I have a proposal. Let's forget about the Hyundai i30 N for a moment and let's talk about the man responsible for its development, Albert Biermann. It's important to start with Biermann to understand how Hyundai gets to the disputed segment of the «hot hatch», it kicks at the door, says “I'm here!” and doesn't even ask for permission to enter.
I will try to be brief in the words that I will dedicate to Albert Biermann because, as you might guess, I really want to talk about the sensations behind the wheel of the i30 N. anyway.
Also notice that I left the engine chapter for the end of the article – is a controversial topic. Then you will understand why if you have the patience to read everything.
If you like FWD sports cars, maybe it's worth the time invested in reading this first contact. But as I'm not Hyundai (which has guarantees to lose sight), I don't guarantee that they will be satisfied in the end.
Albert who?
The most ardent BMW fans – and car lovers in general… – know very well who this 60-year-old engineer is. Albert Biermann was responsible for the development of all(!) BMW M that we have dreamed of over the last few decades.
After more than 30 years of developing “dreams” at BMW, Albert Biermann cleaned up his desk and moved to Hyundai. Objective? Create a sports department at Hyundai from scratch. Thus was born the N division.
“Hey. What originality, changed the letter. M for N…”, you say. Original or not, the Hyundai department has a good justification. The letter ‘N’ refers to Namyang, the Korean city where Hyundai's Research and Development Center is based, and Nürburgring, where the brand's European Test Center is located. I said the justification was good.
It was in these two centers that Albert Biermann spent the last two years putting to use the know-how he acquired during 32 years at BMW, giving directions and deciding how the brand's new sports department should approach its first model, this one Hyundai i30 N.
Let's face it, when it comes to developing sports cars, man knows a few things… At BMW, they called him the “suspension wizard”.
The goal
We were with Albert Biermann at the Vallelunga circuit, in Italy, for the first world contact with the new Hyundai i30 N. For half an hour Albert Biermann explained to us with the objectivity of an engineer with more years of experience than I have in my life, what were the goals outlined for the Hyundai i30 N.
The most striking phrase in his speech was this:
Forget RPM, our focus was on BPM.
I confess that I was just a fraction of a second thinking “beh, what?!”. Then there was light “Ah…Beats per minute”, pulses per minute.
The goal was never to develop the fastest front-wheel drive sports car in the segment, but rather the one that arouses the most emotions in those who drive it.
It sounds like one of those phrases born in marketing departments but it isn't. Mr. Biermann's words correspond to reality. So let's talk about the car...
The party started before we took off
I argue that the experience of starting the engine of a sports car cannot be the same as the experience of starting a “normal” car. We're in this together, right?
However, the reality is different. Not all sports cars sound like they should. Not when we start the engine, not when the needle that measures our smile gains balance to reach the red zone.
Fortunately, on the i30 N as soon as we press the “start” button, we are treated to a forceful declaration of interest that intensifies as we step on the accelerator pedal.
I would like this video shot with my phone to live up to the melody provided by the i30 N's exhaust system.
I only drove a four-cylinder sports car that sounded better than this Hyundai i30 N. It cost twice as much and its name starts with “By” and ends with “sche” – so there's no mistaking this model.
Forgetting the sound of the engine, even before starting I took the opportunity to get to know the «corners to the house». The steering wheel, seats, pedals and gearshift are specific to this N version.
The seats – which can take on a combination of suede and leather or fabric – offer excellent support without punishing the back and without hindering access to the cabin. The steering wheel has a good grip and the six-speed manual gearbox has excellent precision – Albert Biermann's obsession with the feeling of the gearbox was so great that he could dedicate an entire article to the work the N division team dedicated to tuning of this element. Did you read? I doubt…
Engage first and take off
Let's get started. The text is already long and I haven't even used a liter of gasoline. A thousand apologies!
Before the Hyundai team opened the doors of the Circuito de Vallelunga to us, we were invited to take a 90 km detour on public roads to “break the ice” with the model – I did that route twice. We have 5 driving modes at our disposal, selectable via two blue buttons on the steering wheel.
