Review: Hyundai i30 Fastback N

Compared with its boxier sibling, the Fastback grows by 120mm, drops 21mm lower, slips through the air 7% more easily, and the 12kg extra it carries is positioned over the rear wheels. There’s still a hatchback tailgate, if a much more rakish one, and luggage space increases from 395 to 450 litres. Hyundai says owners are less likely to track these cars, and it does look a more mature body style. 

A 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder continues to drive the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, but spring rates are softened 5 per cent at the front, plus there’s a 0.8mm thinner front anti-roll bar, new rear camber control bar, and the bump stops are both 6mm longer and 10% softer compared with today’s i30N hatch. This doesn’t damn the Fastback as a less focussed kind of proposition, though, because soon this tinkering will transfer to the hatch.

Unlike the hatchback, however, the Fastback N comes only in 271bhp tune, with the lower-spec 247bhp model off the menu because the cheaper hatch accounts for so few sales. Like-for-like, the price increases by £500 to £29,995. It’s a small increase, but a five-door Golf GTI is £900 cheaper. Yikes.

The business end of the cabin will feel familiar to anyone who’s spent time in the hatch, most notably the ‘faux suede’/leather seats that strike a sweet balance between lateral support and comfort, a purposely small steering wheel with handy drive-mode switches, and decent build marred by clacky plastics. Headroom remains fine despite a lower roofline. 

A glance in the mirror reveals compromised rear visibility from the more aggressively raked rear screen – though it’s far from poor – and there’s less rear headroom in the rear seats too, though six-feet tall adults can still get comfortable.

The Fastback’s sporting focus quickly surfaces, even at an amble: the clutch is a little brusque, the turbo four likeably gruff and burbly, the gear changes slick, and the steering has chunky detail and weight immediately off-centre. The ride is also decidedly firm, even in its softest setting on Gran Canaria’s smooth roads. It’s far from unpleasant, just a little busy.

Happily, this early promise translates to more spirited driving as we scoot up a road that climbs high into the mountains like a tarmac rally stage. It’s the front end’s composure you notice first – carry ambitious speed into a quick corner and there’s commendably little body roll, a calm, consistent feeling as the pacey steering weights up firmly but naturally, and the sense that the front tyres’ contact patches are staying firmly in touch with the surface. There’s also throttle adjustability to exploit, which unlocks an extra of layer of interactivity without ever feeling nervous.

The brakes are only sliding calipers, but the pedal feel is good, and stopping power perfectly strong enough. Shame the pedals are too far apart to encourage heel-and-toe downshifts, but thankfully a rev-matching function can take on throttle-blipping duties.

The i30 Fastback N remains a quick rather than truly rapid machine, but the turbo engine pulls strongly from around 2000rpm, responds crisply and doesn’t gasp for air at high revs. Besides, the traces of torque steer and scrabble under heavy acceleration suggest the front axle wouldn’t relish much more shove anyway – especially in the wet.

Does the Fastback feel much different to the hatchback? Honestly, I struggled to tell without a back-to-back drive, but its balance, composure and fun factor translates faithfully to this more grown-up body style. So if the body shape appeals and you’re considering the more powerful hatchback anyway, the Fastback N should definitely be on your shopping list. But the basic i30N hatch is a chunky £4k more affordable, and similarly exciting to drive. Nobody buys this model partly because lease deals make the higher spec such an easy stretch away, but gut-feel says Hyundai N still needs to under-charge and over-deliver against such established opposition, and nothing does that better than the entry-level hatch.

Stat Attack

Price: £29,995

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Power/torque: 271bhp/260lb ft

0-62mph: 6.1 sec 

Top speed: 155mph

Kerb weight: 1429kg