Hyundai i30 Fastback N 2019 Review – Australia

After just two hours behind the wheel, I'm smitten. The Hyundai i30 Fastback N has a strong visual presence, impressive engine performance, plenty of acoustic theatre from its 202kW turbo-four engine and lovely road manners.

The front-wheel drive, manual-only small car is technically a liftback design -- a half-way house between a hatchback and a sedan -- but it offers more boot space than the hatch and a Euro-inspired rump that adds a bit more class than your average hatchback.

There are other changes over the i30 N hatch too, including a reworking of the suspension which sees slightly softer front springs, reworked front dampers with softer bump-stops, a smaller-diameter anti-roll bar and tweaked adaptive dampers all round.

The result? A more malleable car. The Hyundai i30 Fastback N is slightly more comfortable than the hatch when the adaptive suspension is set to chillax mode, absorbing scarred road surfaces more seamlessly… and this translates to angry mode too.

It is a little suppler than the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch thanks to recalibrated suspension but still has a nose for apexes, turning into tight, fast corners with the eagerness of a hungry Jack-Russell. It's a little more forgiving too, with mid-corner adjustments (even near redline in second gear) barely upsetting the chassis balance.

Front-end grip is very good thanks to 19-inch alloy wheels shod with specially-developed Pirelli P Zero HN tyres (235/35 R19), instilling you with confidence to push hard after just a couple of corners. The same can be said for the unbranded 345mm front brakes.

While the Italian rubber can break traction under a heavy throttle, and there is the odd tug of torque steer when you’re unleashing full throttle out of tight corners, by and large the Fastback feels incredibly planted and not easily flustered or frantic.

The worst that can happen if you overcook a corner and dial in more steering is a bit of understeer.

The engine's overboost function that passively elevates torque output to 378Nm between 1400 and 4200rpm gives the car an ability to blast out of corners with levels of imposing force that'll make you giggle like a kid.

By the same measure, the engine is flexible enough to be left in third gear for almost as long as you want, its tractability one of its many triumphs along with a 7000rpm redline, a free-revving nature and a feeling of resilience that scoffs at repeated punishment.

The steering doesn't feel any different from the i30 N hatch, which is a good thing, offering the weighting and feedback to shame a VW Golf GTI.

Blended with an endearing six-speed manual whose mechanical shifts are akin to salted caramel confection (read: tasty), the drive experience is rewarding.

Indeed, flogging the i30 Fastback N along challenging roads becomes an exercise in sensory pleasure.

Everything gels when you're bombing along at breakneck speeds and it's easy to find a nice rhythm in the Fastback. Each gear shift, wheel turn and brake application feels like an extension of thought, not a conscious pre-meditated action.

The raucous exhaust note that pays homage to the blattery of world rally cars in full flight adds visceral appeal to the whole shebang. Blasting through bends in this car drags you into the present moment like a high velocity custard trifle in the back of the head. Alarming delicious.

Perhaps the only downfall is the widely spaced pedals that make heel-and-toe action almost impossible. Then again, it auto-blips rather well on downshifts so you rarely miss that when shifting down through the ratios.

Simply put, there's few cars at this price that deliver similar levels of all-round competence.

Maybe the only thing missing is an automatic gearbox, but an eight-speed dual-clutch auto cog-swapper is expected to arrive – and an updated version of the hatch with the same suspension upgrades as the Fastback N – in 2020.

The cabin of the Fastback is pretty much the same as the hatch, which provides plenty of positive talking points.

There are a pair of good, solidly bolstered cloth sports seats with manual height adjustment, clear and concise instrument dials, a manual gear stick that is a delight to shift and sporty alloy pedals for your feet to dance over.

Cosmetically the major differences over the i30 N hatch is a swap from blue highlight stitching on the seats, steering wheel and gear lever, to red. There are also red highlights around the side air-conditioning vents that add a sporty touch.

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Standard features like dual-zone climate control came in handy on during the launch, which saw two 35-degree days, while the 8.0-inch touch-screen allows you to toggle everything from the exhaust note to steering weighting, engine response and even front e-LSD settings.

Another great feature of the infotainment system is how it shows the precise location and approach distance of stationary speed cameras.

There are a few safety aids, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), driver attention alert and a lane-keep assistant, but there's not radar cruise control yet.

If you don't mind spending an extra $3000 you can get the optional Luxury pack and clearly people are finding that extra moola because two out of every three i30 N hatchback buyers tick the box.

It adds lots of nice stuff, the two best being leather-accented seats that are 12-way power adjustable and score lumbar adjustment, and a Qi wireless smartphone charging dock.

For another $2000, there’s also a sunroof available, but only in conjunction with the Luxury pack.

