Hyundai announce "N" performance division, nabs EX Head BMW M division engineer in the process.

The way they worded this article, you would think it is available with the 1.6 turbo, 6-speed manual and AWD. But that sounds too good to be true...

https://www.carscoops.com/2019/03/hyundai-tucson-n-line-wants-you-to-sit-up-and-take-notice/

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The overall stance of the mule highlights the current i20 definitely wasn't designed with a high-performance variant in mind. Aside from the comfort-oriented Citroen C3, it's one of the least athletic cars in the supermini segment.
 
The overall stance of the mule highlights the current i20 definitely wasn't designed with a high-performance variant in mind. Aside from the comfort-oriented Citroen C3, it's one of the least athletic cars in the supermini segment.
In five-door form, anyway. The old "coupe" would have made a great basis for an N.

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That said, I'm not sure many current superminis look especially sharp in standard form. A regular Fiesta is nothing special (and arguably looks taller and narrower - not great characteristics - than the i20), and the Ibiza and Polo are massive, as is the Clio. The new Peugeot 208 is looking fairly neat as far as non-performance models go, but I wouldn't say many of them are any more or less suited to conversion into something sporty than the i20.
 
That said, I'm not sure many current superminis look especially sharp in standard form. A regular Fiesta is nothing special (and arguably looks taller and narrower - not great characteristics - than the i20), and the Ibiza and Polo are massive, as is the Clio. The new Peugeot 208 is looking fairly neat as far as non-performance models go, but I wouldn't say many of them are any more or less suited to conversion into something sporty than the i20.

I do agree the i20 Coupe does look far sportier, but unfortunately that's been axed like many other 3 door hatches. For some reason, the i20 in five door form looks particularly frumpy in standard form to me, maybe it is because it doesn't have an N-Line variant. Even when there was an i20 N-Sport variant for the pre-facelift, the body mods looked very aftermarket.
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In five-door form, anyway. The old "coupe" would have made a great basis for an N.


That said, I'm not sure many current superminis look especially sharp in standard form. A regular Fiesta is nothing special (and arguably looks taller and narrower - not great characteristics - than the i20), and the Ibiza and Polo are massive, as is the Clio. The new Peugeot 208 is looking fairly neat as far as non-performance models go, but I wouldn't say many of them are any more or less suited to conversion into something sporty than the i20.

That's a shame if they discontinued it. I thought the D pillar treatment was one of the better attempts at a semi floating roof.
 
I'm parked next to an i30N. I like it.
Saw one yesterday(Monday morning). Woman(about my age, late 40s) driving it in the same N blue as the one I'm parked next to. Hers though, dropped to the ground(the thing looked WRC Tarmac low), white wheels, big rally style mud flaps, dirty and it had a luggage type roof rack.

We passed each other on a two-lane road. All lights on. Had to do a double take.
When I went to the recent TCR Australia event, there was a "Club N" in attendance.
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Didn't get down to have closer look at those, but they look the business. This and the Mazda3 hatch(and sedan), have my attention.
 
A lightweight version of the i30 N has been spotted

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https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1104968_2020-hyundai-i30-n-lightweight-edition-spy-shots

Hyundai looks to be out testing a new version of its i30 N, as evidenced by a camouflaged prototype spotted recently on some of the Nürburgring's surrounding streets. It's thought to be a new lightweight special, something that was hinted at by Hyundai N boss Albert Biermann in a recent interview.


Lightweight mods are expected to include carbon fiber-reinforced plastic panels, light alloy wheels, and lightweight seats. The car will also likely boast some aerodynamic aids. The prototype sports a different front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser to the regular i30 N.

No power gains are expected, so count on the car's 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 to develop 246 horsepower in standard guise and 271 hp with an available Performance Package. The latter sees the i30 N hit 62 mph in 6.2 seconds and this lightweight special should shave a few tenths of a second off that pace. The sole transmission in the i30 N is a 6-speed manual.

The debut is expected to take place later this year; a strong possibility is September's Frankfurt International Motor Show. While we won't see the car in local showrooms, with any luck Hyundai will prepare a similar model based on the Veloster N.
 
