Hyundai’s newest Elantra GT has a sporty liftback variant sold overseas, and the car has just received the N performance treatment.
The standard version of the car is called i30 Fastback, and now Hyundai has added the i30 Fastback N version. The car was revealed Wednesday ahead of a formal debut at next week’s 2018 Paris auto show.
The i30 Fastback N shares a mechanical package with the Golf GTI-rivaling i30 N hatchback sold overseas, as well as the Veloster N hatchback that we receive here. We’re talking a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual.
The Hyundai N division’s philosophy isn’t about offering the fastest car around a track. Rather, it’s all about delivering the most thrills whether driving along your regular commute or spending a day at a track. The result are cars that deliver the agile cornering ability you expect from a sports car combined with everyday drivability and racetrack capability.
The i30 Fastback N’s numbers are nothing to sneeze at, however. Just like the i30 N, the i30 Fastback N’s powertrain offers two states of tune: 246 horsepower in standard guise and 271 hp with an available Performance Package. Our Veloster N comes with a 275-hp rating only.
Buyers of the standard i30 Fastback N can look forward to 0-62 mph acceleration in 6.4 seconds while the buyers of i30 Fastback Ns equipped with the Performance Package will be able to hit 62 mph 0.3 seconds faster. The top speed of both is governed to 155 mph.
2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N
Development of the i30 Fastback N, like most Hyundai products these days, included extensive testing on a variety of road types and racetracks, including at the Nürburgring where Hyundai has operated its own technical center for severeal years. The latter was key in honing the various modes that make up the vehicle’s driving modes selector, which Hyundai N calls Grin Control.
Unfortunately there are no plans to bring the standard i30 Fastback nor the N version to the United States.
The Paris auto show starts October 2. To see what other cars are set to appear, head to our dedicated hub.
