Hyundai i30 N

You’ve got to hand it to them: with the Hyundai i30 N's arrival, Hyundai is for the first time heading into a hot hatch segment that's currently simmering to a competitive frenzy the likes of which we’ve rarely before witnessed.

Volkswagen’s Golf GTI is the most finessed and compelling it has ever been; Seat has the financial proposition nailed with its now enormously powerful iterations of the Seat Leon Cupra; we’ve just witnessed the introduction of the best Honda Civic Type R in decades; and with the upcoming Mégane, Renault Sport is aiming to follow on from arguably the most finely honed performance car in its illustrious history. And those are merely the front-driven cars.

So why now, Hyundai? Hot hatches, after all, are not volume sellers integral to the bottom line of a car company, and there’s an element of reputational risk involved should the Hyundai i30 fall dramatically short of what rivals can offer.

The first thing to note here is that the company is very wealthy and keen to build up its reputation. It has also lured top talent from European marques, most notably Peter Schreyer(formerly senior design boss at the VW Group) and Albert Biermann (erstwhile engineering head of BMW M), and if you can build a good-looking car that drives enjoyably, well, you’re most of the way there.

]]>