Hyundai’s mildly warm hatchback offers plenty of rewards for those who still value a manual gearbox.
- Manual gearbox is a gem
- So too the 1.6-litre turbo four
- Commendable ride married to agility
- Its styling is now dated compared to newer models…
- …as is the infotainment set-up
- Missing some key safety technology
Introduction
Australia’s love affair with hatchbacks continues to defy new car buying trends. Where SUVs and dual-cab utes have all but seen off the large family car, hatchbacks continue to sell in the types of numbers that has carmakers salivating all the way to the bank.
And the humble hatchback can wear many masks – from cheap and cheerful to out and out performance monster – there’s hatchback for all seasons.
Case in point, the Hyundai i30 hatchback which presents a slightly bewildering array of 13 variants – from an affordable entry-level hatchback ($23,420 plus on-road costs) to a high-performance dual-clutch hot hatch ($49,000 plus on-road costs). For a full breakdown of the Hyundai i30 hatchback range, check out our comprehensive pricing and specs story here.
For now, we’re focussed on the mid-point of the i30 range with the car we have on test here, the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line, and this one is something of a rarity. It has a manual transmission.
The i30 N Line is priced at a not unreasonable $29,420 plus on-road costs fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox as we have here. If you’d prefer an automatic transmission, Hyundai has you covered with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. It’s a $2000 premium over the manual.
Our test car was finished in a fetching hue of Fiery Red mica paint, a $495 option bringing the as-tested price to $29,915 plus on-roads. That translates to around $33,600 on the road, give or take, depending on which state or territory you live.
The small passenger segment offers a minefield of options to lure buyers not swayed by high-riding SUVs and dual-cab utes.
Rivals to the i30 N Line include the Toyota Corolla ZR hatchback, starting from $32,695 plus on-road costs. But, it’s only available with an automatic transmission, Toyota axing the option of a manual gearbox from its range of popular small cars earlier this year.
Similarly, the Ford Focus ST-Line is priced at around $34,800 driveway, but, like the Toyota, is only available with an automatic transmission – you’ll be shopping for run-out stock too, with Ford announcing the Focus is about to switch to ST hot-hatch status only. So too Kia’s range of Cerato hatchbacks which are no longer available with manual gearboxes, with either a conventional six-speed or dual-clutch seven-speed automatic the only transmissions depending on which variant you choose.
To find a rival with three pedals, the Mazda 3 G20 Touring is priced at around $34,000 driveaway for the manual. Further, the entire range of Mazda 3 hatchbacks, bar the hybrid G25e Evolve and X20 Astina, are available with a manual gearbox.
That makes our i30 N Line something of a throwback in today’s new car landscape, a mildly warm hatchback with sporting style and a level of driver engagement increasingly absent from new car yards.
The i30 N Line is also a bit of a throwback in terms of its styling. Unlike the broader i30 range, which has recently gone under the scalpel of Hyundai’s stylists, the N Line wears the face of the previous model.
This is most noticeable around the grille area, the N Line missing out on the sleeker and more aggressive grille of its stablemates. In its place, the older style grille is starting to look a little dated. Hyundai says this is due to supply issues and has cleverly disguised the fact by referring to the older skin as ‘N Line exclusive’ in its specifications brochure.
That said, the i30 N Line is still a handsome hatchback, even if it does look a little softer than its more recently facelifted siblings.
Sitting on 18-inch machined alloys in a twin-spoke design exclusive to this variant, the i30 N Line adds to its sporty credentials with an aggressive rear diffuser that houses twin exhausts. Gloss black mirror caps are exclusive to the N Line.
Still, while looking a little dated on the outside, the true measure of the i30 N Line lies in the driving. Manuals are becoming increasingly scarce on our roads so the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with using a third pedal and – if we so desire – letting the engine revs run freely, is a welcome one.
| Key details | 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line manual |
| Price (MSRP) | $29,420 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Fiery red |
| Options | Premium paint – $495 |
| Price as tested | $29,915 plus on-road costs, $33,600 drive-away (Sydney) |
| Rivals | Toyota Corolla | Mazda 3 | Ford Focus |
Inside
There’s plenty of detail in a cabin wearing swathes of N Line treatment. The seatbelts are the most obvious, finished in a race red colour. The leather seats are N Line exclusive, and feature added padding and bolstering. Comfortable? Yep.