In the blue button on the left side we have the civilized modes: Eco, Normal and Sport. On the right side we have the radical modes: N and Custom.
I hit the first one and started up with Eco mode selected. In this mode, the suspension assumes a firmness that deals healthily with the irregularities of the floor, the steering is light and the accelerator gains an explosiveness comparable to an Alentejo's after lunch. He just doesn't react – I know what I'm talking about. The exhaust note also loses that husky and powerful tone, and assumes a more civilized posture.
Needless to say, I didn't do more than 500 meters in this mode! It's useless. It is so “eco” and “friend of nature” that my patience was on the brink of extinction.
In normal mode everything remains the same but the accelerator gains another sensitivity – use this mode in your everyday life. But it's in Sport mode that things start to get really interesting. The steering becomes more communicative, the suspension gains new rigidity and the chassis reactions begin to show that this Hyundai i30 N is not just a throat. Sorry, escape!
The surprise
After about 40 km I selected mode N for the first time. My reaction was: which car is this? The difference between N mode and Sport mode is abysmal.
Do you know this famous phrase by Niki Lauda?
God gave me an okay mind, but a really good ass which can feel everything in a car.
Well, with N mode selected, Niki Lauda's ass would get fed up with communicating with the Hyundai i30 N. Everything can be felt! The suspension's stiffness rises to such high levels that I ran over an ant and felt it. It's an exaggeration, of course, but it's for you to understand the degree of rigidity I'm talking about.
In N mode we are talking about a chassis, engine, steering and suspension configuration designed to extract the most from the whole package. Our backs complain, our tails say thanks and our smile says it all: I'm enjoying it! Dammit… that didn't sound good at all, did it?
It's such an extreme mode that I felt it was better to save it for a special occasion, like a bottle of wine. I promised myself that I would only use N-mode in circuit, and I broke that promise the same number of times.
Finally, in Custom mode we can individually customize all car parameters. For example, choose the mode “let's wake up the neighbors” in the exhaust system parameter and select the comfort mode in the suspension parameter. If they have neighbors like mine and a back like mine they will use this mode many times.
normal mode, normal car
80% of the way I stayed by the way sport and Normal that keep the comfort/performance binomial at more acceptable levels. Forget about the Eco mode that doesn't do… anything. I already had this, didn't I?
In these two modes you can have a car that can be used on a day-to-day basis and a fun car to explore on that road that invites you to forget about the price of gasoline. Speaking of consumption, these were a pleasant surprise. But I don't want to commit to values because I haven't done enough kilometers to give a concrete value.
let's go to the track
Every time I talk to colleagues or friends about the Hyundai i30 N the question of “there are only 275 hp of power” always comes up, so let's kill the matter: they arrive perfectly.
I grew up at a time when the kids dreamed of sports cars with “only” 120 hp of power. I know very well that times are different today – and that's a good thing. Today, almost all brands are jostling to present the technical sheets with the most impressive numbers. Hyundai didn't want to play this game, as Albert Biermann explained to us.
Hyundai's card doesn't translate into numbers. It translates into sensations. Albert Biermann Suspension Wizard has done a remarkable job of tuning the electronic variable damping suspensions of the i30 N. Driving the Hyundai i30 N is truly rewarding.
After two laps of the Vallelunga circuit, I started to treat the Hyundai i30 N like an old friend. I teased him and he accepted. On the next lap a little more teasing and he… nothing. Always composed. "OK. It's now”, I said to myself, “the next two laps will be in full attack mode”.
I was impressed by the amount of “moment” we were able to bring into the curve. Another of the things that impressed me the most was the posture of the rear. Agile but at the same time secure, allowing us to brake in support without disturbing the trajectory and without forcing major corrections on the steering wheel. From the side, of course.
“Rev Matching” is a marvel
In N mode the Hyundai i30 N helps us to go fast. One of these aids is “rev matching”, which in practice is nothing more than an automatic “point-to-heel” system.