That sucks, as we got the i20(and almost got the i10) and then it stopped being available. The thing was about $14kAUD driveaway. At least the little Kia Picanto GT is selling. I'd still prefer the Hyundai though.
 
Veloster N beats comes out on top of Road & Tracks Performance Car of the Year comparison, beating cars several times more expensive than it.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-ca...STSKKPaaczxgrOr-A6SbiMw4qw8M_Z-hQsfu5T1phZJMk

The Veloster N bit:

Only one machine garnered rave reviews all week, painting every driver’s face with a mile-wide grin. Only one gathered an almost unanimous vote.

The Veloster was an outlier—outgunned and outclassed by nearly every other car in this test. A gawky front-drive hatch, zero brand pedigree, in a field of slinky sports cars. But the Hyundai’s behavior quickly set it apart from the crowd. Hyundai’s head of performance development, Albert Biermann, spent 30 years working for BMW, back when the German company built a different sort of car. It shows, because the Hyundai is a love letter to folks like us. After a few happy miles at Thunderhill, Cammisa took to a logbook to remind us that front-wheel-drive cars famously fall apart on a road course—stumbling over themselves, running out of brake, drowning in understeer. But if that’s a universal truth, no one told Biermann. His work behaves like a front-wheel-drive greatest-hits album: want the savagery of a John Cooper Works Mini with the fleetfoot bliss of a Ford Fiesta ST? Turn-in is immediate, the steering precise and bubbling with feedback. The Hyundai has a more sorted front end and more cohesive feel than cars costing three times as much.

“This is a $30,430 car that makes a Volkswagen Golf R irrelevant,” Cammisa said.

What he did not say: The Golf R, one of history’s great hatchbacks, costs around 10 grand more and feels numb by comparison.

Because the Veloster N is so cheap, anyone with a nine-to-five can sign a note and ride off with one of the sharpest cars on the market. But it was more than price. Pressing the “N” button on the steering wheel changed the car dramatically. We tend to turn up our noses at drive modes on fun cars: Why does a Lamborghini need a Sport setting? Didn’t you buy the expensive loud one? The button makes perfect sense here, switching the car from quiet and comfortable daily driver to snotty hot hatch, the exhaust popping and snapping with more authority than anything the Corvette could muster. It is so fantastically neutral, pivoting at your hips, the throttle and brake yaw rheostats.

No front-drive car should work this well, but the Veloster is eager, urging you to run up and stick a pin in some expensive supercar’s ego. To watch it deflate as you fill their mirrors.

“It doesn’t care how you treat it,” Kinard said. “You can drive it on its tippy toes, like someone who knows what they’re doing. Or you can drive it like me, a ham-fisted Colin McRae wannabe. The thing rewards you.”

“That’s what the Civic Type R should have made people say,” Smith agreed.

There are flaws. The engine has all the character of an ink-jet printer, and the gas and brake pedal occupy different zip codes. But after five minutes, it doesn’t matter. As we chased the new Corvette away from our lunch stop on the final day of testing, the Hyundai had that mid-engine thing’s number, dancing and playing but forever confident. Kinard called it a bucket of puppies, but that’s not quite right. I’ve never met a puppy that can run down a McLaren on a back road.

For all their bluster and power, their lap times and displacement, most of the carmakers at this test made a deal with the devil—they traded what once made them great in the search for outright speed. Never has the disparity been greater between the capabilities of a modern fast car and what is legally possible. The new definition of performance isn’t what a car can do, but what it will do on a good road.

The Veloster N is what a great front-wheel-drive car should feel like. A delight that welds a smile to your face every time you drive it. It cheers you on, treating you like the hero. And it came from a company that had no reason to build it. Chevrolet has to make a Corvette; Porsche, a 911. Short of a giant meteorite or nuclear winter, those names will always exist. Cars like the Veloster N are more special, crafted not of obligation, but for the sheer joy of driving. That’s why the Hyundai Veloster N is Road & Track’s 2020 Performance Car of the Year.

We got your letter, Hyundai. We heart you, too.
 
