Hyundai i30 Fastback N

In recent years, car manufacturers all around the world have started to alter their product portfolio by restyling their hatchbacks into some sort of five-door coupé and selling it as a more elegant and sporty alternative to the sort of people who have absolutely no clue what they are doing in their life. The Mercedes CLA, the Audi A3 Saloon and the new BMW 2-Series are just some of the most prominent examples that come into mind. When seeing these cars I always ask myself: “Why?”. Why would someone design, let alone buy something like this?
I mean, I can’t see a single reason for it. Even when I try to think very very hard, the only sort of benefit that comes into mind is a potentially lower drag coefficient and I’m pretty sure that isn’t the reason. But seriously, why do they design and sell a car that is worse in every single aspect than its hatchback variant? I mean, you probably have less luggage space (was lazy to check if that’s actually true), people who sit in the back have significantly less headroom (everyone taller than a child knows that one as a fact) and all those saloon/coupé-ish hatchbacks look absolutely hideous (that one depends on taste, but I mean … they look pretty awful).

A new member in this weird family of cars is the new Hyundai i30 Fastback N, which was originally launched as a hatchback variant and managed to win over the hearts of motoring journalists and car enthusiasts all over the world. It was a huge hit for the car manufacturer that was widely known for making some sort of Korean cars. Nothing special but nothing bad either. With Hyundai engaging in motorsport, people started to notice and when they finally entered the market of hot hatchbacks with their N department, people’s love for the brand spiked. I myself really started to love the i30N and after having read and watched numerous reviews, came to the conclusion that it’s a very attractive and interesting car. One that I’d actually consider buying if I had any money.

To find out if it really is such a good car I got in touch with Hyundai Switzerland and asked them nicely if I could have a go in one of their i30Ns. They kindly responded with: “Yes!”. However as I am always late to the game, there was no i30N available as it is already seen as an “older” car. Instead I was provided with the Fastback variant, which as as you could have guessed by now, isn’t really the sort of car I like from the outside. But, as the two variants are more or less the same, I still looked forward to driving it.

The Looks

I like to start my reviews by mentioning things I like and dislike of the car’s aesthetics before getting to the driving. Hyundai Switzerland was really really nice and kind to me and I don’t want to ruin my relationship with them, so I try not to be too harsh with the design. Ok then. Here we go.

The i30 Fastback N, does certainly look like it’s going to be a lot of fun as it comes with subtle but prominent design cues that remind you that you’re about to have a great time. The distinctive red line at the splitters front and rear, the angry looking front with big air intakes and the massive spoiler lip at the back, lets outsiders know that this isn’t just any other Hyundai. Plus the car came in a color called Shadow Grey, which looks phenomenal and really fits the car’s lines. But as I touched upon earlier, the back looks a bit weird. The roof line is too steep and it often looks like it’s got a bit of a hunch. In some angles the car looks brilliant, in some it doesn’t. At the end of the day there are different tastes and some people do actually prefer the fastback variant over the hatchback, I however am not sold on the shape. Not at all. But then again, I’d just go for the hatchback then.

The interior is quite lovely but sort of fails to impress. There are a few sporty elements here and there but overall it looks like a standard Hyundai interior. There are some lovely sporty seats and the steering wheel got two nice buttons to change driving modes to sport, eco and to engage N-Mode. Apart from that everything looks and feels quite normal. Not that it’s a bad thing. It keeps the car tidied up and makes it look very clean.

But on this blog I don’t really care about the extras the car has of how well the buttons are made. As long as everything works as intended I’m satisfied. Therefire I can safely say that the i30 Fastback N comes with everything you could wish for and never had I thought that something is missing.

The Drive

The first few days with the car were quite unspectacular, as I just used it for simple driving about town and taking it for some daily chores like transporting some stuff from A to B. The car did everything it’s supposed to beautifully and already proved its abilities as a daily. However, it felt a bit bland when doing so, making me forget that I was actually sitting in an N. But with a touch of a button I was kindly reminded by the burbling coming from the back, that the car I was driving was capable of a lot more than getting groceries.

To really explore what the car is capable of, I decided to take it for a spin in the black forest. I cruised to Freiburg on the Autobahn and continued my journey through some lovely small German villages until I reached the roads that would put the i30 Fastback N to the test. But as soon as the roads started to open up, the clouds sort of did the opposite. In fact they decided to welcome me by pouring down rain like a madman. Inevitably the ground was soaked and forced me to stop somewhere as I literally couldn’t see a thing. Eventually, the rain cleared and I started my ascend on still wet roads. Even though it was soaking, the car performed pretty well. I wasn’t able to really push it to the limit as I would have ended up in a tree. Luckily, as I drove deeper into the black forest, the roads started to dry and at some point were completely dried again, meaning that I could finally put the infamous N mode to the test.

