Hyundai i30 N: Five things you didn’t know

Like a blast of fiery-hot bulgogi from the Korean BBQ, the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch is making mouths water.

Powered by a 202kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and fitted with plenty of track-ready gadgets, it’s unlike a lot of its front-wheel drive hot hatch rivals in that almost everything has been developed in-house.

There's no Brembo brakes, Ohlins suspension or Recaro seats on this apex predator. Here are another five things about this mysterious hot hatch you might not have known.

Race track insurance

The moment your car rolls onto a racetrack your warranty is null and void, but not with this hot hatch. The i30 N not only offers the brand's capped-price servicing and five-year warranty, but extends coverage to the racetrack – but there's a catch. No racing or timed events are covered. So in simple terms, you can fang around the track, but not with the stopwatch running.

Suspension

Like all Hyundai passenger cars sold in Australia, the Hyundai i30 N has a unique suspension tune for this country. The Aussie tweaking includes a slightly softer rebound and compression stroke (via shock absorber valve changes and a software tweaks), which reduces the harshness over sharp bumps and broken road surfaces.

So good were the changes that during testing at the Nurburgring, Hyundai Australia's German counterparts agreed to collaborate more closely on the next N car to develop one true global suspension tune. That's a massive fillip for the small Australian chassis development team.

Gearbox

A six-speed manual is standard on all Hyundai i30 N models… for now. However, the N boffins present at the hot hatch's Australian launch confirmed that an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission will be available by late 2019. Better late than never!

Over-rev Easter egg

There are a handful of car-makers that include Easter eggs – or hidden flourishes – in their new models, and Hyundai has joined the fold. This one is a little different, however, in that you have to brutally punish the car to release the genie from the bottle.

Should you downshift too early, in a situation that would otherwise cause a compression lockup, the i30 N will rebuke you with a stern message that takes over the instrument display. It's awesome! But shame on you for finding it…

Adjustable launch control and rev-matching

Many cars today have a rev-matching downshift function that's works with their manual transmission. Hyundai has a bespoke system in the i30 N that is not only tuneable to driver preference, but was inspired by the hard-charging American muscle-car, Chevrolet's Corvette.

The system's ferocity is stored as a favourite function, accessible by a button push on the steering wheel, and joins an adjustable launch control feature that ensures the hardest possible starts regardless of surface or weather conditions.

The Hyundai i30 N is available now priced from $39,990. There's also a luxury pack available for $3000. A panoramic roof adds a further $2000. We've tested the Hyundai i30 N on a number of occasions, but stay tuned for our road and track review from this week's Australian launch.