2021 Hyundai i30 N UK prices revealed
Hyundai’s updated i30 N has been given a price hike, priced on-par with Golf GTI and Focus ST
Local prices of the updated Hyundai i30 N have now been revealed, with the range starting at £33,745 for the six speed manual hatchback – a near £4000 rise over the previous i30 N Performance. The Fastback N is now just over £4000 more than before at £34,495, and both variants are now available with a new eight-speed dual-clutch for a further £1950.
While the price point has jumped up a notch, when the original i30 N was launched it certainly lived up to Hyundai’s reputation of offering a value-driven package, being priced significantly lower than most of its direct competition. Yet it quickly proved merit against rivals like the Golf GTI and Focus ST, consistently punching above its weight and changing our perception of Hyundai’s engineering capability along the way. This new pricing strategy reflects this by aligning the i30 N almost perfectly with its rivals.
> Hyundai i30 N review – verdict, prices and rivals
There’s lots of new content to enjoy to compensate for the extra cost starting with the 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine which has a substantial 28lb ft jump to 289lb ft, available over a much wider rev band between 1950 and 4600rpm. Power is also up a subtle 5bhp rise to 276bhp. This uplift in numbers has yielded a 0.2sec reduction in the 0-62mph time at 5.9sec, dropping to just 5.4sec when fitted with the new DCT – top speed is unchanged at 155mph.
The new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission itself is all-new and has been designed specifically for Hyundai’s N products. As such, the new ‘wet’ style transmission doesn’t just prioritise performance over economy, but also features bespoke software to improve responsiveness and shift feel.
The oddly named N Grin Shift mode, for instance, will overboost the turbo for 20 second periods and shift up through the gears without cutting torque, giving a pronounced jolt forward on upshifts. When the 20 seconds is up, the transmission will maintain full-torque upshifts on changes when over 90 percent throttle is applied, but the turbo will return to normal outputs.
Hyundai hasn’t messed with the chassis setup much beyond a subtle re-tune of the dampers and steering calibration. There is a new stabiliser bar fitted on the rear though, joining the in-cabin strut brace. The brake package is as before, consisting of two-pot calipers gripping 360mm front discs.
Visually, the new i30 N shares its sharper exterior visuals with the N-Line model, but maintains its trademark triangular third brake light and red pinstripes. The wheels are a new set of forged 19-inch units wrapped in the same bespoke Pirelli P Zero tread as before, but save a combined 14.4kg over (non-UK) models fitted with the standard cast 18s. The exhaust finishers are also larger, and still controlled via the brilliant N driver modes.
The cabin’s updates consist of a new infotainment system and fresh bucket seats (a £600 option), but the fundamentals of an excellent steering wheel and dial pack offset with cruddy plastics and dated visuals remain unchanged. So too is Hyundai’s in-depth, but easy to use N Driver mode functionality as before, which gives drivers a superb spread of variability to the driving experience without being overly complex or time consuming.
Hyundai UK is still waiting on more precise timings for the arrival of the new models, but cars should be arriving to dealers by the mid-summer. When it does arrive, it’ll join a whole new family of N models including the Kona N and eagerly awaited i20 N supermini, and given the original was such a good car right out of the gates, there’s reason to suspect the next one will be even better.
