Shortly before its official world premiere at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, the All-New i30 Fastback N has already crossed the finishing line in Paris in a record-breaking road trip starting in Rome.
The professional Hyundai Motorsport drivers Thierry Neuville and Gabriele Tarquini set a world record with the first five-door hot coupe in the C-segment but there was a twist….Neuville and Tarquini pushed the car to its limits – not by driving from the Italian to the French capital, but on the winding roads between Rome and Paris, located in western Denmark. Sitting behind the i30 Fastback N’s steering wheel, it took Tarquini only 8:18.49 minutes to cover the 12.8km distance between the Danish villages, winning the race by a fraction of a second. Neuville, who is currently leading the WRC drivers’ championship, and motorsport legend Tarquini, with more than 25 years of racing experience, were the perfect team on this closed road as they showcased the power of the high-performance coupe in a short film.
To reflect its sophisticated and hot character, the All-New i30 Fastback N has received many design features of its five-door hatchback sibling. On the exterior, the elegant i30 Fastback shape has been merged with the dynamic features of the i30 N five-door hatchback. As a result, the i30 Fastback N showcases a dynamic-looking N Grille and the N front bumper, as well as a unique rear bumper, both of which are highlighted by a red character line below. The black side sill of the lowered body further underlines the model’s sportiness. Moreover, the rear features the dual twin muffler exhaust and a generously arched rear spoiler that is integrated into the tailgate. To highlight the rear spoiler, a glossy black accent has been inserted to further emphasise the specific N appearance.
The All-New i30 Fastback N’s interior design is clean and sleek. Its centrepiece is the exclusive N steering wheel, manufactured with the characteristic red-coloured N stitching. As part of the coherent colour design, the red stitching is picked up on other parts of the i30 Fastback N’s interior, for example on the gear shift and the seats. The sporty interior design does not compromise the everyday usability: for example, luggage capacity is generous with 450 litres, increasing to 1,351 litres when seats are folded flat.
Customers can choose between two power outputs of the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, which was first introduced in the i30 N five-door hatchback (UK market will only take the i30 Fastback N Performance model). The Standard engine delivers 250 PS (fuel consumption combined: 7.0 l/100 km; CO2 combined: 159 g/km*), while the Performance model generates a maximum power of 275 PS (fuel consumption combined: 7.1 l/100 km; CO2 combined: 163 g/km*). Both outputs deliver a maximum torque of 353 Nm and reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The overboost function further increases torque up to 378 Nm. It is activated when reaching the maximum torque. The 250 PS version accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds*, the 275 PS version in 6.1 seconds*. Furthermore, the All-New i30 N Fastback is equipped with the N Grin Control system which allows drivers to choose from five different drive modes. The settings can be selected via dedicated buttons on the steering wheel: Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom. Depending on the driver’s mood, the different modes change the vehicle’s character.
Inspired by motor sport, the Hyundai N range was derived from the company’s successful participation in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and the Touring Car Racing (TCR) International series. The N line-up was born in Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea, and further developed and tested at the Nürburgring, home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre.
