2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N review: Australian launch

• What we love
• What we don’t
• Infotainment and Connectivity
• Safety & Technology
• Value for Money

Hyundai’s i30 N is an excellent hot hatch, combining value for money, performance and driving dynamics. With the launch of the 2022 i30 Sedan N, Hyundai adds an even more practical body style with performance ability to its range. Trent Nikolic drives it on road and track to find out whether a spacious sedan is as appealing as the hatch.

What we love

Manual or automatic are both excellent

Cabin space and practicality are daily driver useful

Just as characterful and fun as the hatch

What we don’t

Tyres will reach their limit on track

Untested by ANCAP

Introduction

The 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N has a reasonably tough brief. Hot on the heels of the i30 N – both manual and automatic – the sedan promises to offer the same level fo excitement and ability, with added practicality and a more mature styling application.

Given the i30 Sedan is already a high quality platform, you’d think added track focus would make a good thing even more capable. That’s the hope Hyundai has for this vehicle.

It certainly looks the part. From any angle, the sedan is sharp, chunky, and purposeful. That’s not to say it’s over styled though, more that it stands out nicely from the the more subtly-styled regular sedan.

The N exclusive exterior package includes a bodykit with a redesigned front section, redesigned rear bumper, and an old school raised rear wing atop the boot. LED lighting is positioned front and rear, and a black pack adds additional visual menace.

Two-tone 19-inch wheels look the part, as do the N-branded calipers, unique sills and black mirror caps. It’s hard to choose the best colour, and while I like the hero Performance Blue and clean Polar White, for mine it’s the deep grey Fluid Metal that does the best job of showcasing the styling cues of this sharp sedan. Those huge wheels will be prone to gutter hacks though, so steer clear of nasty city gutters.

At a starting price from $49,000 plus on-road costs, it’s hard to argue with the Sedan N’s quality for the money. More-so given what it’s capable of when you let it off the leash.

Competitors are few – if any in a direct sense. Most brands offer hot hatchbacks, like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST, but hot sedans are a rarity, without stepping into something more expensive like an Audi S3 or Mercedes-AMG A35. I reckon anyone who wasn’t quite over the line with an i30 Hatch, should absolutely have a look at the Sedan.

The hot hatch segment is well established thanks to decades of marketplace presence. Hot small sedans though are vastly less prevalent, despite being no less fun or obvious. We think Hyundai’s tapped into something here, and it will be interesting to see if the market agrees.

Inside

Hyundai has managed to blend driver-focused and track-capable with practical, and nowhere is that more evident than inside the cabin of the Sedan N.

The seats, the driver’s display, the adjustment of the driving position and the way you can sit down into the cabin, all scream track day capability. But, the comfort and space in the front two seats, the usability of the infotainment, the space in the second row and the useful boot all indicate a level of usable practicality and road trip effortlessness.

That the the i30 Sedan N can so easily work between both ends of the spectrum is perhaps its trump card. The points on comfort and track ability remain valid for both auto and manual, too, with both affording a comfortable and practical driving position.

The way of backing out of a hot hatch purchase, especially as you get older, is to claim that it is too small, that it’s a bit too sporty in the way it looks and feels and it’s a young person’s car. There’s no need for such arguments with the i30 Sedan N, given it’s a slightly more mature body style for starters, but it is also undeniably practical.

The driver’s seat is height adjustable and ten-way power adjustable, including two-way lumbar support, so there’s plenty of adjustment on offer. Important for a vehicle that has any track aspirations of course.

The seats are leather-trimmed, and there’s also an N leather steering wheel and shift knob, N metal pedals and footrest. There’s plenty of console storage as well, with useful door pockets, cup and bottle holders, and the wireless charging pad doubles as clever smartphone storage into the bargain.

The second row has enough space that you could fool someone into thinking this vehicle belongs in the large sedan category not small. There’s plenty of leg and head room, and while the roof line looks low from the outside, it doesn’t cut into space or visibility once you’re seated in the cabin.

The boot (with hands-free smart opening) offers up 464 litres of genuine practicality compared to 381L in the hatch, and it’s easy to see that you could use this vehicle as a family car Monday to Friday, before heading to a club level track day on the weekend. While this duality is becoming more common with modern cars, few do it with the panache of the i30 Sedan N.

Ambient cabin lighting is a subtle, classy touch. Arguably the i30 Sedan interior didn’t need much work, with a striking base design already, but the added N flair, sports seats, and trim elements make a good thing even better.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Infotainment is, perhaps, the least important element of a track-focused car, and yet the i30 Sedan N also does this well.

There’s clever lap timing functionality, with new tracks being added as updates come online. Sydney Motorsport Park was programmed in for launch, with Wakefield Park soon to join.

The lap timer is brilliant in terms of how it works, too. No fancy equipment needed, just set it to run, and as soon as you cross the start line, the system starts banking your lap times.

The twin 10.25-inch displays are excellent, as per the current Hyundai brief. It wasn’t so long ago you had to pay a mega premium to access this level of standard tech, now it’s almost expected in vastly more affordable cars.

Despite being bright and sharp, the screens remain easy to read even in the harshest light, and they are really easy to get familiar with.

The driver’s display is a good one. Driver focused inclusions make for a fun driving experience too, with the aptly-named N Grin Control System, N Performance Driving Data System and the aforementioned Track Maps all standard and easy to use.

