I thought I was GTi for life until I test drove and bought this car! Compared to the mk8 this was so much more fun and it has buttons! Interior is not as good as my 2005 mk5 neither is the stereo (but that improved a bit at around 10k miles). The brakes aren’t as good either - but still very good. But none of those factors make me regret buying it. Letting it loose is pure joy. The handling is insanely good.
There isn't a 'non performance' model any more because they barely sold any of the pre facelift ones, so all the good bits like the wheels are just included with the facelift model as standard. And the only actual optional extra is the N light seats. The best way to drive it is use the custom mode and put the suspension as well as the steering down to sport or normal, leave everything else on sport+. I'm an owner so I'll seem biased, but if you're into your proper driver focused hot hatches you'll agree that these poo all over the competitors apart from the Civic Type R
In germany there was a 250hp version till 2022. 2023 config not released yet. There were also differences in wheels, and some other things like it was in the pre fl.
Sun roof is another extra but yep your right pretty much it. What is interesting is the claimed 276-8 hp is actually whp so stock are 300+. Having owned both the FL is much quicker than my older one. One thing I disagree with Jamie is about the brakes. They feel much weaker than those in the preFL. Could be a different pad they are using. I drive in custom too with everything sport+ except suspension on sport. Wicked motor :)
@@richardgp5691 not in the UK unfortunately. Yeah the facelift is much quicker and way more tuneable thanks to the new turbo, they come out the factory with pretty much 40hp more than the pre facelift cars. The brakes subject is strange, I have a pre facelift car so if I went to Hyundai to get new pads, I would hope that I wouldn’t be given worse ones than it had before. I think someone needs to take the pads out to have a look and compare them..
Im an ex mk3 focus RS owner and now in a position to purchase another performance car. Have been looking at the RS again but intrigued to see peoples views/opinions. I30N. Vs mk3 RS?
The only drawback you listed can easily be sorted by putting the car in N Custom mode where you can adjust the suspension to Sport instead of Sport+ and that makes the world of difference on bumpy B roads
@@anthonywarry339 so, I actually have had two FL DCT, my first factory order gearbox leaked oil, the seal wasn’t fitted correctly, that same car also had a issue with the engine starting afterwards. The garage ordered me a second DCT FL as I wasn’t happy keeping the damaged one, that came, the door seal went and had to be replaced, the front right wheel bearing went, and a fuel injector had an issue and needed a replacement. Everything was under warranty, but it’s been hard work owning this car so far. It’s about to have its first service, and I’m expecting them to have to replace the injector again as the power isn’t linear over third gear and dips occasionally.
@@jonahmarsden that sucks! Sounds like You got a lemon. I wonder how many others are having issues similar. Mine is sweet apart from the lumbar support motor not working. An experience like yours is more than enough to put you off a brand. Hope you get it all sorted.
i went from a 55bhp polo to the DCT i30N. as you can imagine, for a 20 year old, this is absolutely everything i want in a car. the power is more than enough for our roads here in england, the gearbox competes with 6-figure supercars, and the driver engagement is just extraordinary. a stage 1 with some lower torque bushes to get the power down would see this set sub 5-second 0-60 times. great review, glad people are getting on board with the deserved hype towards this car!
@@tanthaman ‘The i30N, however, is proper. This side of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, this is the best twin-clutch gearbox I’ve ever experienced when left to make up its own mind. It doesn’t get caught out. The shifts are crisp, fast, and the downchanges always slot in just as you’d expect them to.’ That’s a quote from the top gear review.
@Tan The Man on B roads it certainly does compete with supercars. In fact I'd argue its better as you can actually use the power available and enjoy it. Too much power on the public roads is utterly pointless, you just cannot use it, not without worrying about losing your license anyway. Honestly, 200bhp per tonne is plenty for a B road. Hot hatches offer 90% of the thrills of supercars for a fraction of the price and with much better practicality.
