Hyundai i30 Fastback 1.5 T-GDi N Line 2022 UK first drive

The idea is a simple one: make a more premium and desirable coupé body shape out of a hatchback. That’s what Hyundai set out to achieve in 2018 with the launch of the i30 Fastback, a sleeker five-door liftback version of the Hyundai i30 hatchback that tried to replicate the success Mercedes-Benz has had in morphing an A-Class into a CLA.

However sleek it might look and interesting the proposition might be, the idea hasn’t really set the world alight or prompted a whole raft of imitations from rival firms (when they all start making their own, you know you’re really onto something…). Yet it remains a stylish option and a welcome niche in a sea of family similar hatchbacks.

The i30 Fastback was refreshed just over a year ago and the range simplified at the same time. The car is available in the sporty N Line trim only and with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine available with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It’s the latter we’re testing here.

Too often, cars in this area of the market with such sporty looks and such an on-paper specification are let down by how they drive. Not so with the i30 Fastback.

It feels more towards the Ford Focus end of the market for more involving dynamics, albeit not quite at the Blue Oval’s free-flowing level. The handling is accurate and predictable, and the car is willing to change direction and involve you in the drive on a more interesting stretch of B-road.

The stiffer N Line suspension makes the ride firm but never uncomfortable, with almost all bumps and imperfections well absorbed by the chassis. Only really high-frequency surfaces taken at much higher or very low speeds unsettle the car and it always feels well tied down.

The steering does lack bite and feel, though, particularly just off centre, which spoils an otherwise pleasing dynamic set-up.

The engine is a willing performer, too. The four-cylinder turbo produces 158bhp and 187lb ft, which is not explosive by modern standards but is just as much as the car needs. Performance is smoothly delivered and the engine is also quiet and refined, with more than 40mpg offered thanks to the 48V mild-hybrid technology that both boosts economy and aids acceleration. 

It’s not a good match for the dual-clutch automatic gearbox, though. This is the weakest part of the whole dynamic package. It always feels half a step behind what the driver wants from the engine and is slow to shift and said shifts are quite cumbersome. We’d save the £1200 and get the six-speed manual, which is likely to be a far better match to the rest of the chassis set-up and performance levels in keeping with the i30 Fastback N Line’s cooking hatch brief.