So far, the Hyundai i30 N is only available to Australian buyers in its most potent form. Aside from the uprated 2.0-litre turbocharged T-GDi four-cylinder petrol engine producing 202kW, the local version arriving next month will also boast some more focused chassis enhancements to match as well as a short throw manual transmission.
This kind of performance and driver focus does put the i30 N in good stead against such (hypothetical, since they’re no longer sold) competitors as the Volkswagen Golf GTI 40 Years, but leaves in the lurch more conservative owners who might just want a fast but still comfortable hot hatch to slot in their driveway, at least for now.
With the first batch of i30 Ns being as hardcore as they are, the statement of seriousness from Hyundai and their new high performance division established, the South Korean automaker will indeed offer more rounded sporty cars, according to GoAuto, who indicates that the wave will include the lower-power 184kW tune.
Additionally, the availability of a less powerful i30 N hatch could very well be coinciding with the launch of the i30 Fastback N as well as the option of a new 8-speed dual-clutch automatic option for these cars starting in 2019, matching the popular Golf GTI in the Hyundai’s most vulnerable aspect of accessible high performance.
Andrew Tuitahi, senior product planning manager for HMCA, said: “We’re comfortable bringing in a manual only into the segment, even though it means it won’t sell as many cars as we would if we had a DCT, purely because a true hot hatch has a manual transmission and we had to make sure we did it properly from the get go in order to have acceptance from legitimate hot-hatch buyers.”
Along with a longer five-door coupe version of the i30 N, Hyundai has teased the arrival of the all-new Veloster, which will benefit from the all-new wet-clutch 8-speed DCT. However, the local availability of the the hot N version the unique asymmetrically doored is still up in the air. Elsewhere, it will also come with a choice of 2.0-litre engines in tiered states of tune, like the i30 N hatch.
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