The professional Hyundai Motorsport drivers Thierry Neuville and Gabriele Tarquini set a world record with the first five-door hot coupe in the C-segment, the i30 Fastback N.
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Driven by the company’s aspiration to always think beyond the conventional, Hyundai gave the story an unexpected twist: Neuville and Tarquini pushed the car to its limits – not by driving from the Italian to the French capital, but by competing against each other on the winding roads between Rome and Paris, located in western Denmark.
Sitting behind the i30 Fastback N’s steering wheel, it took Tarquini only 8:18.49 minutes to cover the distance between the Danish villages with these famous names, winning the race by a fraction of a second. Neuville, who is currently leading the WRC drivers championship, and motorsport legend Tarquini, with more than 25 years of racing experience, were the perfect team to fight a duel on this closed road. They showcased the pure power of the high-performance coupe in a video clip that creates a true racing atmosphere with the powerful engine sound and thrilling driving shots.
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The All-New i30 Fastback N is Hyundai’s second high-performance model in Europe. It follows the i30 N five-door hatchback, which has created an unprecedented success story since its market launch, exceeding initial sales expectations. Almost 3,000 i30 N five-door hatchback units were sold in the first half of 2018 in Europe. 100 units of its First Edition sold out in Germany in just 48 hours.
“With the All-New i30 Fastback N, Hyundai again sets new standards in the market, enhancing the brand’s appeal with highly emotional products. The i30 N’s sales performance clearly proves that with our N models we don’t just offer cars, we create a feeling – the unique N feeling which leaves that special smile on our customers’ faces. With the new hot coupe our customers will enjoy the same driving fun packaged in the car’s beautiful GT like shape wherever they drive!”
To reflect its sophisticated and hot character, the All-New i30 Fastback N has received many design features of its five-door hatchback sibling. On the exterior, the elegant i30 Fastback shape has been merged with the dynamic features of the i30 N five-door hatchback. As a result, the i30 Fastback N showcases a dynamic-looking N Grille and the N front bumper, as well as a unique rear bumper, both of which are highlighted by a red character line below. The black side sill of the lowered body further underlines the model’s sportiness. Moreover, the rear features the dual twin muffler exhaust and a generously arched rear spoiler that is integrated into the tailgate. To highlight the rear spoiler, a glossy black accent has been inserted to further emphasise the specific N appearance.
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The All-New i30 Fastback N’s interior design is clean and sleek. Its centrepiece is the exclusive N steering wheel, manufactured with the characteristic red-coloured N stitching. As part of the coherent colour design, the red stitching is picked up on other parts of the i30 Fastback N’s interior, for example on the gear shift and the seats. The sporty interior design does not compromise the everyday usability: for example, luggage capacity is generous with 450 litres, increasing to 1,351 litres when seats are folded flat.
Customers can choose between two power outputs of the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, which was first introduced in the i30 N five-door hatchback. The Standard Package engine delivers 250 PS (fuel consumption combined: 7.0 l/100 km; CO2 combined: 159 g/km*), while the Performance Package engine generates a maximum power of 275 PS (fuel consumption combined: 7.1 l/100 km; CO2 combined: 163 g/km*). Both outputs deliver a maximum torque of 353 Nm and reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The overboost function further increases torque up to 378 Nm. It is activated when reaching the maximum torque. The 250 PS version accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds*, the 275 PS version in 6.1 seconds*. Furthermore, the All-New i30 N Fastback is equipped with the N Grin Control system which allows drivers to choose from five different drive modes. The settings can be selected via dedicated buttons on the steering wheel: Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom. Depending on the driver’s mood, the different modes change the vehicle’s character.
Inspired by motor sport, the Hyundai N range was derived from the company’s successful participation in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and the Touring Car Racing (TCR) International series. The N line-up was born in Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea, and further developed and tested at the Nürburgring, home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre.
