Conventional wisdom suggests that the first of the line is the purest, the true instant classic, so by that thinking we should have written about the i30 N when it launched Hyundai’s performance arm in 2017.
But while it was exciting, it was very much a rough diamond; with the new i20 N, that potential is realised.
It’s refreshing to hear that the N stands not for a forest racetrack in Germany but for Namyang, the South Korean district where the brand was born in the Hyundai Global R&D Center – although the ‘N is for Nürburgring’ also gets trotted out because that’s where final proving takes place at the Hyundai Technical Center.
Hyundai’s updated i20 N is a vast improvement on the original model
Yet in the best hot-hatch tradition, where this car shines is not so much on a track as a B-road, when its fantastic stance and stiff reinforced bodyshell give it wonderful agility.
It’s firm, but the damping is well resolved so it doesn’t pogo around like the old i30 N, and the fast, accurate helm is matched to wonderfully incisive turn-in and gives a decent impression of steering feel.
