can chuck it around most country road bends at 60mph no issue...KEEP IT IN NORMAL SUSPENSION AND YOU'LL BE IN A BUSH. Same with the steering. If you have it in Normal mode, every crack and dip in the road will throw you off. Keep it in Sport + and it doesn't react and keeps the car aligned. (Sorry but it really annoyed me that he said it ruins the car if you use N mode)
Clearly you prefer hot patches!
Very good
Best comment I've read for ages.
LOL :D
Pressing the N button without varying any specific settings is primarily for track use. Which the factory warranty covers conditionally.
For.. N mode.. selecting N mode 😳 on the home interface.. to get the N settings.. makes sense to me 🤔
It is just incredible how amazing they did at their first attempt! The golf needed 30 years to get this good and they just nailed it
It helps when you poach top engineers from Europe...
Plagiarism is great isn’t it. Buy a Golf GTI and pull it to bits . Take everything it does and turn it up a bit. Price it lower. Hey presto. It’s Korea.
@@Buck3366 lol i dont think they stole anything really important from vw. or at least nobody knows
You have to be joking right?
자신의 게임에서 골프 GTI를 이길. That was The note left on Albert Beirmanns desk from day one. I know I sound like a fanboy and I’m not I find the Golf ok. Just ok. But it is the most well known hot hatch ever made and Korea went all nukes a blazing to try and,for want of a better phrase,piss on it’s cornflakes.They did a good job and I’m even getting over the badge issue and considering one as my next daily.
@@leokal457
Do not agree.
The Golf 1 GTI was, and still is, amazing.
Both the 1,6 and 1,8 engines were strong from low rpm and fitted the very light car well.
The colour is called N Storm and the N stands for Nurburgring as that is where it was developed and they built a HQ there
I own the i30N. Reviewer pretty much nails how the car feels. By the way, you can turn of the pops and bangs ang keep the Sport+ exhaust sound, by setting Engine Response to SPORT.
Glad I got it right
1. No you can not only choose the paint, there are 2 basic packages to choose from and you can choose to have a panoramic roof or the strut brace in the trunk. The 2 packages are a navigation pack (bigger screen and so on) and a comfort pack (leather seats, alcantara elements).
2. N stands for Namyang and Nürburgring.
3. There is a "premium sound option" just not in the configurator but in the accessories section. If you order this car you can tell the dealer to install the pack, which costs 400€.
4. The "N-setting" is a setup for a track, not for bumpy, broken roads, that's why there's Custom. Eventho I have to disagree you can very well drive in N-mode if your road is intact.
It's England, our roads are not intact!
Regular, solid content! This channel is getting seriously good 👍🏼
1. N stands for Nürburgring
2. N-mode is for Nürnurgring or track-driving. If you put it into N-mode on your British roads it's your own fault. I think it's quite nice to have it in a "performance" version hot hatch and there is no need to select it on normal roads.
Not sure about the "N stands for Nürburgring" reference. I have read previously the N stands for Namyang, home to Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre.
And maybe ;) .... "N" stands for Nošovice too - Small village in Czech Republic near Hyundai factory - birthplace of this amazing fast devil!
Prob my first point is false. Indeed, Namyang sounds familiar to me, too.
This reminds me of the Yaris GRMN which means "Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring" and yet it reads "German".
The N comes from the name of the Hyundai R&D in Korea.
Which is called 'Namyang' each car is designed around a different track.
The i30N is designed around track #3 at Namyang.
Your comments on the exhaust sounds are 100% correct in my opinion.
A more affordable Honda Civic Type R, and a more exciting/reliable GTi and Focus ST.
Sleepy question is, is it better than the 2019 Corolla Hatchback?
Disagree. I test drove one of these from three different dealerships and really enjoyed each experience and thought it we be my next car. No. Ended up buying a DSG Golf GTI Performance. Slightly better level of luxury feel but nowhere near as exciting. I think I only bought the Golf because of depreciation worries in the back of my head. This is a new car from Hyundai and depreciation is an unknown at present. My ocal dealer said I could have their 1200mile demonstrator for £26000.