It’s very underrated, but that’s probably because it’s quite fresh into the hot hatch scene and people don’t like change from the usual BMW, Audi, Honda, Ford etc
@@brynmills7767 Been driving hot hatches since I was 17 I’m now 48 so VERY aware but the I30N isn’t really a newcomer that would be it’s little brother the i20. 5 years and a facelift and changes( lighter wheels, lighter seats, larger turbo) to the pre gen makes this hardly a newcomer and significantly older hat than a Mk 8 GTI
underrated? ints so hyped i ride with mine trough the streets and i turn more heads withe excitment than other much higher class cars and not because of the noise
The drawbacks of the i30n after 3000KMs on mine are: really no good fuel consumption compared to VW, BMW etc. but u cant feed whiskas to a lion… Also the gearbox is not that intelligent in some hill and mountain roads. The price tag isnt that big to the other hot hatches on the market anymore. Still its the only sportscar that looks like a hatch and not the other way around :-)
Agree with your comments on fuel and the DCT box (just 1300miles so far). Other issues from me, tyre noise is intense on some roads and stereo pretty bad (due to road noise I think). Having said that, use the box in manual and enjoy the handling and performance and all is forgiven! Love my N
Must admit these cars struggle putting the power down. Carwow got an absolutely shit time of 6.75 to 60 in the new manual . DCT will be better but still gets shocking wheel hop.
Most making over 300bhp easily on RR standard, revised inlet flowing so much better, making easy 340bhp on stage 1 and between 380 to 400bhp stage 2. Very much a true drivers car in an age of bland crap.
Like any FWD it’s Achilles heel is trying to get that down and that wheel hop is utterly shite. I’ve seen a lot of Elantra N guys claiming this 300 WHP from factory stuff and getting rinsed by Civic Type R’s in the rolls races .
@@ada205mi I’ll say it now.. Overhyped and doing what even a Cupra 280 was doing years ago before even the first one rolled off the line. I respect them for the attempt but it’s a bootleg of so many other cars right down to the little winglets on the rear quarter a la Civic. It’s not even cheap any more and biting on the heels of its actual better badges rivals. And for 35k I’d be considering putting the extra cash into an AMG 35 or at the very least a GTI Clubsport. Jamie’s not even pushing beyond 5 tenths in this video and claiming it’s better than any rivals. Whatever!
@@charlesdr1981 I donno, the manual starts at 34k euro in Germany. The DCT starts at 36k euro inc. 19% VAT. But in Danmark it starts at 484,995 DKK => that is 65k euro jeez ! It depends on country I think.
Having test drove the two back to back for 1 hour each, the I30N is by far the more exciting and engaging car! Yes the Golf R is quicker but its got no character like the i30N
Owned a mk8 R fully specced and got rid of it as unfortunately I couldn't deal with infotainment issues and longer. Drove great though. Had bmw M50 meanhwile but too big wanted something that's a hot hatch and so ordering i30n
No drawbacks? The Badge. It’s not Premium and a lot of people won’t drive it for that reason alone . Having to explain what it is to people isn’t cool either. Kudos for them making it but it’s still never going to shake off that ‘ Korean Alternative ‘ thing. Personally I like them but in a world of Big Name Brands is this ever going to win over a VW for the badge snobs?
@@anthonywarry339 exactly, who cares? I don't want everyone driving an i30N. Plenty will overlook it and that's fine in my opinion. If you want better quality, a premium badge and an image everyone understands, buy a Golf. Those who want something different try an i30
"It’s not Premium and a lot of people won’t drive it for that reason alone " - Do I need to adapt my opinion to other's taste ? I think snob people are helpless and superficial people. And silly. You can name WTCR the champoinship of hot-hatches. Cars have to be production models, with a minimum production of 5000 samples in a year. Since 2018 Hyundai is the most successful manufacturer (i30N TCR) in WTCR, Honda is the 2nd (CivicTypeR TCR) ... Golf GTI TCR is only 5th. Hyundai simply makes better TCR car than VW, the Hyundai badge is more respectable in that championship than VW. Actually the most respectable badge with the most wins. Therefore if I was a badge snob I'd choose Hyundai hot-hatch. If you were a badge snob you should choose i30N over Golf GTI. People buy hot hatches for fun not for show off. In Europe the VW is not a premium badge at all, especially not in Germany. It's a very plain and boring car in my opinion. The GTI was the best hot-hatch once long ago, but times change and cars change with them.
