One way of telling if a car manufacturer is serious about a product is if you see them conducting winter/ice testings. Hyundai it seems, is not keen on playing second fiddle now after the i30N hot hatch was spotted in Sweden.
Piloting the test mule is none other than Hyundai’s factory rally driver, Thierry Neuville. The Belgian praised the i30N’s traction and stability on challenging terrains, and he admitted that it’s rather easy to handle.
The Golf GTI fighter from Korea will become Hyundai’s first “N” model in their range of high performance cars, and the i30N is the third variant of the i30 line, after the hatchback and estate variants. It will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that will supposedly produce 260 hp. It will be front wheel drive and can be had with either a manual or automatic transmission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6DJtDHveh4
Hyundai’s objective with the i30N is to produce high performance cars that are affordable and fun at the same time – the very reason of this segment’s existence. The Hyundai i30N will be unveiled later this year, and it’ll be interesting to see if this Korean hot hatch could take on established giants such as the Golf GTI and Focus ST.
