Hyundai I30 N performance

Soldato
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New year, new decade... so must be time to start looking for a new car.

Moving from a mk3 Focus st3 in Tangerine scream. Had initially fancied a mk4 Focus st... But while it drove well, I simply could not get over the rather dubious styling (especially at the front end). Looks like a Volvo from the back and the front is in my opinion, absolutely hideous! Beauty in the eyes of the beholder I suppose. But never the less, don't think it will win any awards for styling. It's also not the performance bargain that it used to be.

So what then besides the Focus ST? So I test drove a few different cars.

- Civic Type R.

Great to drive and I could live with the "fast and furious" looks. But could not get a sensible deal put together (even via CARWOW). I so hate dealers that seem to think that they are doing you a favor by selling you a car (like our local Honda dealer!).

- RS Megane trophy. Probably the most hard core of the cars I tried. But I found the suspension a tag to firm for everyday use. Adjustable suspension is what this car is crying out for. The gear change in the car I drove was not that great either. Plus availability of cars in stock still seems to be an issue! And no way did I want a factory order. I still have nightmares about the RS Clio I ordered once and some 5 months on... did not even have a build date (neither garage or Renault CS seems to give a toss).

- Golf Gti performance (wow an extra 10BHP). Sorry but I found this one of the most boring cars that I've driven for years. It did the job and the cabin was nice but to my mind, it had no soul.

- Hyundai I30 N performance edition. Liked the looks and it also drove well. It's probably got an even higher kit count than the Focus ST. In fact, other than the colour, there are no other options to choose. Though found the steering even in normal mode to be a tad heavy (though accurate). Could also do with loosing 100KG or so and it would be even faster. You can tell where the extra weight is. The bonnet weighs a ton and the doors feel and shut like bank vault doors.

Only car that I fancied and could not get a test drive in a sensible time limit. Was a Peugeot 308Gti.

So what did I get?

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Only 5 days from the test drive, to picking the new car up and 2 days of that was the weekend. Now that's how I like to do a deal. Bought via CARWOW and managed around 12% off + a couple of dealer fitted extras for nothing. Happy days. Just got to finish running it in. A couple of tank fulls of petrol should do.

No real issues so far:

- Minor scratches on the front windscreen. I did notice that at the handover but forgot to mention it. You can hardly see them, but they still should not be there! Dealer says they "should be able to do something". But talks cheap. TBC

- Unluckily hit a pot hole coming back. Full of rain water, so no missing it (IE. could not even see it). Thought I'd got away with it. But noticed a small bulge on the side wall of the front passenger side tyre. So I've had to order up another pirelli P zero and they need to be an OEM version branded HN on the side wall. £135 fitted did not seem too bad. And a tyre fitter that doesn't mark your wheel changing the tyre and put the correct pressure in. Local back street garage. His shop looks a dump but nice guy and treated the car with respect. Can't ask for more than that.

- Gear box a bit sticky. First can be a bit of a bugger at times from a standstill. Once you know, you can select 2nd, then into 1st. Common issue by all accounts and goes away completely after you get a few miles on the clock.

Washed the car yesterday for the 1st time and looks like the dealer listened to me and did not polish the car. So out comes the Autoglym super resin polish. It's come up a treat and not a single paint blemish or fault in the paint that I could find. Never had a white car before. Wanted the Performance Blue, but that would have meant a factory order and I am not a patient man. So a choice between white, black (no thanks), or grey (all in stock).

I've fitted some Rally Armor mud flaps (necessary round here) since taking these photos (white car = not easy to get good photos). Just need those branded rubber mats to turn up, something else that's a necessity round here.

Happy days.

PS. Not bothered about showing my number plate.
 
Soldato
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One of these few doors down. Nice car, although the owner is obnoxious and will sit in his car making it pop and bang for absolutely no reason.

Really pees me off when he comes back after 7pm, sits in it literally 20ft from my sons window making the entire street sound like fireworks are going off.

Pathetic.
 
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The pop bang fad was initially really cool but like everything else once you see a spotty kid in a corsa popping and banging it becomes sad and annoying very quickly.
 
Soldato
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One of these few doors down. Nice car, although the owner is obnoxious and will sit in his car making it pop and bang for absolutely no reason.

Really pees me off when he comes back after 7pm, sits in it literally 20ft from my sons window making the entire street sound like fireworks are going off.

Pathetic.

That is really a bit sad and more than a bit thoughtless! He must have the exhaust set in sport+ mode. Not a problem for me, as I live in the middle of nowhere :) But even I would tone it down if parking up next to anyone's house.

In normal mode it just makes a nice burbling noise. Can't even hear it in normal mode in the car unless you wind the windows.

It's one of the things I like about the car... you can pretty much adjust everything (normal/sport/sport+). Though the suspension at it's stiffest setting is really only for a decent race track! On today's roads you would probably loose your teeth if you hit any sort of imperfection. With the suspension in normal mode it's probably about what my mk3 Focus ST was like running the optional 19in wheels. And in normal mode, it's certainly got a fair bit more give than the Megane RS (running the cup pack).
 