In the most untimely reductions, this system makes the engine's rotation match the rotation speed of the wheels, helping to keep the chassis balanced in one of the most critical moments of sports driving: insertion into corners. Superb!
Of course, anyone who wants to play with the pedals can turn this system off. Just press a button on the steering wheel.
Brakes and steering
The brakes are the least pedigree element of the Hyundai i30 N. They withstand fatigue well and have a correct feel and power, but they were taken advantage of by the G90, the top of the range by Hyundai in the USA. Reason? Costs. Even so, Hyundai did not shy away from creating specific cooling ducts for the brakes.
Albert Biermann did not mince words on this topic: “if they work, why invent special pieces?”. “We also had a concern about usage costs. We want the Hyundai i30 N to be neither expensive to purchase nor onerous to maintain.”
Management was also the target of intense development work. Unlike Niki Lauda, Albert Biermann thinks that the main vehicle for communicating with the car is not the tail, but the hands. Hence, the steering has been painstakingly crafted to give all the feedback we need to abuse the front axle without tasting the bitter taste of gravel.
The chassis frame and engine mounts have been revised so mass transfers penalize dynamics as little as possible.
Clutch and tires
Clutch. The man really cared about everything. Biermann wanted the Hyundai i30 N to have a clutch capable of being abused without fatigue and at the same time having a good feeling. It's not easy. Have you tried a competition car? So you know that clutches are on/off type. This element on the i30 N catches right at the bottom but is progressive.
In this regard, Albert Biermann did not look at the cost and developed a special clutch plate for the i30 N with a carbon-reinforced surface. The gearbox components have all been reinforced as well. Result? The gearboxes of the Hyundai i30 N that the brand used in the Nurburgring 24 Hours did not show any fatigue after two races!
It remains to talk about the tires . The Hyundai i30 N is the first model in the brand's history with tires developed "made to measure".
Pirelli was responsible for the contract and only the 275 hp version uses this “tailor made” rubber.
They offer a grip as far as the eye can see and are partly responsible for the absurd way in which we can abuse the support braking without compromising the trajectory. There are four of these tires for my car sff!
Now the engine
I didn't leave the engine for last because it's a negative point of the Hyundai i30 N. It's not a negative point at all, but it's the most sensitive point.
This segment lives on numbers and Hyundai decided to turn the chessboard upside down by focusing on driving sensations and categorically saying “NO” to the records in «Inferno Verde». With 275 hp of power and 380 Nm of maximum torque (with overboost) the Korean model doesn't lack lungs. But it is clear that it will be obliterated in a straight line by models like the Honda Civic Type-R and SEAT Leon Cupra that surpass the 300 hp of power.
But Albert Biermann is a kind of fixed idea. He developed this engine, which is unique to the i30 N, putting power in the background. A risky decision to say the least.
So what's come to the fore?
We want it to be possible to mold power with the foot. In turbo engines it is not always easy.”
It was precisely here that Division N focused its resources. . In making a turbo engine with an easy-to-dose power delivery. This forced exhaustive development of the turbo ducts and engine mapping.
This resulted in an engine that without being inopportune is full at all speeds and very easy to dose when exiting corners.
Conclusion
If the first model in division N is like this, let the next one come from there. Albert Biermann is worth every cent Hyundai paid to have him in the frame.
The result is in sight: an exciting sports car, able to match on track as naturally as it takes on some less-exciting family commitments.
The Hyundai i30 N is one of the candidates for WORLD PERFORMANCE CAR 2018
As for prices, this 275 hp version costs 42,500 euros. But there is another 250 hp version for 39,000 euros. I didn't drive the 250 hp version. But due to the price differential, it pays to jump to the more powerful version, which also adds larger wheels, anti-approach bar at the rear, exhaust with electronic valve and self-blocking differential.
It arrives in Portugal next month and if they go to a brand dealership they can already order it. As for the competition… don't spend all your chips on potency. The first units flew in just 48 hours.
