The i30 Fastback N will be only the second model from Hyundai’s N performance sub-brand to be sold in the UK. It is actually the division’s third model, but the US-market Veloster N isn’t due to come here (much like the America didn’t get the i30 N).
Aside from having a swoopier roofline than the Hyundai i30 N hatchback - Hyundai’s product planners would have us call it a four-door coupe - the i30 Fastback N also has retuned dampers and a number of other suspension tweaks that make it more comfortable and compliant, and a little less demanding on a bumpy road.
The i30 Fastback N has now been revealed - take a look
If the i30N hatchback is the tearaway, the i30 Fastback N is the more studious sibling. A little more sophisticated, and concerned with style as much as performance – although its engineers insist it’s still fun to drive.
Weight is up ever so slightly, although the powertrains are completely unchanged. The 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine is available in two states of tune, producing 247 or 271bhp. The only gearbox option is a six-speed manual.
The car tested here is a pre-production prototype in Performance Package spec. That means it uses the more potent engine and also gets a limited slip differential, 19-inch wheels, bigger brakes, Pirelli P Zero tyres and a switchable exhaust.
The car will make its public debut at the Paris motor show this autumn before going on sale in the UK in February next year. The most obvious aesthetic difference between this model and the familiar i30N hatch will clearly be that roofline, but we will notice a handful of other styling changes once the camo wrap is peeled away.
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Exciting but get existing i30N owners back on the road!
The N range is a very exciting development for Hyundai. However, as an owner of a new i30N hatchback that is afflicted with the fuel pump ECU problem affecting many owners, please get us back on the road. 4 weeks of driving then 6 weeks waiting for a replacement ECU is not the way to win new owners to the brand.
I think the 4 door coupe tag
I think the 4 door coupe tag is more apt here than it was, for example on the Rover P5 coupe of the early 1960s. I really like this fastback version of the i30: Whilst the A-Class might look similar to the hatch, Mercedes could only dream of having a compact vehicle as attractive as this.
catnip wrote:
I too really like this version of the i30, but I prefer fastback to four door coupe as I think it is more apt. But either way in standard specs its a great looking car imo and in N spec it'll probably look even better.
Seen this before...?
Kind of looks like an.....A Class Merc, no bad thing really, wonder if it’ll be a mild Hybrid too?