@@HyperBiker What is the initial price difference?
@@themarenda.
The new UK price difference is only a few thousand GBP but it depends on how far you spec up the GTi, of course.
@@HyperBiker i meant similar options, i have a bimmer and they are real assholes regarding equipment almost nothing except sat nav is included, i was wondering about tech package mostly like keyless entry and camera but nevermind
Another good review, of a car that has recently appeared on my radar. Really love the pops and bangs. I’m childish I know, but it’s the little things in life.😉
Robert Rishel I tried it today for the first time. In 2nd gear, get the engine over 5k revs and then lift off the accelerator for some lovely pops
For custom settings the ‘N’ button would have been my first choice.
Albert Biermann lead the designed of this car, he headed BMW M division for many years before leaving to work for Kia Hyundai. Hence N - see what Biermann did there? I think Hyundai have a great future with him in charge, looking forward to more N cars..
Nice review Jay you've made me feel good about owning one. My biggest gripe though is the MPG it is very poor but insurance premiums are silly low . Swings and roundabouts come to mind .
Yes, I agree. Insurance is v.cheap on this but MPG is mid 20’s for me (the commute my wife does kills the mileage I’m afraid) so it’s not necessarily the cars fault! 35-38mpg can be achieved on motorway runs easily enough. It’s a beast of a car and makes me smile every time I know I’m going to drive it. Anyway, nice review. I use N Custom with the Suspension on the softest setting and the steering Normal . Everything else maxed out and it seems to offer the best mix.
@@crocoman776 I also have N custom with normal suspension or I'd be visiting the dentist more often than I'd like.
@@follyfour506 How does the car do in Eco mode? I only work about 1 - 2 miles from home but in the winter I'm driving in every day so just curious how it would handle it. How often do you fill her up?
@@dgzxx15x48 Hey did you ever hear back?
@@jenniferleary5713 No I didn’t really pursue the i30N much, I love it and was definitely considering it, but I went for an older Golf GTI for now, maybe in a few more years 😫😂
Thats so weird.. I literally searched whether you'd done an i30N review last night and the very next day you upload one
Top of my list in a few months when it's time to return the Polo GTi...which with no 3dr version anymore, has lost me... sitting in one of the i30N's, I was extremely impressed!
Shite!!! you own a polo GTI! QUICK, GET RID OF IT BEFORE IT BECOMES A MONEY PIT!!!
@@shanemitchell5807 It was fine, not a single issue in the 3 years of ownership. I had the 1.8 version though, the 1.4 supercharged one yeah...that had issues.
@@chriswilcox8977 Any new(2009 to current model) VAG product is utter trash! The older products were somewhat OK.
@@shanemitchell5807 I felt my Polo Blue GT was a superb car in 2014. Fab economy and 60 in a shade longer than the GTi. The GTi was good personally, but not much better to drive than the Blue GT. In ways the GT was nicer overall.
It's great to hear someone else who agrees that ultra stiff suspension isn't the best for everyday roads. Something that flows with the road, rather than try and beat it in to submission with nothing more than sheer stubbornness. 😁
you are just another normal british i guess, totally not a car guy. but you got what the general public feels when using that car, so good job, mate.
I actually have one of these and you just set the car in n custom and put the suspension in the softest setting and lighten the steering and it's amazing fun. Plus I have only seen 1 other one on the road near me and it feels more exclusive admittedly the stereo is not great but I've found I just like hearing the car anyway. And 26mpg is good I barely get 20mpg but if your worried about economy buy a boring hatch not one of these
I agree about the pops and bangs being overdone. This is the best coverage of the car I've so far seen. It also has the benefit of not being an embarrassment to be seem in, unlike the Civic unfortunately.
Pops and bangs on this car is for removing turbo lag.
I’m having a problem hearing you over that Shirt!!! 🥴🥴
Marvellous, and a Hyundai supplied press car too, I imagine! Very pleased you have managed to review one of these.
