On the 28th of November 2019, Hyundai-Sime Darby motors have officially launched their all new Hyundai i30 N. What makes it special is that this is the all new high performance 5 door hot hatch that is going on sale, exclusively on Lazada Malaysia during its 12.12 Grand Year End Sale. There are only 20 units available as it’s a limited run so the i30 N will be available for order through Lazada’s Chup Dulu pre-order feature from 2nd December. Chup Dulu allows shoppers to get special deals alongside unbeatable prices by paying a deposit through the Lazada app to reserve items. From 2-11th of December, shoppers are able to book their Hyundai i30 N by paying a deposit of 50% on the booking fee which is RM2000 (RM1000) through the Lazada app. Deposits will not be refundable if the full booking fee payment is not completed. Once done, the customers will be contacted by a Hyundai representative to carry on with the purchase of their vehicle at their most preferred Hyundai Showroom. Once the loan has been approved, the customers will be treated to a once in a lifetime trip to Korea for an exclusive track experience.
Exterior:
The car features 19 inch rims displaying N logos. The N logo can also be found on the red brake calipers as well as the cascading grille at the front. The i30 N only has one colour available which is known as Performance Blue. Of course, the inspiration for this colour comes from the Hyundai Motorsports WRC and TCR. The front part of the car is completed with headlamps that are complimented with black bezels and also crisp red inserts which runs along the bottom of the front splitter. When we move to the back, there’s a triangular brake light nestled in the gloss black spoiler. The horizontal LED daytime running lights are situated at both sides of the cars front bumper. The wide dual tip exhaust on the other hand, completes the overall sporty look on this car.
Interior:
Inside the car, you will get the exclusive ‘N’ steering wheel. The steering wheel and the ball type gear knob come in the unique performance blue, and yes, you’ll get the ‘N’ logo there too. The instrument cluster comes with a shift timing indicator that aids you for optimal shifting and enhanced performance. There’s a red zone in the rev counter that changes according to driving performance and engine oil temperature. The rev counter and the speedometer are also designed with the blue lighting system, as well as the cabin lighting to complete the look of the Hyundai i30 N signature Performance Blue. The car also has an 8 inch display that has a G-Force meter in it. The car comes with sports seats with additional lumbar support and extendable seat cushions to provide comfort for the driver and front passenger. The seats are made out of faux suede and leather and yes, it comes with the ‘N’ logo stamped on the back rest.
Engine and gearbox:
The i30 N performance variant comes with a 2.0 T-GDI engine that produces 275ps and 353nms torque which has a bump in 25ps when compared to the normal N variant, the torque figures remain unchanged. The transmission on the i30 N is a 6 speed manual and is front wheel drive of course. And the turbo charger on this car has very early response that eliminates turbo lag. The car also comes with 5 different drive modes such as eco, normal, sport, n, and N custom settings. All of this can be done by a simple push of the button. So this shows us that the car isn’t purely track focused, that way you’d have no issues in driving this car daily. The N Grin control system works by changing the engine settings as well as the dampers. This also activates the electronic stability control and the electronic limited slip differential.
Improved driving dynamics:
The i30 N performance comes with a rev-matching function that provides smoother gear shifting. The boost increases the torque by 8% while the acceleration by 6-7%. The dual muffler that comes with a variable exhaust valve system gives the driver an enhanced feel. The brakes have been developed to last with an additional cooling function through the air intakes on the front bumper. The body also has high rigidity due to the rear stiffness bar behind the rear seats and the car also features a strong clutch to last longer. The tyres on this car are Pirellis, this will ensure you have maximum grip, a motor-driven power steering is also included to deliver precision as you steer about. Hyundai has also designed the car to be aerodynamically streamlined so that drag is reduced.
Safety:
The i30 N is a very fast car. With that, safety is indeed a must. The car comes with an Autonomous emergency braking system that works in three stages using camera sensors. It also has a driver attention alert system that monitors driving patterns to detect fatigued drivers in order to prevent potential accidents. There is also lane keeping assist that helps notify the driver of any unsafe movements. Then, there’s high beam assist that detects both oncoming vehicles as well as vehicles in the same lane ahead at night, then it switches from high beam to low beam according to different situations.
Conclusion:
We think the car is a complete package for what it has to offer and it is quite a competition as well to other hot hatches such as the Civic Type R and Golf R. Adding along the fact that you get a 5 year or 300000km (whichever comes first) warranty. So for a price of RM298,888.00, do you guys think it’s worth it? Let us know in the comments section below.
- DEVA HARIHARAN SHANKER