I'm strategically not reading about it yet because I want to leaf through the magazine when it reaches the UK, but I have to say I'm not too surprised. From my experiences with the i30 N, it's absolutely capable of competing right at the top level among cars like that, and above all the car is just uncomplicated fun in a way that not many other cars are.

The only two other cars like that in their lineup were probably the Miata and the Lotus - and the Miata's not as capable when it matters, and the Lotus is much more expensive and has a very niche market.

It's a shame the i30 N came out in a year when our own car of the year test was ruined by bean-counters (the situation also scuppered the Civic Type R), as I'd love to have seen how it did.
 
There's a lot to be said for cars that can be driven up on their tippy toes. Only my E36 and Swift have ever held that quality and it is one that would sway me to any car.
 
That's interesting considering how the Civic Type R fared in the prior year. Main advantages for the Veloster are the entertainment system, lower price, exhaust and better looks.

That said I do prefer the veloster and would put it towards the top of my imaginary modern car shopping list.
 
I rented a Kona last week and I'm glad I did. It was surprisingly comfortable. I immediately enjoyed the driver seat and everything about the car was familiar.

I wonder if they'll offer it with the DCT? I'd highly consider it at that point. If not, I'll stick with the N-line in the future.
8-speed DCT coming. Maybe next year. The current 7-speed isn't great.
 
8-speed DCT coming. Maybe next year. The current 7-speed isn't great.
Nice. I've driven the 7-speed and I know it's not nearly as good as VW's but it gets the job done. Plus, warranty, you know. I like warranties haha.
 
After spending some quality time with a Hyundai Genesis last week and seeing things like the N models, I think Hyundai has finally, genuinely, become a match for the best (segment for segment) of Europe and Japan. 15 years ago comparing Hyundai to even Mitsubishi might have been humorous to some. Now it's hard to say even Toyota, Honda, or Mazda make better cars, let alone the other Japanese brands which are probably inferior at this point. I just wish they would redesign their logo, because I hate it.
 
Hyundai/Kia is going about things in the right way. They're getting the fundamentals right, and hiring the right people.

Honestly, the vast majority of stuff they build is pretty dull. But it's good dull, not bad dull. And that's actually pretty similar to what brands like Honda/Toyota/Nissan used to be like.

I'm very fond of the i30 N, though as I'm not much of a hot hatch kind of person it's not a car I'd ever personally be interested in buying. A Stinger GT S though would be right up there if I wanted a sports sedan - ahead of the equivalent BMWs, Audis and Mercedes. That would have been inconceivable a decade ago but it's a sign of how far those brands have come.

I reckon the next decade will be even more interesting though. People are looking to Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes etc as the cars to eventually become the leaders in electric vehicles. I have a sneaking suspicion it might be Kia/Hyundai instead.
 
I like the Kia/Hyundai/Genesis line-up. It seems more well rounded than what other manufacturers are offering.

The Elantra is a good efficient econobox, though that grille could be better. The Veloster N is a good sporty all-rounder. And the Genesis G70 is a good sports sedan.
 
Hyundai/Kia is going about things in the right way. They're getting the fundamentals right, and hiring the right people.

Honestly, the vast majority of stuff they build is pretty dull. But it's good dull, not bad dull. And that's actually pretty similar to what brands like Honda/Toyota/Nissan used to be like.

I'm very fond of the i30 N, though as I'm not much of a hot hatch kind of person it's not a car I'd ever personally be interested in buying. A Stinger GT S though would be right up there if I wanted a sports sedan - ahead of the equivalent BMWs, Audis and Mercedes. That would have been inconceivable a decade ago but it's a sign of how far those brands have come.

I reckon the next decade will be even more interesting though. People are looking to Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes etc as the cars to eventually become the leaders in electric vehicles. I have a sneaking suspicion it might be Kia/Hyundai instead.
I agree. I point at the 1990 Accord Coupe and Sedan. Those two cars raised the bar so high
So they basically want to did what Renault did with the R5 and Clio. I'm onboard.
Would be great to see these in a One Make series.
 
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