Facelifted 2021 Hyundai i30 N hot hatch starts from £33,745

• New infotainment touchscreen
• Available with a manual or a new eight-speed auto
• i30 N range starts from £33,745

Prices and specifications for the new facelifted Hyundai i30 N range have been confirmed. The car gets a minor styling refresh, a new touchscreen and an automatic gearbox option. It’s available to order now with prices starting from £33,745.

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Despite being Hyundai’s first hot hatchback, the i30 N has quickly established itself as a worthy rival to the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Renault Megane RS and the Ford Focus ST. This success has seen Hyundai’s N Division introduce new performance models to the ‘N’ line-up, with the arrival of the i20 N hot hatch and new Kona N performance SUV.

2021 Hyundai i30 N: pricing and specifications

The i30 N hatchback kicks off the range, starting at £33,745 with a six-speed manual gearbox. Opting for the eight-speed automatic increases the price to £35,695. The slightly larger i30 N Fastback starts from £35,695 for the manual model, with the automatic version costing from £36,445.

Every version is well-equipped, with LED headlights and LED daytime running lights, LED tail-lights and 19-inch alloy wheels. Buyers can pick from seven paint finishes, including two new shades called ‘Sunset Red and ‘Dark Knight.’

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Keyless entry is standard, along with a heated steering wheel and electrically adjustable and heated front seats, electric folding mirrors and a wireless smartphone charging pad.

The i30 N carries over the safety kit from the regular models with a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors fitted as standard. It also gets an array of driver assistance features including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, speed limit assist and a driver attention alert monitor.

Design

Like the regular Hyundai i30, the updated i30 N gets sharp LED daytime running lights and tail-light elements, plus a new grille and tweaked bumpers. To show it’s the hot N model, you also get a few red trim inserts, a big roof spoiler and a diffuser between those large twin exhausts. We think the i30 N strikes a good balance between sportiness and subtlety, especially compared to the distinctive Honda Civic Type R.

Interior

Inside, the i30 N continues to show its range-topping status with a range of sporty upgrades. New lightweight ‘bucket’ seats trimmed in leather and suede are fitted, providing more support through fast corners than standard seats. There’s also a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, aluminium pedals and plenty of red stitching.

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Hyundai has also fitted a new-and-improved 10.25-inch touchscreen, which no longer has shortcut buttons on each side, and looks much more modern for it. The system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the N-specific driving info menu has been redesigned to make it easier to use.

Engine and performance

The refreshed Hyundai i30 N uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and also comes with a limited-slip differential. Power output is 276bhp, a 5bhp increase over the old car, and Hyundai claims there’s more pulling power lower in the rev range too.

When equipped with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, both the hatch and Fastback versions of the i30 N sprint from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds.

Going for the optional DCT eight-speed dual clutch automatic box makes the car slightly quicker, taking 5.4 seconds from 0-62mph when using launch control. The automatic also adds three unique driving functions. The first is ‘N Grin Shift’, which selects the optimum gear while maximising the engine power for 20 seconds.

The ‘N Power Shift’ function automatically detects when the driver is accelerating hard and maintains the engine speed and power delivery by delivering rapid gear changes. The ‘N Track Sense’ works in a similar way, monitoring acceleration and brake inputs to assist the car’s power delivery by holding onto a gear for longer and optimising gear changes to ensure smooth power delivery.

See where the Hyundai i30 N features on our list of the best cheap sports cars, or read our guide to the fastest hot hatchbacks currently on sale to compare the i30 N to its rivals.