The N-specific cluster and N Performance Driving Display make the sedan feel special compared to the regular i30 Sedan.

The proprietary satellite navigation worked well for us at launch, over approximately 400km of drive programme. Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the smartphone connection was likewise faultless.

There’s also Bluetooth phone connectivity if you prefer. The standard satellite navigation system gets live traffic updates, and the screen loaded up quickly and was responsive to touch inputs.

AM/FM and DAB+ are all standard, along with a radio data system, USB inputs, 12V power and wireless phone charging.

The Bose premium audio system is a winner too, punchy and clear, no matter what sort of music you might be into. In short, everything you’ll need to reliably and easily interact with your car are present and accounted for in the i30 Sedan N – as per the regular i30 Sedan, in effect.

Safety & Technology

i30 Sedan N gets 245/35 R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres, which are amazing on-road but will reach their limits with repeated track use. A high-performance brake package is also standard, with 355mm front discs and Brake Prefill function.

There’s also the Hyundai SmartSense driver assistance suite, which includes blind-spot collision avoidance front and rear, forward collision avoidance with city, urban and pedestrian detection, driver attention warning, lane-keeping assist, lane following assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, tyre pressure monitoring, parking distance warning, and a rear-view camera.

The i30 Sedan range (and, indeed the i30 N hatch) currently lack an ANCAP test score.

Value for Money

On our highway cruise, against the ADR fuel claim of 8.2L/100km (for both auto and manual) we saw a figure in the high sevens for a lengthy run. We didn’t bother monitoring the use on track, because that’s not a fair indication of what the car will do with regular use. We will, however, take a closer look at fuel use when we conduct our longer post-launch test. We’d expect that number to sit up near 10L/100km – not bad at all for a sharp performance sedan.

Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is part of the Sedan N package along with capped price servicing that works out to $1005 for the first three years, and $1675 for the first five years. The only added cost you might want to factor in, is a spare set of rims with some semi-slick tyres if you plan on regular track use – a worthy investment.

Driving

The fourth and final N model to be unleashed for 2021 is a sharp puncher no matter what road you’re on, and would in fact, embarrass some much more serious machinery at a track day in the hands of a skilled driver. With 206kW on offer, and either a slick manual or sharp dual-clutch automatic (DCT), there’s plenty to like about a quality chassis that has been further enhanced with a track focus.

The sedan gets a specific airbox, which helps the engine breathe better and no doubt enhances the razor sharp throttle response. We liked either the manual or the automatic, which both worked exceptionally well either on road or track. Features like the Integrated Drive Axle, and Brake Prefill Function are both aimed squarely at track days, while the Australian tuned dampers ensure you get a quality ride on all surfaces.

Hyundai talks about a racetrack-honed chassis, but you can really feel that to be the case on track, with the light and rigid front end benefiting from the advent of the Integrated Drive Axle. What you feel on the road – precise turn in, balance and response through the wheel – translates to the track, where the i30 Sedan N is extremely well behaved compared to some rowdy front drivers.

In fact, there’s balance and competence to just about everything it does.

On the road, the 245-section Michelins aren’t especially noisy, but there is some roar on coarse chip sections of highway. They don’t dent the quality of the cabin experience though, just add some background noise.

On track, despite repeated abuse on a hot day, they take some time to reach the limit of their ability, and they are more than capable of handling basic track work. If you’re a real track enthusiast though, you’ll look into alternatives.

While the manual is a good one – one of the best we’ve tested recently – our track pick is the DCT, simply because it’s slick, precise and rapid. As we’ve seen recently, a quality automatic is now almost always faster than we will ever be when you’re pushing on.

Given it’s one less thing to think about while trying to string a quick lap together, that choice seems to make sense to me. The rev-matching manual though, is a hell of a lot of fun to use. Maybe even more fun on the road than on the track.

Perhaps the most surprising element to be discovered with the Sedan N on track, is the fun you can have with it once you work our where the limits are. The front end is precise as noted, but you can use the steering and the brakes to move the rear around into and out of corners.

You can start to search for the outer reaches before understeer will kick in or the front tyres start scrabbling for grip. If you’re precise with your inputs, and concentrate on being smooth, you can string a properly quick lap together.

Once your track day comes to a close, head back onto the road and cruise home in comfort. It’s the best example of what makes the Sedan N such an enjoyable and practical car.

Sure, there are plenty of modern cars that can do this kind of work, but the Sedan N does it at a price point that is much more realistic for a lot more people than some of the higher-end brigade. After two days behind the wheel of the Sedan N, I’m no less impressed with what it’s capable of and its broad competence.

Conclusion

Seemingly everyone loves a hot hatch. It’s one of the reasons the i30 N has been as popular as it has, now aided by the arrival of the exceptional DCT. You’d be forgiven for thinking Hyundai would be content to rest on its laurels, rather than add a sedan to its performance palette. A sedan, by its very nature, is an entirely different proposition.

And yet, this i30 Sedan N is a fantastic take on practical performance. Fly under the radar day-to-day, embarrass vastly more expensive performance cars on track.

You can even trick your family members into thinking you’ve grown up and made sensible life choices. I love the hatch, but after two days with the sedan, I’m starting to think I’d be opting for the boot rather than hatch. Tell us which you’d prefer.

Keyword: 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N review: Australian launch