What a refreshingly honest car review, loved it bud!!!!..... you got a new subscriber :) Cheers, Don (Dons Shed and Xplor Overland)
Had mine 4 days. Amazing car! That rev matching!
Good, honest and informative vid. You come across as a trustworthy journo (i.e. one whose opinion isn't bought and paid for). Thanks for the info.
Thanks
In my opinion, your most professional presentation yet. Top line motoring journoes will have to up their game to keep you in check.
Jay. How old was the i30N you drove. I drove one at Millbrook at the N day in 2018 and shortly after Hyundai admitted they were working on revised suspension settings to soften things up a bit as it was agreed it was too stiff and fidgety. Longer bump stops were also mentioned at the time. This has already been incorporated in the i30N fastback. Just wondering if your car had the new settings too.
The pops are pretty much a factory anti-lag system to keep the turbo spooling between gears from what I've heard.
The 1.4 Turbo Kia ceed has the same tech, yet the ceed gt doesn't 🤔
Well the normal i30N has cloth seats, that would be reason enaugh for me to get the normal version over the performance version.
Likewise, leather seats are terrible and symbolic of how people just agree with consensus rather than objectively assessing things themselves. They are too hot, too cold, too sticky, too damage prone, and are literally stitched together rotting corpses, mmm luxurious!
Exactly Christopher! I couldnt find better words to explain my point! Although this is a point that shouldnt need any explanation really... yet so many people ignore both the actual objective quality of leather compared to other so much better option and the fact that its skin of innocent slaughtered animals.
I know some people will moan about the interior quality but look at the big picture, price and performance which equals a cheaper drivers car which equals fun fun fun!
Worzle Gummidge wants his shirt back 😉
Your giving our age group away lol shhh
I thought it was Stevie Wonder's.
Big lolz for Worzle.
Just missing the hat.
Would love to drive this car. I see one driving around where I live. Looks great. I do remember hearing that the head of Hyundai N division used to be the head of BMW M. Which is probably why it drives so well. I have yet to drive and review one myself but one day I will. I do like the Hyundai/Kia cars.
Great video
But Joesph wants his shirt back
Who's Joseph?
The Yellow Cursor you idiot
You're wearing my grandma's quilt. I like it, not sure why, but I like it. Where do you get your shirts?
4:52 N is for Nurburgring where it was tested and also Namyang where the car was R&D.
12:04 The pops and bangs are actually there for a reason on this car; I believe it's part of the Anti lag system on the turbo. Engineering explained explains it a lot better than I would.
Its not really an anti lag system, its just a little over fuelling that you can turn onn or off, anti lag just sounds like a nice name to call it, and a proper system would destroy a turbo in less than 1000 miles due to the heat. Its like the diff, an electronically controlled mechanical diff, well yes and no, its not mechanical in the way a proper mechanical diff is (torsen etc) but its not a full electric one either. Its terminologies they like to use in marketing.
@@tonyb1223 just check the video engineering explained did.
@@e1337prodigy ive seen it, its not anti lag
It acts like anti lag.
@@e1337prodigy not even that, it may sound like anti lag, probably as close as it gets lol, it really does nothing to enhance the performance of the car, just some added noise mapped in :)
I test drove one recently and also was really surprised how good the Chassis was. But I felt it was lacking power. But I kept comparing it to my fun car in the garage which is an old Saab 9000 Aero 2.3T stage 3 tuned to 310bhp. So a bit more than the i30N.
My old 9000 taps on 100 in 3rd, but the little Hyundai doesn't get close to that.
Saab 9-3 areo hot you drove one as always car wanted one
@@DannyT636Im not a fan of the 9-3 and newer models. All are GM based and not the same as real Saabs that were heavily over engineered. A 9000 also has amazing handling, they really are superb.