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Soldato
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The pop bang fad was initially really cool but like everything else once you see a spotty kid in a corsa popping and banging it becomes sad and annoying very quickly.

Tend to agree with you. Though in the I30 N it is actually done very well. And you can choose how anti-social you want to be (or not). Use with caution as they say.
 
Soldato
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Hate fake popping, they always do it excessively and it doesn't sound natural.

I'd buy a used Focus RS instead though (which is probably why they didn't sell many of these) :p
 
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Soldato
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Have been keeping track of these with a keen eye on the pricing.

New are what, listed at £27k? Ive seen 2018 models hit £19k now, most 19 plates seem to float around £21-£23k.

Would like them to hit mid-teens before I seriously consider getting into one.
 
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Congrats on the purchase!!

Great car, managed to get on the day Hyundai organised at Millbrook where they had a few challenges with pro drivers (plus the hard sell from their PR...). Despite the usual "you must do no more then 50mph on the alpine track" in the briefing as long as you were not a tool the pro drivers were pretty good at letting you push the car a bit. Same on the Bowl and sprint challenges set out. Then a pro driver took you on a short circuit on full attack which was pretty spectacular.

Definitely left the day thinking i want to own one at some point, as others have alluded to will probably be when i can look at a 2nd hand example.

Did also get the chance to drive a Golf R not long after the Hyundai, and whilst the Golf R is definitely a weapon and quicker. I did feel that the golf was just too capable almost and whilst the thrill of being quick, didn't quite have the same engagement as the Hyundai.

Hope you enjoy it :)
 
Soldato
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Have been keeping track of these with a keen eye on the pricing.

New are what, listed at £27k? Ive seen 2018 models hit £19k now, most 19 plates seem to float around £21-£23k.

Would like them to hit mid-teens before I seriously consider getting into one.

New £25,995 for the entry level model, £29,495 for the performance version (IE. the one you want). Decent discounts via the usual outlets (IE. CARWOW, DTD) making them a reasonable proposition on a PCP. Though I appreciate some folks like to buy their cars outright.

But "yes" they should be a good buy second hand at around the 2 year mark. Giving you still 3 years unlimited mile warranty left.
 
Soldato
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Hate fake popping, they always do it excessively and it doesn't sound natural.

I'd buy a used Focus RS instead though (which is probably why they didn't sell many of these) :p

Probably one of the better active exhausts I've come across. Though I think you'd need to be a right tool to make the sort of racket @Diagro mentioned above outside someone's house. At least you can pretty much turn it right down / off.

I looked at the RS Focus a couple of years back. But unluckily it was that point where they were turning up with hydro-locked engines (IE. turned out to be the head gasket). So bought another Focus ST instead. So many good cars out there these days, if I could afford it, I'd change it every year.

Still wish that I could have put a decent deal together on the Typre-R. But with the GT version coming in at over £4k more than the I30 N, very little discount available (compared to other decent cars) and the finance package being dearer... It really put it just outside of the budget that I had set myself. Can't say I'm bothered, the I30 N is still a pretty decent motor. And there's always tomorrow :D
 
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Soldato
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Been looking at the same selection myself and the i30n is coming out on top at the moment .
Got a 2017 ST and the new one only holds mild interest for me, not keen on the shape and the price is ridiculous when you consider the Hyundai.
 
Soldato
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P
Been looking at the same selection myself and the i30n is coming out on top at the moment .
Got a 2017 ST and the new one only holds mild interest for me, not keen on the shape and the price is ridiculous when you consider the Hyundai.

Pretty much the same conclusion/s that I came to.

Though if being totally honest, I suspect that I would enjoy any of the cars that I test drove (except for the Golf). I just came to the conclusion that the I30N was the best overall package by a country mile.
 
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Nice car. I was torn whether to go for that or the sportback version. In the end I got a Type R though. Like you I found them too expensive. I managed a 2 or 3 (can’t remember) grand discount and upped the term to 4 years and it sort of made it do-able. The Hyundai is a great all rounder. I found no real negative points to it. Enjoy!
 
Soldato
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I have a soft spot for one of these.

Will make a great second hand buy. Get a 3 year old car and still have 2 years left on the track friendly warranty.

Happy in my 308 GTi but will definitely be on my shortlist when I come round to getting something different.

What's the fuel economy like?
 
Soldato
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...

What's the fuel economy like?

Similar to my MK3 Focus ST (2018). So 25-35 mpg depending on length of journey, how hard you drive and all the other usual things. I do a lot of short to medium journies and if being honest, have a pretty heavy right foot. So no car tends to give me great fuel economy. But then again, if I was worried about this... I'd be driving a plug in hybrid.

I'm sure if using cruise control, that high 30's should be achievable.

I was initially a tad worried by some of the test articles that I had read, that fuel economy was going to be dire. But as I've already said, it's no worse than the last several hot hatches that I've owned.
 
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