It’s the best N car on track, but is the sedan the best road car also?
- Still a hoot on the road
- Great boot space
- New interior fit-out
- Noisy cabin on the motorway
- Design may be too overt for some
- Stereo is rubbish
Introduction
The 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N is an absolute cracker on-track.
Managing editor Trent Nikolic belted one at Sydney Motorsport Park just weeks ago, scoring it 8.8/10 in that environment. The result is reflective of the product and the good time it enabled, both figuratively and literally.
After driving one around Winton Raceway myself, I concurred, as I had a ball too. Underneath the edgy and incredibly divisive styling are some new, ‘motorsport-inspired’ hardware upgrades, as after all – this isn’t a masquerading i30 N hatch.
It’s actually a Hyundai Elantra N, but we call it the i30 Sedan N for local branding’s sake, which makes sense to me. It’s built on the Hyundai Motor Group’s CN7 platform, codeword for new and improved version of the ‘PD’ or ‘PDe’ platform that underpins the i30 N hatchback.
It also explains why the sedan has a totally different interior to the hatch too. The 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N is priced from $49,000, or $51,000 with a sunroof, before on-roads.
The choice of six-speed manual or excellent seven-speed dual-clutch automatic comes at no cost, unlike the i30 hatch where the auto wears a premium of a few grand.
If you’re after the track review, click here, but if you want to know about the road drive, read on.
| Key details | 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium |
| Price (MSRP) | $49,000 before on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Fiery Flame (red) |
| Options | Sunroof ($2000), metallic paint ($495) |
| Price as tested | $53,085 drive-away (NSW) |
| Rivals | Ford Focus ST | Volkswagen Golf GTI |
Inside
As expected, the sedan’s interior is all-new. First impressions suggest it was designed in the latter half of last decade, with a pair of 10.25-inch displays neatly integrated into the dashboard almost like they were meant to be there.
It makes others in the range – namely i30 hatch and Kona SUV – feel dated. I know screens are small details, but they’re one of many reasons why the sedan’s interior feels more high-end and premium.
Another is the driver-focused cockpit – reminiscent of your favourite European or Japanese sports car – that places an emphasis on the person in charge. Everything is orientated toward the driver: a smart array of climate-control buttons, switches for driver assist systems, and even a manual handbrake.
What ices the cake in our car particularly is a third pedal and a wobbly stick in the middle. Manual transmissions are rare nowadays, and this one is particularly good. More on that later.
The biggest letdown is its seats, and sadly not because they’re rubbish. They’re just about supportive enough, electrically adjustable with two-position memory and feature lumbar adjustment, but are inferior to the fixed-headrest-type items found in the hatch.
Offered on mid-trim i30 N hatchbacks and above, the ‘N Light Seats’ are more of a traditional ‘bucket’ seat that both looks and feels better. Whether they’re called ‘light seats’ because they’re 2.2kg lighter or sadly feature illuminated badges is up for debate, however.
These fancy pews are offered on the sedan internationally, so maybe we’ll see them in due time. Other equipment highlights include a Bose eight-speaker stereo with external amplifier, black leather trim, and a trick sports steering wheel.
It’s not cool because it’s heated, but rather because it features two large blue buttons. They enable you to store two of your favourite vehicle set-ups, as well as the ability to tab between the factory-defined ‘N’ mode.
If you want them to do other things, sure, simply hold and remap their function via the newly presented menu. Here you can define each button’s function from a long list of things, and likely the thing you want. Clever stuff.
Other small touches up front include a pair of cupholders, some oddly shallow door pockets and a wireless charger. In the second row, the cabin is decently sized and feels larger than the hatch, but still only fits two adults comfortably.
As the image gallery below shows, there’s plenty of space for a Britax Graphene convertible car seat. This seat can be used from birth to four years of age, and in both forward- and rearward-facing fashions. The former is easy to conduct due to a large rear door, whereas the latter is more tricky due to the car’s sloping roof design.
Other touches include a pair of air vents and bottle holders in the doors. Its boot will hold a massive 464L, some 80L more than the hatch’s, but comes with a trade-off.
The opening isn’t as big, so those who ride full-size bikes or need the girth should consider this point. However, in my case it wasn’t an issue, despite loading a foldable kid’s trike alongside enough luggage to suit a week away for a family of three. There was still room to boot too.
Under the floor lies a space-saving spare wheel and thankfully not a repair kit. If you want to fold down the seats, too bad, there’s barwork in the way. Again, check out the gallery below for a better view.
| 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 464L |
| Length | 4675mm |
| Width | 1825mm |
| Height | 1415mm |
| Wheelbase | 2720mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
The effort Hyundai Global has put into our market is testament to the efforts of Hyundai Australia. The local subsidiary has pushed hard and spent time and money to get the full functionality of its track apps and geo-data drive performance meters working in Australia, which is great to see.
Buried within the 10.25-inch display is a performance mode that lets you pick between two racetracks in New South Wales, with more to come shortly. When on the track, the car’s lap timer will function automatically as you cross the finish line. It’s cool stuff, but on the road the configuration side of the car arguably matters more.
In the car’s N performance menu, you can alter everything from the aggressiveness of its electronic limited-slip differential, the amount of stability control you want (halfway or fully off), to even the characteristics of its rev-matching ability. Thankfully, you can save more than one unique set-up.
The Bose stereo is a bit of a letdown, as are the wider sonic qualities of the i30 Sedan N’s cabin. It’s bloody noisy on coarse-chip freeway surfaces, and that’s best reflected in how loud the stereo must be cranked to compensate. It’s also a sign that despite the Bose branding, this ‘premium’ stereo system lacks some punch and clarity.