@@dj_paultuk7052 Do remember 9000 don't see them anymore actually they were true saab cars. The last saab they made did not like at all
Came across your channel searching for the I30N. Really appreciate the work you put into your video, and presentation. But I found your comments quite frustrating at times. If your buying an I30N, your not going in blind. You would pretty much know what it does out of the tin. Anyone moaning about the suspension being to stiff, needs to not buy a hot hatch, although I agree that the most aggressive settings can be too much for some uk roads, and are for use on a track which the Hyundai warranty covers. What really got me and as I see in so many videos, is when the cars being tickled and people talk about being on it. Don’t get me wrong, borrowed car, public road, but if your talking about being on it get your foot in man. What would be more interesting is to find out how much the LSD negates wheelspin with out TC on as it’s the first thing I would turn off.
If I gave this car what it could do on camera, I would be in a lot of trouble
would be interesting to see a review on the RCZ R, yes its not a new car, but i would like your take on it
They stopped making the Hyundai Eon last year, 800cc, 50 mpg! What is the purpose of the i30N? Making a car ban come sooner? This will be insane in taxes and because of that, people will literally gaze in disbelief as you drive by.
I agree with Jay.
Why the pops and bangs?
I do not want the attention.
I do not drive around for others to see me.
I want quiet high performance from a nice petrol engine.
The only thing that concerns me with the i30N is the MPG other than that the rest of the car is perfect
It is very poor but it is a heavy car .
Really enjoyed that one. As a massive Honda fan and S2000 driver for the last 15 years or so, I’d love a type r.... if it weren’t for the fussy, plastic cobblers going on. This appeals somehow as a left-field alternative especially as I’ve seen used ones at the £20k’ish mark. Alongside the S2000 of course! In reality I’m more likely to get an ep3 or fn2 civic cos I like my motoring depreciation free. Yes I’m tight! Look forward to the next episode....
Agreed the Hyundai is a much cleaner looking car
Great review. I’m sure it’s a great car but it just doesn’t do it for me. I’d buy a m140i instead as I want a 6 Cylinder and 350bhp. If I was going for a fwd I’d get the civic type r as I love the over the top styling.
Why not buy the performance pack version? I can think of around 3500 reasons. That's a fair chunk of money to find over and above the cost of the standard version, no matter how much perceived 'value for money' you're getting.
Honestly cannot wait to pick mine up hopefully next week!
Top notch shirt! I like the look of the N cars compared to the rest of the ugly hatchback class, but of course I’d prefer RWD and a V6. Imagine a manual stinger drivetrain in a C segment hatch or the Veloster, now we’re talking!
Sounds like those old BMW 1 Series hatchbacks, with extra turbos.
zoe sympathiser I am a sucker for an N52 1 Series, although I much prefer the cabrio and coupe to the hatches
Great review, i really like your style of making video’s. But tell some more about your Saab😊
A good review , nicely explained and concise but.............
For the love of God do not wear that shirt again mate , my eyes were watering after this video and I dont think it was down to the cars looks! 😀
"Maximum road feel." Yes it does! If the road is perfect than you can feel that and if the road is crap you can feel that too :P...But most of the roads are not prefect so we don´t want maximum road fell in "normal" cars. Just those for the track....I am gonna buy a new car very soon and it´s between Leon Cupra ST (300Hp, 7speed DSG, digital cocpit, 4WD, 5s 0-100km/h) and i30 Fastback N. Still can´t decide...Automatic vs manual, most fun to drive? The looks...and so on...Anyone else in same situation?
Man, you should call this the Ignorance Car Review. The N stands for Namyang. It's Hyundai and Kai's R&D centre in Korea which also has its own test track. The car also comes in 2 performance options. Option 1 comes with the basic specifications and lower bhp. The option 2 comes with the sport pack with a higher bhp bigger wheels better tires and brakes etcetera. It's not a golf mate. It's for the manual purist for people who have gear shifting skills. May I remind you, its not a golf in terms for comparison. If you want finesse, refinement, softer suspension, and coffee shops, and your butler "Mr DSG Transmission" , due to cardiovascular arm shifting disabilities, then Golf is for you.
Very few criticisms out there about this car. Cant help but think it would sell even more were it not wearing a Hyundai badge because of badge snobbery which us Brits seem to be so good at......