@@telelaci2 I don’t think your average person is going to base their next car on the results of the WTCR. Most people that buy hot hatches aren’t avid motorsport watchers. In the UK VW is a far more premium brand than Korean offerings that’s just how it is sadly. And I think you live in a pretty blinkered world of you don’t think people buy certain things to impress others even if that item isn’t as good as say… the lesser equivalent. That’s why someone today will walk into Waitrose and pay a staggeringly large amount for a weekly shop when Lidl is down the road offering much better deals but the difference is they walk out with a Waitrose bag. Facts my friend, facts.
Авто/Мото
I thought I was GTi for life until I test drove and bought this car! Compared to the mk8 this was so much more fun and it has buttons! Interior is not as good as my 2005 mk5 neither is the stereo (but that improved a bit at around 10k miles). The brakes aren’t as good either - but still very good. But none of those factors make me regret buying it. Letting it loose is pure joy. The handling is insanely good.
The pops sounds so nice with it love the exhaust system with it
I want one so bad. Looks and sounds incredible!!!
There isn't a 'non performance' model any more because they barely sold any of the pre facelift ones, so all the good bits like the wheels are just included with the facelift model as standard. And the only actual optional extra is the N light seats. The best way to drive it is use the custom mode and put the suspension as well as the steering down to sport or normal, leave everything else on sport+. I'm an owner so I'll seem biased, but if you're into your proper driver focused hot hatches you'll agree that these poo all over the competitors apart from the Civic Type R
In germany there was a 250hp version till 2022. 2023 config not released yet. There were also differences in wheels, and some other things like it was in the pre fl.
Civic Type R is just something else 🔥 I love that car
Sun roof is another extra but yep your right pretty much it. What is interesting is the claimed 276-8 hp is actually whp so stock are 300+. Having owned both the FL is much quicker than my older one. One thing I disagree with Jamie is about the brakes. They feel much weaker than those in the preFL. Could be a different pad they are using. I drive in custom too with everything sport+ except suspension on sport. Wicked motor :)
@@richardgp5691 not in the UK unfortunately. Yeah the facelift is much quicker and way more tuneable thanks to the new turbo, they come out the factory with pretty much 40hp more than the pre facelift cars. The brakes subject is strange, I have a pre facelift car so if I went to Hyundai to get new pads, I would hope that I wouldn’t be given worse ones than it had before. I think someone needs to take the pads out to have a look and compare them..
@@SChapps I didnt realise that mate, cheers.
Getting mine soon.. can’t wait! Knocked it out of the park
This is like the perfect halfway house between a more comfortable/daily Golf GTI and more track focused civic type r or Renault sport megane
Im an ex mk3 focus RS owner and now in a position to purchase another performance car. Have been looking at the RS again but intrigued to see peoples views/opinions. I30N. Vs mk3 RS?
The only drawback you listed can easily be sorted by putting the car in N Custom mode where you can adjust the suspension to Sport instead of Sport+ and that makes the world of difference on bumpy B roads
Great review though 👍
it isn't underrated? everyone who knows cars knows the i30n is an animal
had my dct fl since 2021 august, 1/50 at the time in the country, love it. lots of problems though, really has been a pain.
What kind of problems? Sorry to hear…. M lumbar support doesn’t work and needs replacing….
@@anthonywarry339 so, I actually have had two FL DCT, my first factory order gearbox leaked oil, the seal wasn’t fitted correctly, that same car also had a issue with the engine starting afterwards. The garage ordered me a second DCT FL as I wasn’t happy keeping the damaged one, that came, the door seal went and had to be replaced, the front right wheel bearing went, and a fuel injector had an issue and needed a replacement. Everything was under warranty, but it’s been hard work owning this car so far. It’s about to have its first service, and I’m expecting them to have to replace the injector again as the power isn’t linear over third gear and dips occasionally.
@@jonahmarsden that sucks! Sounds like You got a lemon. I wonder how many others are having issues similar. Mine is sweet apart from the lumbar support motor not working. An experience like yours is more than enough to put you off a brand. Hope you get it all sorted.
