Boatload of hot Hyundais comes in
BY PETER BARNWELL | 6th May 2024
A SHORTAGE of Hyundai’s potent i30 N hatch Down Under has been addressed with the South Korean importer securing additional stock of the in-demand hot hatch from its Czech factory, which has been struggling to cope with demand.
Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) said in a statement that it “had been working hard to secure incremental stock of the i30 N hatch and now has 387 units available on the ground in Australia ready for customer deliveries with an additional 352 units on water/in production”.
Adding to the improved i30 N hatch stock situation is the addition of a Comfort Pack as a no-cost option on i30 N Premium variants equipped with a sunroof and dual-clutch automatic transmission.
 
The Comfort Pack replaces the Alcantara/Leather N Light seats with Suede/Leather N Sports seats, adding power adjustment for both the driver and front passenger plus position memory for the former.
The front-wheel drive i30 N five-door hot hatch lists from $46,200 excluding on-road costs and may be shopped against smaller or costlier models like the Mini Cooper S Classic from $50,850 + ORC, VW Golf GTi from $56,090 + ORC, the smaller and AWD Toyota Yaris GR from $51,390 + ORC (a Corolla GR is $64,190 + ORC).
Other sporty options for i30 N money include the rear-wheel drive two-door Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ coupes from $43,240 and $43,790 respectively (both + ORC).
The i30 N has been around for eight years, winning a dedicated enthusiast following partly driven by Hyundai’s annual “N” performance track days, bankrolled by HMCA, that are held at various race circuits around the country.
Each of these events provides owners the opportunity to drive their cars at high speed, talk about their cars to experts and peers and also sample new features or new models added to the N line-up.
The current i30 N range comprises a (strikingly styled) sedan variant and three hatch variants, with the five-door accounting for a greater sales volume.
Motive power comes from a 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder with a twin-scroll turbo and direct fuel injection.
It is good for a healthy 206kW and 392Nm with drive fed to the front wheels via a six speed manual gearbox or a wet-type eight-speed dual clutch transmission with paddle shifters.
A two-mode electronically controlled mechanical limited slip differential modulates any torque steer tendency and the model rolls on wide, sticky Pirelli P-Zero 19-inch rubber covering large 360mm front / 314mm rear disc brakes.
Quick electric steering and sporty suspension components complement the focused dynamics package that imparts a decidedly sporty feel to the i30 N.
A number of drive modes are provided spanning Normal through to Track driving enhanced through an active three mode exhaust system proving the appropriate soundtrack.
Hyundai closed its South Korean i30 line last year, the source of Aussie spec mainstream i30s, and is in the process of changing to Czech-manufactured i30s which may or may not have an impact on the N models.
Suffice to say, an HMCA spokesperson commented recently that the i30 N hatch would remain in the local line-up “for the foreseeable future.”