£3500 for full leather a proper diff an extra 25bhp 19" wheels etc seems a bargain thats even before dealer discounts/negotiations.
I also think they would sell more if the choice of hues was better. This blue to me looks bleached. Not as bad as Audi's current trend of painting cars that look like they are still in primer with their Nardo Grey paint. A nice strong blue like ford or vw would be a hit or gunmetal grey.
Also they should have a delete option on that red front trim piece to black for a more subtle look.....
Pricewise I think the cars a bargain at starting £26000 mrrp.
Looking forward to the Civic video and hope it doesnt win on the grounds of just having another 40bhp. It certainly wont win on looks compared to most other hot hatches.
good vid again buddy! iv drove the new civic r and must say did shock me just how good it really was! but this is cool car that if only it had a little more power!
More power wouldn't improve it to be honest
Subscribed. I like your reviews mate and the mix of cars reviewed. Cheers👍
1 of the best hot hatches in its price range.
I would go with the performance model however I would much rather have 18" wheels with normal PS4 tyres. 19" wheels with rubber bands are crap unless you are on a track.
Great review. You are what I would call a thinking man's car buff. Don't see enough of them.
I only paid £31,500 for a M140i Shadow edition which is in a different league...
The BMW seems unfinished as a sports car. No lsd, poor brakes and gear shift feel. BMW just don't seem to get real drivers cars right anymore. They have gone too luxury focused.
Was it secondhand?
Pregardt brand new
this car is 23k ex demo mate, so quite a big difference there
I really really like these, but when I looked into them discounts weren’t forthcoming and ultimately I ended up paying £28k for an M140. Plus the monthly costs were better on the BMW due to better residuals (I’m coming out of a company car scheme onto an allowance so monthly costs were king). I do really like the i30N though. A lad in our village has one and it sounds great.
Regards the BMW not being a sports car, well the gear shift is perfectly nice since you can only buy a new one as an auto, brakes are massively improved since the E46 days an an LSD can be fitted by a dealer if you really want one.
The N is for Nürnburgring because it was developed there
Jay, you weren't Mr Tumble in a previous life were you??😲
😂
Shhhhhh
@4:34 At least what you think an interior of 30.000 quid car should look like. It is IMHO good enough for hot hatch with 275 horses and all the features you get for 30 grand.
@19:20 Don't you think Hyundai has a motorsport devision?
I can’t deny the I30N is a cracking motor and looks fab.To petrol heads it’s fantastic and ticks those boxes my Golf GTI PP turns a blind eye to. But..... and it’s a big but to the unknowing masses it’s a Hyundai in a track suit and it just hasn’t got the kerb appeal a Golf GTI and that’s a shame.
buck3366 I tend to agree. I considered the 130N but went with the Golf Gti PP. I really like the N but just didn’t suit my preferences as much as the Golf.
No doubt the N is more biased towards the fun side but the Gti is just so slick at everything. One of the great things about the Gti is you can put it in Sport mode and it’s really well suited to uk roads. Every thing stiffens up and doesn’t turn in to a crashy mess.
Plus I would need to take the strut brace out of the N to get my dogs in the boot lol.
I agree the Golf has the kerb side appeal and they are so popular in middle England.
Well said. Yeah it was a contender for me too but my wife screwed her face up when I said I was swapping in her Golf and considering a Hyundai. So another VW it was. I’m a dog owner here too and it may be a Golf R estate for me next. Wife can get in the boot and dog ride up front with me🤣
buck3366 Haha that’s one of the aspects you would have to deal with when buying a Hyundai ..People’s faces looking puzzled ! ..you would have to explain to people why you bought one. That I guess is the snobby side of the badge as the N is the only performance car they make. At least with Gti people know what you are talking about.