As expected, there’s digital radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto connectivity.
Safety and Technology
The Hyundai i30 Sedan N remains untested by ANCAP. American crash-test authority IIHS has tested an American market version of the i30 Sedan (Hyundai Elantra) and gave it a ‘top safety pick’ award in 2021.
Our Hyundai i30 Sedan N features blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, automatic braking and lane-keeping assist. However, adaptive cruise control remains unavailable.
There are other neat tricks, too, like a safe-exit system that alerts people via audible warnings if they’re opening a door into oncoming traffic. Personally, I always appreciate some clever programming that repurposes pre-existing hardware – every brand could implement this technology quite easily.
| 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
| Safety report | Untested |
Value for Money
At $49,000 before on-roads and the choice of transmission being free, the 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium offers great value for money. A comparable 2022 Hyundai i30 N Premium hatch, with sunroof, costs $52,000 before on-roads.
A Ford Focus ST starts from $44,890, and a 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI from $53,100. Despite sitting in the middle in terms of pricing, it’s the best equipped, offers the most performance, and features the most exotic hardware.
If you’re hung up on a sedan, the only other choice is going to be an all-new 2022 Subaru WRX. We’ve yet to drive it, however, but stay tuned for a head-to-head as soon as we can.
| At a glance | 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months / 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1005 (3 years) | $1675 (5 years) |
Driving
We’ll start off discussing Hyundai’s integrated drive axle system. Designed for use in its World Rally Championship (WRC) cars, what it does is combine the driveshaft, hub and bearing together as one unit to reduce weight in these highly targeted areas.
It also means parts of the i30 Sedan N’s suspension are different to what’s found in a hatchback, too, because as we’ve come to learn it’s built on a different platform entirely.
While all of these changes are noticeable at high speeds on the track, they do manifest differently on the road. The sedan feels more direct, alert and sensitive to steering input, but lighter in terms of its control’s weighting. Over a three-week period we covered close to 2000km in it, with 90 per cent conducted on the road.
Some may prefer the ‘meatier’ feeling of the hatchback, but I find either palatable to my taste. If I had to pick, I prefer how the i30 sedan feels more gracious through tighter, more complex bends, including my locals and favourites.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.2L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.6L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane petrol / E10-compatible |
| Fuel tank size | 47L |
If you look at the scales, there’s a mere 40kg between them, with the lighter car being the sedan. The performance on offer is fantastic, with a stretchy 206kW uniquely spread flat between 5500–6000rpm and 392Nm of torque.
As a result, the engine revs gracefully, and feels broad like those Japanese performance engines of old. Funnily enough, there’s a reason for that, as this Hyundai turbo four actually shares commonality with one.
Mitsubishi used Hyundai’s bottom end to create the ‘4B11’ engine that powered the last-ever Lancer Evolution, the 10. Before licensing engines to Mitsubishi, Hyundai was on the opposite end of the stick, licensing the triple-diamond brand’s series of ‘4G’ twin-cam petrol engines for its Excel and other vehicles.
You know, the engine that won world rallies and was used in every Evo from one to nine. How times have changed. Either way, if you’re coming from a performance car of old, or simply reminiscing and looking for a more modern interpretation, the i30 Sedan N will make you smile.
Second-gear roll-on events will get the 245-section Michelin PS4s scrabbling for grip, but once they’re warm they generally keep up. It’s interesting to see the brand replacing its special ‘HN’-compound Pirellis on the sedan exclusively, and there’s a reason why. The Michelins are a better tyre for when you’re up to no good, and will likely promote such dubious circumstances.
A trade-off with the tyre choice is cabin noise, as they no doubt contribute to the obtuse levels heard at highway speeds. It’s the biggest downfall of the i30 Sedan N’s road experience, and if you plan to spend your time on the freeway, buy the 2022 Hyundai Kona N instead.
Or replace the tyres, but I can’t confirm whether that will work (yet). The suspension settings retain enough ability to be used on the road, too, and the rev-matching and variable exhaust all add some theatre and drama to your everyday commute.
On the good roads, there’s a deep-enough ability to keep even the most savant driver entertained. It’s fast, competent, but most importantly trustworthy, which makes it fun to explore on a quiet morning.
It’s also a car that’s so genuinely livable day-to-day, has enough space to fit two kids and enough baggage for a holiday, yet could still embarrass far more prestigious metal if some were to threaten.
And best of all, it comes with that thing we all lust and crave: a manual. If you’re considering the six-speed manual, the fast facts are that it’s geared well, feels nice to use, but features a vague clutch pedal. It doesn’t take long to learn, but it doesn’t change the fact the third pedal is overly assisted both mechanically and electronically.
| Key details | 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N Premium |
| Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
| Power | 206kW @ 5500-6000rpm |
| Torque | 392Nm @ 2100-4700rpm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual |
| Power to weight ratio | 143.1kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 1440kg |
| Tow rating | 1600kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.7m |
Conclusion
If you’re deadly keen on exploiting its ability on-track, or are simply romanced by the idea and will get there one day (like me), then you have a reason to buy one.
If you plan to use it solely as a road car, however, the 2022 Hyundai i30 Sedan N has some flaws. The cabin is noisy, it is low to the ground (animal strikes), and the roofline can make early parenthood hard without a capsule. The 2022 Ford Focus ST is far cheaper, too, but is also far more tame as a product.
The biggest problem you’ll have is picking between the hatch, the sedan, the Kona, or maybe even the small one. If you love driving and are competent behind the wheel, you’ll probably love the sedan most.
If you can then get past the styling and to the sales desk, please pick the manual transmission, and don’t get it in Mitsubishi Magna maroon…
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