► New i30 Fastback N
► The second N hot hatch
► Same as i30 N, but longer
Hyundai has revealed prices for its i30 Fastback N, and it starts at a smidgen below £30,000. The i30 N Fastback – powered by a 2.0-litre T-GDi – will cost you £29,995 in the UK. It’s going on sale on 21st January.
For that money, you get a car with a few interior and exterior tweaks to help differentiate it from the hatchback. Of course, there’s also performance equipment on offer, including 19-inch alloys shod with Pirelli P-Zero tyres, an electronic slip diff’ and 345mm front brake discs with 300mm rears.
Hyundai says the new Fastback N offers with the same torque vectoring and steering-wheel-mounted N controls we’ve seen on the hatchback – as well as the variable exhaust system, launch control and rev-matching.
Standard equipment appears generous, with cruise control, keyless entry, Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Like the hatchback, you’ll also get N specific functions too, like a lap-timer and shift light. And you’ll be able to change the car’s performance characteristics on the go – much like the hatchback.
Everything else: i30 Fastback N
Called the i30 Fastback N, the new car is exactly what it sounds like; a fire-breathing version of the standard, swoopier i30 Fastback, and will be released in both standard and Performance models like the i30 N before it – though the UK will only get the latter.
The new Hyundai i30 Fastback N was shown at the 2018 Paris motor show, where we pored all over it. We were impressed by the longer boot, whose extended tailgate affords more space to lug family clobber.
Overall, the faster Fastback bodes well, adding a (slightly) more mature string to the bubbly N’s bow.
Does the i30 Fastback N look much different?
The changes to the standard i30 Fastback are rather formulaic, and its design follows the same cues as Hyundai’s first hot hatch. That means a new N Grille, revised, more aggressive front and rear bumpers – and that subtle red N stripe, too.
And underneath?
The Fastback N will use the same 2.0-litre turbocharged unit as the i30 N, and we’re told it’ll put out 271bhp in Performance spec (the only one coming to the UK). It’ll be capable of 260lb ft of torque and a likely-limited 155mph top-speed, though an overboost function will bring torque up to 279lb ft.
Expect a 0-60mph time of just 6.1 seconds, and the same configurable driving settings as seen on the i30 N.
But despite its increased performance and sportier looks inside and out, Hyundai says the Fastback N is still just practical as the car on which its based, and states a 450-litre boot capacity that grows to 1351 litres when the seats are folded flat.