Other N Line treatments include black headlining, miles of contrast red stitching as well as red inserts on the air vent surrounds.
The leather-appointed steering wheel features ‘N’ branding while the leather-appointed gear knob is also exclusive to the N Line. It feels solid in hand.
Look down into the driver’s footwell and you’ll see three alloy sports pedals, completing the N vibe inside.
The overall cabin ambience errs on the side of dark, thanks largely to that black headlining. Still, visibility is good, as is cabin comfort. Everything is laid out nicely and within easy reach.
And while those red seatbelts do look a bit ‘boy racer’, they’ll no doubt appeal to a subset of buyers who value a sporty flavour from their mildly warm hatchback.
The overall material feel is acceptable, a mix of soft and harder plastics made to look lively with red accents on the air vents and ‘N Dark Metal’ painted inserts on the door handles and steering wheel.
A central storage bin features a nicely padded and elbow-friendly lid, again accented with red stitching while a pair of cupholders are complemented by a slot perfectly suited to holding a smartphone. The door pockets are generously sized, able to hold bottles.
The second row is spacious enough, with decent toe-, knee-, leg- and headroom. The back seats are comfortable too, nicely cushioned, while the i30’s window line ensures decent visibility.
There are air vents back there, complementing the dual-zone climate control up front, again trimmed in that sporty red, although second row passengers miss out on any type of power outlet. A pair of cupholders hide in the fold down armrest while the doors can easily accommodate bottles.
The outboard seats feature ISOFIX child seat mounting points, complemented by three top-tether anchors in the seat backs.
The i30 N Line’s boot measures in at 395 litres with the back seats in use. That expands to 1301L with the rear seats folded in 60:40 split fashion. A space-saver spare tyre and wheel lives under the boot floor.
| 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line manual | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 395L seats up / 1301L seats folded |
| Length | 4345mm |
| Width | 1795mm |
| Height | 1453mm |
| Wheelbase | 2650mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
An 8.0-inch colour touchscreen serves as the i30 N Line’s command centre. It’s loaded with smartphone capability via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Bluetooth audio streaming and telephony, if you prefer.
The N Line misses out on inbuilt satellite navigation (not an issue with smartphone mirroring… unless you live in rural areas with no reception), as well as digital (DAB+) radio. Those technologies are reserved for the next model up in the range, the N Line Premium which also scores a bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen.
Like the exterior treatment, the infotainment set-up in the i30 N Line is looking a little dated. Technology moves apace in the broader world, and the automotive landscape is no different. What was fresh and new five years ago can start to look a little long in the tooth today.
That’s true of the infotainment set-up in the i30 N Line which lacks some features while also looking and feeling dated. We mention this only because we’ve sampled Hyundai’s latest generation infotainment operating system and technologies and they are a peach.
That said, the system is tried and tested and works flawlessly. Pairing your phone, whether via Bluetooth or CarPlay, is quick and easy while the overall user experience remains intuitive to use.
There’s wireless phone charging too, to help your devices stay topped up and you’ll be grateful for this inclusion as the i30 N Line is equipped with exactly one – count them, one – USB plug. It’s joined by a single 12V outlet but really, USB has been around a fair while now. And having just a single plug is below par these days, where two at a minimum is pretty standard, sometimes more.
A 7.0-inch driver display serves its primary function as a digital speedometer well and can scroll through a number of different screens offering trip data and fuel information, as example. It’s serviceable enough even if the game has moved on in this regard, too.
Safety & Technology
The i30 N Line’s active safety suite isn’t the full fruit bag, missing out on key tech such as blind-spot monitoring, front parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert.
Included, though, are autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping and following assist, driver attention monitor, high beam assist, tyre pressure monitoring, and hill-start assist. Cruise control is of the standard variety, not adaptive.
A suite of seven airbags covers both rows of occupants although front passenger misses out on knee protection, something only afforded the driver. This is pretty standard for the segment.
ANCAP awarded the Hyundai i30 a five-star safety rating back in 2017 when this generation was first launched. Under the older criteria, ANCAP scored the i30 at 35.01 out of a possible 37.
| 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line manual | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2017) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP |
Value for Money
Hyundai covers the i30 N Line with its standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, par for the course among mainstream manufacturers.
Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, although it should be noted that 10,000km intervals are a bit skinny where the average car spends closer to 15,000km per annum on the road. Hyundai’s rivals, typically, offer 15,000km intervals.
Hyundai offers pre-paid servicing plans for the i30 N Line, available for three years/30,000km ($897), four/40,000 ($1196) or five/50,000km ($1495) coverage, more affordable than some rivals, such as the Mazda 3, but dearer than the servicing benchmark Toyota Corolla which asks for $1025 over five years/75,000km.
Hyundai claims the i30 N Line manual will consume 7.5 litres per 100km of regular 91RON unleaded petrol. Our week with the three-pedal warm hatch bettered that number, with an indicated 7.1L/100km attained over a variety of driving conditions. Nice.
| At a glance | 2021 Hyundai i30 Hatch N Line manual |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months / 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $897 (3 years) | $1495 (5 years) |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.5L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.1L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91 octane petrol |
| Fuel tank size | 50L |
Driving
Any qualms about the dated exterior styling and shortcomings of the interior fade away as soon as you press the starter button. The engine grumbles nicely into life, reminding you this specification is a step above regular i30s in the range. Which, in terms of performance, it is.
Where the regular i30 range wears a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol making 120kW and 203Nm, the eminently sportier N Line we have on test here is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder, good for a much more powerful 150kW and 265Nm. In this specification, it’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission sending those outputs exclusively to the front wheels. It’s a recipe for engagement.
And it starts with that manual ’box which is a peach. The clutch is nicely weighted and with a predictable take-up point. The action of the gear lever is nice and tactile too, precise and firm requiring committed inputs. It’s a lovely thing.
That 1.6-litre has plenty of poke too, from standstill. Hyundai doesn’t quote a 0-100km/h benchmark sprint time, and neither did we have the ability to run the numbers during Sydney’s COVID-infested lockdown. But, by the seat of the pants, it feels light and sprightly.
There’s a delicious thrum from the engine, not quite hot hatch-like, but neither is it the muted sound of a regular hatchback. There’s a little bit of gruffness there, just enough to elicit smiles.
Around town at sedate speeds, the i30 N Line is perfectly happy to dance along with traffic. The clutch pedal remains light enough to not wear you down and the tactility of the manual feels just right.
The engine too, purrs along quietly. Until, that is, you hit the freeway where a quick downshift elicits some revs and the i30 is eager to leap ahead with pace.
The nature of the 1.6-litre performance curve is an asset here. With peak torque available from as low as 1500rpm, the i30 N Line feels playful. Acceleration from a staid 60km/h in third, or even fourth, gear offers little resistance. Instead, the i30 eagerly piles on speed as you row through the gears, settling into a quiet hum once up to cruising speed.
The i30’s ride benefits from Hyundai’s Australian suspension tune. It is, in a word, composed. There’s a quiet assuredness in the way the hatchback tackles scrappy roads, with minor lumps and bumps barely felt in the cabin.
Road noise, too, is well isolated from the cabin, the entire experience pleasant and calm.
That assuredness translates to the chassis too, which feels nimble and agile, exactly as it should in a car of this specification. The i30 can be hustled with confidence, if that’s your thing, remaining flat and composed all while you control engine revs with that deliciously tactile gear shift. It simply brings a smile to your face.
| Key details | 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line manual |
| Engine | 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 150kW @ 6000rpm |
| Torque | 265Nm @ 1500-4500rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual |
| Power to weight ratio | 106.6kW/t |
| Weight | 1407kg |
| Tow rating | 1300kg braked, 600kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 10.6m |
Conclusion
The Hyundai i30 N Line might seem like a throwback to a past life, when manual gearboxes ruled the roads and small cars were a tonne of fun to drive, even without having to wring their proverbial necks.
Hyundai should be applauded for offering a mildly performance-focused hatchback with a manual transmission. Where so many of today’s manufacturers are waving goodbye to the humble stick-shift, Hyundai continues to offer driver engagement in a package that is likely to appeal to those who wish to fly a little under the radar while still enjoying the experience behind the wheel.
For them, the Hyundai i30 N Line, in this manual specification, might just be all the warm hatch they need.
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