This Korean hottie's cabin blends sporty flair and a high level of standard equipment to great effect, and you can read about every feature and option in our Hyundai i30 Fastback N pricing and specifications news story.

Oh, before I forget, there's another BIG difference you'll notice once seated: the view out the rear window is tighter than a pair of stubby shorts on a plump tradie.

Yep, the rear view is fairly compromised, due to the swoopy, Mercedes-Benz CLA inspired tail-end design.

However, that curvaceous rear-end, which adds 120mm of length to the car, does have its benefits — chiefly a bigger boot. Improved aerodynamics are nice side effect too.

The cargo area is 12 per cent bigger now — up from 381 to 436 litres. Fold the rear seats down and space expands to a handy 1337 litres.

The roof is 28mm lower and it's more canted angle means that rear-seat headroom is affected – but only slightly. Unless you're shoving a couple of six-foot-plus Neanderthals back there you won't hear many complaints.

There's nothing like acrid odour of smoldering brakes and burnt clutches in the morning.

This was the pervading stench after the first group of journalists were let loose on a racetrack, eager to see how the softer but more 'playful' suspension of the i30 Fastback N responds at the limit.

As it turns out, the suspension tweaks work in the car’s favour as far as initial turn-in goes. The Fastback's schnoz feels a little more willing to tuck into corners than the hatchback’s, as evidenced when blasting around The Bend's 4.9km international circuit layout.

That said, there is a little more body roll, which took its toll on tyres. More on that in a jiffy, because the racetrack in question plays a significant part in this story.

The Bend is a new circuit near Tailem Bend, roughly an hour's drive from Adelaide, and is a brilliant track with plenty of elevation changes and some seriously fast, sweeping corners.

It was a big challenge for the Hyundai i30 Fastback N because this track is more suited to faster, rear-drive vehicles and sports bikes, not front-drive hot fours.

Nevertheless, navigating the track's 18 turns, the Hyundai hustled along at an entertainingly rapid clip and felt well balanced at the limit on some of The Bend's high-speed corners.

Turn seven, eight and nine involve a triple (almost quadruple) apex right-hander and the car's ability to tuck its nose in with a semi-lift of the throttle, transitioning its weight, pumped plenty of endorphin-like rewards into my cerebral cortex.

For what is a $42,000 car, the Hyundai i30 Fastback N is an absolute rip-snorter. It's easy to find its limit, fun to drive fast and more predictable than an Aussie politician extolling the virtues of a fair go before an election.

But it's not unflappable.

On some of the tighter corners (especially turn 17), the car started to run out of brakes and grip.

The Pirelli P Zero HN tyres do a damn fine job and for the most part the 345mm front brake discs perform well, but repeated and sustained punishment saw the Korean flower wilt.

Where the Peugeot 308 GTi's monster brakes can stand up to continued abuse on plenty of racetracks, as do the Honda Civic Type R's, this one's anchors lost their initial bite at The Bend.

Granted, unlike most racetrack launches there was no limit on the number of laps we carved out in a single session, and not many production cars with standard brakes can cope with extended circuit flogging.

That aside, there's no doubting the Hyundai i30 Fastback N's pace, its 202kW engine pushing past 200km/h on the front straight with ease. The engine feels absolutely bulletproof.

It's a pretty radical sensation to nudge 6800rpm before the LED shift lights blink orange and then red to let you know it’s time pluck another gear. The set-up works really well, allowing you to see the warning in your peripheral vision as you triangulate the next apex with your main gaze.

The 'playful' attitude of the chassis retune allows the Fastback to be coaxed into some impressive drift angles, but it takes a lot of practice and you need to get the chassis and steering positioned just right to make the most of it.

After two days in the saddle on road and track, it's fair to say the Hyundai i30 N Fastback is an accomplished machine. You can drive it like a ham-fisted fool or with the discipline of a Jedi master; either way you're going love every minute.

True, the brakes aren't as robust as some of its rivals' but the five-year/unlimited-km warranty does cover track-work, which is reassuring. There’s also five years of capped-price servicing that costs $299 a year except the fourth year, which is $399.

All told, it's very good value for money in the hot hatch segment. The extra $1500 it costs over the hatch is worth every penny, thanks to the added appeal of the larger boot and more sophisticated design.

Looks are subjective but have you seen that duck-tail spoiler lovingly integrated to the bootlid as though Michelangelo himself were guiding the young Korean car designers?

The Hyundai i30 Fastback N has all the performance of the N hatch, without the teenage angst and desperation. The more sophisticated image makes this a unique offering in the small-car performance segment, and its arresting pace will please 99 per cent of drivers.

When Hyundai launches its eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in 2020 – and perhaps a circa-300kW all-wheel drive pocket-rocket — the N division will truly be a force to be reckoned with.

How much does the 2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N cost?
Price: $41,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 202kW/378Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 186g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC