Hyundai i20 N Prototype 2021 Review

It’s a good day when a car-maker confirms a new hot hatch entrant. For enthusiasts, it’s an even better one when it starts out life as a manual. And here we have it, folks: Hyundai is about to grace us with the second instalment of its go-fast N division in Australia – the Hyundai i20 N.

Arriving locally in 2021, four years after the debut of its larger i30 N sibling, the i20 N brings a fresh face to the city-sized hot hatch segment, competing against the Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Earlier this month, we were given a sneak peek of the i20 N in Australia in the form of a five-lap expression session at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park. Let’s get to it.

Hyundai will confirm full pricing and specification details for the new Hyundai i20 N closer to its Australian on-sale date. For now, we’ve done some probing and reckon it would be safe to expect a starting price of about $32,000 (plus on-road costs).

At that money, the i20 N will be pitched squarely at the current city hot hatch set, and will be partly justified with a strong suite of standard equipment that includes grippy bucket seats, a large centre touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and, in the case of our test car, a swish digital instrument display.

Based on the new-generation, garden-variety Hyundai i20 that won’t be sold in Australia, the first i20 N is said to be “derived from Hyundai’s involvement in motorsport” – specifically, a nod to its foray in rallying.

As such, the i20 N sits lower and wider than its mainstream hatchback siblings and will come with beefy side skirts and redesigned front and rear bumpers, as well as twin exhaust outlets.

Under the bonnet resides a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder that has close ties with the Hyundai i30 N Line. In this application the turbo-petrol makes 150kW and 275Nm, shuffling drive to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and mechanical limited-slip differential.

At present, there’s no automatic option but we’re tipping it’s only a matter of time, such is the appetite.

Hyundai hasn’t officially released a 0-100km/h acceleration time for the i20 N yet – but we’d expect somewhere in the vicinity of 6.5 seconds. The Korean car-maker claims its 1250kg hot hatch boasts a best-in-segment power-to-weight ratio of 125kW per tonne.

Naturally, the engine is piped to a bi-modal exhaust system and includes a launch control function, rev-matching and Hyundai’s N drive mode settings – configurable parameters for the engine response, sound, steering, rev-matching and stability control.

The i20 N rides on a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, but has been retuned and reinforced compared with the donor car for better driveability and handling. Changes include a new knuckle, springs and shock absorbers.

Likewise, the i20 N’s power steering system has been retuned while braking is taken care of by 320mm front and 262mm rear discs.

If there’s one take-away feature from our short stint at the wheel of the prototype Hyundai i20 N, it certainly isn’t out of its depth on the track.

Just like its older i30 N sibling, the diminutive hatch quickly cultivates confidence, offering excellent poise and high-speed stability together with a dimension of playfulness that surfaces with more seat time.

Turn-in response, chassis feedback and outright grip all feel strong during our short track hit-out, with key feedback telegraphed via accurate, well-weighted steering and articulately balanced controls. The steering naturally has a heavy bent to it; something of a nod to the i30 N’s slick controls.

Initially, the i20 N doesn’t quite match the playfulness or the razor-sharp steering rack of Ford’s Fiesta ST on a circuit, and its torsion beam rear axle imparts more lean and roll than what you’d find in a hot hatch the next segment up.

But across Wakefield Park’s varying layout of long, drawn-out corners and faster changes in direction alike, the i20 N carries speed confidently and maintains control.

Before long we uncover a neutral front-to-rear balance on offer; you can begin to feel your way through the circuit, finding more speed and smoothing the rough edges along the way.

Comparatively speaking, there’s no noticeable shortage of speed, either. The 1.6-litre lacks the low-down torque of the i30 N’s punchier 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, but it marches confidently to a circa-6800rpm cut-out and offers go-forward across the dial.

We will reserve full judgement on the gearing of the six-speed manual for a thorough road drive, but on first observation it feels a tad tall – first gear takes you to 65km/h, second to 110km/h and third to 140km/h. That’s great for stretching the legs at Wakefield Park, but it may impose issues out in the real world.

Regardless, it’s a slick, mechanical gear shift with a nice amount of throw. And it’s a manual, which is simply pleasant.

If you’re wondering, the i20 N holds a miserly 1500rpm at highway speeds. We can’t tell you about how it rides on public roads just yet.

Otherwise, the cabin feels as though it will be well acquitted on the production model, with a brace of digital screens, big, supportive front buckets up front and a plethora of storage between hard plastic contact points.

We jumped in the back of the heavily camouflaged i20 N prototype to discover decent headroom, legroom and shoulder-room commensurate for this segment, but no rear air vents.

For better or worse, the ultimate yardstick for the Hyundai i20 N’s success is likely to be its larger, older sibling, the i30 N.

Given it preaches to a smaller audience, it’s hard to imagine the new i20 N will build the global following of its trailblazing brother. But if it’s priced right, the blueprint for success here seems assured.

Manual, light weight and fun – thank heavens the hot hatch formula still is alive and well.

How much does the 2020 Hyundai i20 N cost?
Price: $32,000 plus on-road costs (estimated)
Available: 2021
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 150kW/275Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: N/A
CO2: N/A
Safety rating: N/A

Related: Hyundai i30 N DCT Prototype 2021 Review