New Hyundai i30 Fastback N revealed – 275 PS, 6.1 sec

This is the fastback version of the Hyundai i30 N hot hatch, the new i30 Fastback N. The sister car to Hyundai’s first N product is based on the i30 Fastback, which is a unique “five-door coupe” in the European C-segment.

Compared to the i30 five-door hatchback, the i30 Fastback is 115 mm longer and 30 mm lower. 25 mm of the latter comes from the roofline and the rest comes from the suspension, which in the non-N Fastback is 15% stiffer. Here, the Fastback silhouette gets the sporty styling of the i30 N hatchback, with some unique cues.

There’s the unique N grille and front bumper, as well as a unique rear bumper – both are accented by a red line. The side sills are in black and have N logos near the rear wheels. The hot Fastback’s tall rear end sports a generously arched integrated rear spoiler on top, and a lower rear bumper with diffuser and twin pipes. A gloss black piece of trim highlights the rear spoiler.

Inside, the subtle cockpit is similar to the i30 N hatch’s. The centrepiece is the N exclusive steering wheel, which has an N logo at the bottom and red stitching, which is repeated around the cabin (gear lever boot, seats, centre armrest). There are also red rings around the side AC vents.

Behind the front seats, the Fastback offers more space than the hatch – boot space is 450 litres, expandable to 1,351 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.

Like the hatch, Fastback N buyers can choose between two power outputs from the 2.0 litre turbocharged engine – 250 PS or 275 PS in the Performance Package, both with 353 Nm max torque and 250 km/h top speed. An overboost function further increases torque up to 378 Nm. The 250 PS version does 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and the 275 PS car is three tenths quicker at 6.1 seconds. By the way, the i30 N is six-speed manual only. Salute.

The N Grin Control system allows drivers to choose from five different drive modes, selectable via dedicated buttons on the steering wheel. The modes are Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom.

There’s no mention here, but power aside, the Performance Package on the hatchback yields 19-inch wheels with 235/35 Pirelli P-Zero tyres (vs 225/40 R18), red N brake calipers, larger brake discs (18-inch front, 17-inch rear, an inch up at both ends), an electronic limited slip differential, and a variable exhaust valve system. It should be the same for the Fastback with PP as well.

Two infotainment systems are available. The display audio system comes with an eight-inch capacitive LCD touchscreen, reverse camera and Bluetooth; while the navigation adds on a seven-year free subscription to “Live” services. Both options provide Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a special N mode screen menu that offers customisable settings for the engine, rev matching, exhaust sound and Performance Package settings.

Safety wise, it gets Hyundai’s latest SmartSense active safety and driving assistance tech, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, High Beam Assist and Intelligent Speed Limit Warning.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Do you prefer the i30 N as a regular hatchback or Fastback?

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