It’s safe to say that the car transforms through the push of a button. The pedal becomes significantly sharper, the engine responds a lot quicker, the ride becomes unbelievably firm and the exhaust becomes a lot louder. The car is now in full attack mode and gives you everything it’s got. I find myself chasing it around corners trying to unsettle its balance and I’m deeply surprised that it just doesn’t get upset. The chassis feels perfectly balanced and the front end does a great job in managing the power to the wheels and the steering simultaneously. It can get a bit twitchy out of some corners and you can feel the car’s torque steering. But it’s a quite suiting trait as it ads to the rough nature of the car. The car nicely flows with the roads and it isn’t bothered at all with sudden changes of direction. It sort of does everything I ask it to without hesitating for a second. Adding to the fun of the car is its ability to pick up speed, which makes me end up going a lot faster than planned. Sadly though it sort of doesn’t feel fast when doing normal speeds, meaning that you find yourself going a bit faster than you intend to. But I’m in Germany. Driving fast around the countryside is mandatory here.

Then we get to a big plus of the car. The gearbox. Yes, this car comes as a manual. In fact as a manual only. I assume that the face-lifted version coming this or next year will give customers the option of a DCT, but right now its manual or nothing. I certainly wasn’t unhappy about using my left foot and throwing around a stick. Rev-Matching is a charm as the pedal has the perfect sensitivity in Sport and N-Mode. However heel and toeing wasn’t really possible for two reasons. One was that I actually don’t know how to heel and toe, and the other one was the I wasn’t wearing clown shoes. Sadly, the brake and the throttle pedal are placed a bit too far apart for some decent heel and toeing, or at least practicing how to do so. Hyundai solved this “problem” by rev matching electronically in N-Mode. Of course you can turn it on or off at any time and in any mode. But I have to say that its pretty good and highly useful when going a bit fast because frankly I would have been a bit overwhelmed when going that quick and having to heel and toe simultaneously.

The Sound

We can’t talk about the i30 Fastback N without mentioning it’s ridiculous soundtrack. Videos on the internet already prepared me for what the car might sound like in real life so I couldn’t wait to put it in sport mode to find out. To my surprise the sound wasn’t actually that loud inside the cabin which was a bit disappointing, but once in an underground car park or a tunnel, you could really hear the burbling and crackling of the exhaust. I’d even say that it is a tad too loud on the outside, and too silent on the inside. Then we get to the infamous N mode and the ridiculous pops it makes. To my surprise those pops and bangs, are only achieved when revving the engine quite high. Like super high. In third gear you won’t get any pops below 4K RPM, which makes you end up driving up and down mountain roads like an idiot who’s stuck in third. Plus you’ll constantly be over the speed limit when trying to get a few pops out of the car. At least in Switzerland. In Germany you’re perfectly fine, which actually is the reason I took it there. When it pops it does put a smile on your face and you will end up giggling like a child. So will your passenger. At least the first couple of times. After a while I sort of got quite bored of it as it is a bit too childish. I would have preferred if the exhaust would be more refined and more rewarding instead of just being ridiculously loud and popping. It felt unrewarding because you didn’t get any crackling on the upshifts when you decide to shift below 5K RPM, and there was absolutely no sound coming from the back while down shifting. Some burbling and light popping on a downshift wouldn’t have hurt.

The Verdict

When I try to draw a conclusion about the i30 Fastback N, I’m sort of undecided. I can definitely say that it is a great car for the money, and considering it is the first child of the N department, makes me look forward to what they come up with next. But as a car it sort of didn’t really match my expectations. It is a brilliant car to drive on a daily basis and it feels brilliant when taking it for a spin and I can’t imagine how well it would perform on a track. But besides that, it sort of lacked a certain something when driving it like a normal car. It didn’t feel as raw and sporty as the Mégane RS Trophy I drove last year. Further it sort of attracts the kind of buyers who tend to drive noisy cars. You know. The ones with the Monster Energy hats and those silly long shorts. And then there’s the shape. After two weeks I still wasn’t really sold on the shape because I started imagining what it would look like if they ditched two doors, and decided to make it a real coupé by giving it a much lower roofline. I’m certain that it would look absolutely stunning! And that’s what sort of bothers me. Instead of doing it properly, they sort of did some hybrid of a hatchback and a coupé which ended up like it did. But apart from the looks it’s a truly brilliant car with a lot of potential. It just isn’t a really car for me. Luckily, Hyundai recently launched a more hardcore variant of the i30N named the Project C, and judging by the way it looks and the changes they’ve made to make it more aggressive and lighter, it could be a valid contestant for becoming one of my favourite hot hatchbacks. We’ll see…

For more Information and some numbers on the Hyundai i30 Fastback N visit Hyundai Switzerland’s website.