Soon to unveil its all-new ‘N’ version of the Hyundai i30 Fastback, at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, the car has already crossed the finishing line in Paris in a record-breaking road trip that commenced in Rome. Two professional Hyundai Motorsport drivers, rallyist Thierry Neuville and racer Gabriele Tarquini, established a new world record with the hot coupe…but there was a twist.
While Messrs Neuville and Tarquini pushed the car to its limits, it was not by driving from the Italian to the French capital. In fact, they drove on the winding and closed roads between the villages of Rome and Paris, which are located in western Denmark. Tarquini managed the trip in only 8mins 18.49s to cover the 12.8km distance between the Danish villages, winning the race with his colleague by a fraction of a second. Neuville, current leader in the World Rally Championship, and motorsport legend, Tarquini, with more than 25 years of racing experience, were the perfect team on the especially closed roads, as they showcased the power of the i30 Fastback N.
To reflect its sophisticated and hot character, the i30 Fastback N has received many design features of its hatchback sibling, to incorporate its dynamic features. The black side sills of the lowered body further underline its sportiness. At the rear, dual twin exhausts and a rear spoiler integrated into the tailgate, with a gloss-black accent, further accentuate the sporty N appearance.
An exclusive ‘N’ steering wheel, with red-coloured N stitching, picks up the red stitching elsewhere inside the car. Yet, as sporty as it is, it is also a practical road car possessing a luggage capacity of 450-litres, increasing to 1,351-litres, when the rear seats are folded flat.
Customers will be entertained by the 272bhp power output of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, while its CO2 rating is given as 163 g/km. It develops a useful 260lbs ft of torque that, with the engine’s over-boost facility, can be jacked-up to 278lbs ft, which may not sound like much extra but is enough to help with speedier and safer overtakes. The 0-60mph benchmark is completed in just 5.8s. As the new car is equipped with the ‘N Grin Control’ system (seriously!), 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.
The instrument panel of the i30 Fastback N is designed in a horizontal layout and is available with an 8.0-inch capacitive touch-screen, to deliver navigation and a seven-years’ free subscription to LIVE services. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto users can connect their smartphones to control music, telephone, or navigation functions, on-screen. A specific N-mode screen menu also offers customisable settings for the engine, with rev-matching, exhaust sound and performance settings that are all driver adjustable.
