Hyundai i30 Sedan N Line revealed

Hyundai is plotting countless new high-performance N and mid-performance N Line models, and this beauty is the latest model to surface.

Arriving in Australia alongside regular versions of the all-new Hyundai i30 Sedan from November, the N Line variant takes its donor car’s sharp lines and injects a bit of venom thanks to a sporty body kit, chassis updates and a 150kW turbo-petrol engine.

Tipped to be priced at around $28,000 – roughly $1500 more than the equivalent i30 N Line hatch ($26,740) – the Hyundai i30 Sedan N Line will butt heads with the Mazda3 G25 and Kia Cerato GT sedans.

Formerly called the Elantra, the new Hyundai i30 Sedan gets redesigned front and rear bumpers that deliver a ground-hugging appearance when buyers choose the N Line model grade.

The front-end gets larger air-dams below the streamlined headlight clusters, while new gloss-black side skirts bridge the gap between the front and rear wheels. The rear bumper features a mild diffuser punctuated by dual exhaust outlets.

Other visual tweaks include gloss-black side mirrors and N Line window accents and badges.

The new design is almost certain to be replicated for the hard-core Hyundai i30 Sedan N, which is expected to be revealed in 2021 and will be powered by a sizzling 2.0-litre turbo engine belting out at least 202kW/378Nm.

Expect to see the option of a six-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with ‘grin shift’ functionality for the wild child of the i30 Sedan range.

Aussies will get their first taste of Hyundai N’s race-ready automatic transmission in early 2021 with the launch of the facelifted Hyundai i30 N hot hatch and fastback models.

Sitting lower to the ground thanks to sporty suspension – which will be recalibrated for Aussie tastes – the Hyundai i30 Sedan N-Line also gets 18-inch alloy wheels with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, bigger brakes and a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine (150kW/265Nm) pumping through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

Equipment levels for the i30 Sedan N Line are likely to mirror the hatchback, so an N sports steering wheel, gear shifter and leather upholstered N-Line front sports seats with embossed N logos are a given.

Several technology upgrades are likely to arrive as well, covering infotainment and driver assistance features.

“We’re excited to introduce our first N Line sedan, which joins our ever-expanding range of award-winning N models,” said Hyundai spokesperson Guido Schenken.

Regular Hyundai i30 Sedan variants will be offered with a new 2.0-litre petrol engine (109kW/179Nm), with a 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid to follow (103kW/264Nm).

Taking on the top-selling Toyota Corolla sedan, the i30 Sedan will flesh out the i30 range but the hatchback will account for the vast majority of sales in this country.

Hyundai Australia is planning a new model onslaught with 11 new or updated vehicles to arrive here in the next 11 months, starting with the (fleet-only) hydrogen-powered Nexo EV from around September.

The fourth quarter – October to December – will see the arrival of the new i30 sedan, facelifted Santa Fe and i30 hatchback, plus the new Sonata sedan and Palisade eight-seat large SUV.

In the first half of 2021, Hyundai will bring a new-generation Tucson mid-size SUV and an upgraded Kona small SUV, along with several other as-yet-unnamed models.