Both Awesome cars but subjective to preference what you want in a hot hatch
Good points. The Golf is perfected over the years and more comfortable on bad roads but here a similar spec Golf PP is about 12k€ more then the N performance (only Germany is a bit cheaper). I went with the N because where I live the roads are decent and we even have a nearby 'touge' road where I can use full N mode without bouncing into the ditch. I noticed an improvement with the suspension in hardest setting on a smooth slower track like Zolder. It's more then comfortable enough for a 800km trip to the Nordschleife, do some hard laps with suspension a tad 'less hard' and drive home. On the other hand, where my parents live the roads and traffic are no fun, there the N makes less sense. Choosing the right car all depends on where you want to live.
For me the pops and bangs would need to be silenced , it can be silent and violent
your clothing style is even weirder than Doug Demuro's, I like it
The context on one of your points is essential. It'd silly to use N mode on a bumpy back road. If you're on a race track though, go for your life.
Nice review. Why wouldn’t one look in the manual for how to use the settings and once learned not forgotten? 👍🏻
15:02 pops and bangs activate.
Subtitles: [Applause]
XD
Love it
Are thess things reliable? Fancy jumping out of my M240i for one
How would you say it compares to the mk7 fiesta st? I like the fiesta but hate how hard the ride is.
I've considered trading it in for an i30n in the future as i like the idea of the adjustable suspension but I'm not sure as a package the hyundai would still be a downgrade over the fiesta st
Pick up mine with luxury pack and sunroof in micron grey, blue led footwell lighting, performance blue is nice but not sure how long, great cars
you can not compare the direction with Megane RS which rotates the back wheels also; you can not compare with Honda Type R which is 25% more expensive
Wouldn’t N be because it was developed at the Nurburgring?
Id be really interested to compare it the 130i, at the limit and not tootling in traffic. Very different in price and age, but on paper the performance is near identical to the I30N performance.
I30n would destroy it
Raw numbers look near identical (130s actually slighter faster to 100) is it rolling in gear acceleration where it's faster? (thankyou turbo)
Handling, the 130 falls apart when pushing on, i30N just grips and goes
@@JayEmmOnCars This is true OOTB, you need to do the well documented handling/suspension upgrades +LSD to make it be what it should be and then it's a different story however
Great video, looking forward to the comparison with the Type R.
N is for Nurburgring where the car was developed and the location of Hyundai’s technical center!
Half right, N is for Namyang Hyundais r&d centre not the nurburgring.
I gotta give it up for Hyundai on this one... they really surprised a lot of people with the N products..
I think the regular car would be better for younger people, as lower insurance, at least it is for me, however I’m going to get one in a few months
I would stop placing so much emphasis on the y in Hyundai. Sounds like it’s making you sick to say it lol.
It's how we say it in the UK
Lol I figured as much. My dad is British but says it like an American I guess.
Very impressive car. Well it give the type r a run for its money?
Love your reviews on cars, but Christ do you get your shirts from the same place as James may and Noel Edmonds
Actually that n Mode system is far from complicated. Got into BMW's iDrive recently? Overly complicated.
Great review James, great product knowledge. And you are right hot hatches are the most fun and versatile for fast fun uk road driving enjoyment. I think I would still prefer the excellent Civic type R over this Hyundai. Although the i30N looks really fun to drive.
Everyone would prefer the Type R, but many of us can hardly think of affording the i30N... go figure the Type R, with emission taxes striking it in many countries, tyre replacement cost substantially higher (it wears 20" wheels) and so on.
N is for Nurburgring where much of the testing took place.
A good review, my son has the same model.
However the way you express yourself and your presentation of this car reminds me of 1990s top gear presenter Chris Goffey 😁
I believe the 'N' means Namyang. The ground where the Hyundai test their cars.
I thought it stands for nurburgring, where they tested the car
@@diarmuidmarsden7752 it stands for both: www.hyundai.news/eu/model-news/what-is-hyundai-n/
I love this and the Civic, pops and bangs like a mad thing and the Civic looks insane. Ford and the German hatches are just so…..ordinary
Worzel gummidge called..... he wants his shirt back !
i30 N , N come from place where it was designed in Namyang and honed at Nurburgring.
5:02