Paris show: Hyundai adds i30 N Fastback
BY RON HAMMERTON | 27th Sep 2018
HYUNDAI has revealed the five-door liftback version of its high-performance i30 N small car – dubbed Fastback – in Europe ahead of its Paris motor show debut next week.
This time, the company’s N engineering team reportedly has backed off the stiff global sports suspension settings a notch, bringing them more into line with the unique supple tune of the Australian version of the existing i30 N hatch that was modified for this market because of local bumpy roads.
Compared with the current i30 N hatchback settings in Europe, the Fastback gets changes to the bump stops, hydraulics, anti-roll bars and sports driving mode, apparently making the car more comfortable without upsetting its sharp handling.
According to European reports, those new settings developed for the i30 N Fastback at Hyundai’s chassis engineering centre at Germany’s Nurburgring will also be applied to the hatch globally when that car next comes up for a tweak.
GoAuto understands that Hyundai Motor Company Australia senior product planning manager Andrew Tuitahi was involved in testing of the Fastback in Europe ahead of the decision by Hyundai’s N vehicle development team to go with the revisions.
The Fastback will be launched in Australia in the first quarter of 2019, joining the N hatch that sells for $39,990 plus on-road costs.
With its sloping roofline, the Fastback is designed to appeal to customers wanting a slightly more stylish package with extra practicality. A bonus of the design is extra luggage space – up 69 litres to 450L with the rear seats up and up 64L to 1351L with the seats down.
Like the hatch, the i30 N Fastback will be launched in Europe with the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine in two powertrain packages – Standard at 184kW/353Nm and Performance at 202kW/353Nm.
The torque can soar to 378Nm for 18 seconds thanks to an overboost function that kicks in when the maximum torque threshold is reached.
Fuel consumption on the European combined test cycle is 7.0 litres per 100km for the Standard car and 7.1L/100km for the Performance version.
Like the hatch, Australia is expected to take only the top-spec 202kW powertrain in the N Fastback. Initially, that engine will be available only with a six-speed manual gearbox with a rev-matching function that blips the throttle on down changes.
Hyundai is working on a new dual-clutch automatic transmission for these N cars which – overseas at least – also includes a hot N version of the all-new Veloster coupe.
HMCA says it will announce final specifications and pricing for the N Fastback closer to launch, which is expected to be about February.
With its slippery shape, the i30 N Fastback is said to be more aerodynamic than the sawn-off hatchback but also slightly heavier.
Despite this, the Fastback version covers the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.1 seconds, a tenth of a second quicker than the quoted figure for the hatch.
The five driving modes of the so-called N Grin Control system are carried over the Fastback, but Britain’s Autocar reports that the sportiest N settings have been backed-off a little in line with the decision to make the i30 N a little more user-friendly.
As before, these modes – Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom – control settings for the engine, suspension, ESC, LSD, exhaust and steering, and can be toggled from buttons on the steering wheel.
The Fastback will also carry over the sporty trim inside and out, big brakes and twin bi-modal exhausts.