A car we supplied 😎
i went from a 55bhp polo to the DCT i30N. as you can imagine, for a 20 year old, this is absolutely everything i want in a car. the power is more than enough for our roads here in england, the gearbox competes with 6-figure supercars, and the driver engagement is just extraordinary. a stage 1 with some lower torque bushes to get the power down would see this set sub 5-second 0-60 times. great review, glad people are getting on board with the deserved hype towards this car!
Lol. Competes with suoercars
@@tanthaman ‘The i30N, however, is proper. This side of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, this is the best twin-clutch gearbox I’ve ever experienced when left to make up its own mind. It doesn’t get caught out. The shifts are crisp, fast, and the downchanges always slot in just as you’d expect them to.’
That’s a quote from the top gear review.
@@joeknight6151 lolol you kidding yourself
@@tanthaman why ? xD if the gearbox is like second on market why you cant understand it ? if its epic is epic cry more
@Tan The Man on B roads it certainly does compete with supercars. In fact I'd argue its better as you can actually use the power available and enjoy it. Too much power on the public roads is utterly pointless, you just cannot use it, not without worrying about losing your license anyway.
Honestly, 200bhp per tonne is plenty for a B road.
Hot hatches offer 90% of the thrills of supercars for a fraction of the price and with much better practicality.
Weve done this one before also
It’s very underrated, but that’s probably because it’s quite fresh into the hot hatch scene and people don’t like change from the usual BMW, Audi, Honda, Ford etc
Surprisingly been around over 5 years now.
@@Buck3366 hot hatches have been around for ALOT longer than that 🤣
@@brynmills7767 Been driving hot hatches since I was 17 I’m now 48 so VERY aware but the I30N isn’t really a newcomer that would be it’s little brother the i20. 5 years and a facelift and changes( lighter wheels, lighter seats, larger turbo) to the pre gen makes this hardly a newcomer and significantly older hat than a Mk 8 GTI
Why can’t this come back to the us as this performance model 🥲
Is it worth paying £400+ month for one of these as everything is highly exspensive these days
Next car for you jamie? Replacement for the m4?
For 35k I’d be all over a Yaris GR before the Hyundai ever got a look
underrated? ints so hyped i ride with mine trough the streets and i turn more heads withe excitment than other much higher class cars and not because of the noise
The drawbacks of the i30n after 3000KMs on mine are: really no good fuel consumption compared to VW, BMW etc. but u cant feed whiskas to a lion…
Also the gearbox is not that intelligent in some hill and mountain roads.
The price tag isnt that big to the other hot hatches on the market anymore.
Still its the only sportscar that looks like a hatch and not the other way around :-)
Agree with your comments on fuel and the DCT box (just 1300miles so far). Other issues from me, tyre noise is intense on some roads and stereo pretty bad (due to road noise I think). Having said that, use the box in manual and enjoy the handling and performance and all is forgiven! Love my N
What sort of fuel are you getting when been careful about consumption
@@ybtv1966 im in germany, 102 Octane ROZ Aral ultimate only
It's slow though? Test drove this when it came out and it was slower than my E90 330i at the time... felt cheap also.
It's slow
@@tanthaman every comment you make on this guys channel is negative haha get a job bro you probably aren’t even old enough to drive a car
@@joeknight6151 you keeping tabs bruv
@@joeknight6151 why is a white driving an Asian madr car
Must admit these cars struggle putting the power down. Carwow got an absolutely shit time of 6.75 to 60 in the new manual . DCT will be better but still gets shocking wheel hop.
Most making over 300bhp easily on RR standard, revised inlet flowing so much better, making easy 340bhp on stage 1 and between 380 to 400bhp stage 2. Very much a true drivers car in an age of bland crap.
More 350-370 stage 1 depending on mods
Like any FWD it’s Achilles heel is trying to get that down and that wheel hop is utterly shite. I’ve seen a lot of Elantra N guys claiming this 300 WHP from factory stuff and getting rinsed by Civic Type R’s in the rolls races .
@@Buck3366 I wouldn't say rinsed! Beaten by fractions, yes. Interesting you compare to best in class like its a bad thing it loses.....
@@lawsonscott1998 I'm talking no mods, stage 1 generally just a map.
@@ada205mi I’ll say it now.. Overhyped and doing what even a Cupra 280 was doing years ago before even the first one rolled off the line. I respect them for the attempt but it’s a bootleg of so many other cars right down to the little winglets on the rear quarter a la Civic. It’s not even cheap any more and biting on the heels of its actual better badges rivals. And for 35k I’d be considering putting the extra cash into an AMG 35 or at the very least a GTI Clubsport. Jamie’s not even pushing beyond 5 tenths in this video and claiming it’s better than any rivals. Whatever!
the drawback is the 51k euro starting price for a Hyundai... I do believe it's proper hot hatch but for 51k I want a GTI badge...
Where is 51k euro?
@@charlesdr1981 I donno, the manual starts at 34k euro in Germany. The DCT starts at 36k euro inc. 19% VAT.
But in Danmark it starts at 484,995 DKK => that is 65k euro jeez !
It depends on country I think.
i mean, if you want to pay more for a worse car with a "better" badge, its your choice.
Is that NHS blue or my nans mop 🤣😒😭
It’s not a very nice colour for the brand and slate grey is far nicer but someone insisted going with that vile baby blue as it’s ‘Lairy colour’
It's still just a Hyundai though
Still no match for the golf r, and it’s better to get a second hand golf r than a new i30n price isn’t much different
Golf R is in its own league. But i30n v the gti is spot on. 2 great cars to compare
But you have to deal with the whole VW thing then…. No thanks.
Having test drove the two back to back for 1 hour each, the I30N is by far the more exciting and engaging car! Yes the Golf R is quicker but its got no character like the i30N
@@WelshCrossy too right, it’s all about character.
Owned a mk8 R fully specced and got rid of it as unfortunately I couldn't deal with infotainment issues and longer. Drove great though. Had bmw M50 meanhwile but too big wanted something that's a hot hatch and so ordering i30n
No drawbacks? The Badge. It’s not Premium and a lot of people won’t drive it for that reason alone . Having to explain what it is to people isn’t cool either. Kudos for them making it but it’s still never going to shake off that ‘ Korean Alternative ‘ thing. Personally I like them but in a world of Big Name Brands is this ever going to win over a VW for the badge snobs?
Who cares what people think, drive it because it’s fun as and sounds like an angry beast.
@@anthonywarry339 exactly, who cares? I don't want everyone driving an i30N. Plenty will overlook it and that's fine in my opinion. If you want better quality, a premium badge and an image everyone understands, buy a Golf. Those who want something different try an i30
@@elliottharley1386 nailed it on the head. And then have fun dealing with VW 🤣🤣🤣
"It’s not Premium and a lot of people won’t drive it for that reason alone " - Do I need to adapt my opinion to other's taste ? I think snob people are helpless and superficial people. And silly. You can name WTCR the champoinship of hot-hatches. Cars have to be production models, with a minimum production of 5000 samples in a year. Since 2018 Hyundai is the most successful manufacturer (i30N TCR) in WTCR, Honda is the 2nd (CivicTypeR TCR) ... Golf GTI TCR is only 5th. Hyundai simply makes better TCR car than VW, the Hyundai badge is more respectable in that championship than VW. Actually the most respectable badge with the most wins. Therefore if I was a badge snob I'd choose Hyundai hot-hatch. If you were a badge snob you should choose i30N over Golf GTI. People buy hot hatches for fun not for show off. In Europe the VW is not a premium badge at all, especially not in Germany. It's a very plain and boring car in my opinion. The GTI was the best hot-hatch once long ago, but times change and cars change with them.
@@telelaci2 I don’t think your average person is going to base their next car on the results of the WTCR. Most people that buy hot hatches aren’t avid motorsport watchers. In the UK VW is a far more premium brand than Korean offerings that’s just how it is sadly. And I think you live in a pretty blinkered world of you don’t think people buy certain things to impress others even if that item isn’t as good as say… the lesser equivalent. That’s why someone today will walk into Waitrose and pay a staggeringly large amount for a weekly shop when Lidl is down the road offering much better deals but the difference is they walk out with a Waitrose bag. Facts my friend, facts.