Hyundai i30 N to undercut VW Golf GTI… sort of

Hyundai Australia has confirmed specification and pricing details for its first hot hatch, the highly-anticipated 2018 Hyundai i30 N, a scorching 202kW turbocharged track weapon.

To be offered in just one spec – equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and available with a handful of options – the fast four-cylinder Hyundai i30 N hot hatch will be priced from $39,990 (plus on-road costs) when it arrives in mid-April.

Contrary to expectations, Hyundai Australia has chosen not to import the entry-level 184kW i30 N, at least for now. The dual-clutch automatic version of the high-output version remains about a year away.

For now, the big Korean has equipped the Hyundai i30 N with plenty of standard equipment to combat the current Golf GTI – one of the most popular hot hatches in Australia.

This includes an active variable exhaust, launch control, adaptive suspension, lane keeping assistance, 19-inch alloy wheels, an athletic sports body kit and LED headlights, brake lights, indicators and driving lights.

Also standard are height-adjustable sports front seats, an 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and plenty more.

The 2018 Hyundai i30 N will also be available with a 'luxury pack' for $3000, or $5000 if you want a panoramic sunroof as well.

The extra cash buys you front parking sensors, 12-way power-adjustable front seats, power-folding side mirrors, wireless phone charging, smart key and push button engine start plus leather and suede upholstery on the sports seats. The windscreen also gets a special solar coating and there are a few other extras besides.

Scroll down for the full list of standard features and check out our reviews and what we think are the good and bad points of the 2018 Hyundai i30 N below.

Hyundai has never shied away from the fact it wanted to undercut the Volkswagen Golf GTI -- and technically it does, as the five-door Golf GTI retails from $41,490 ($43,990 for the DSG auto). But Volkswagen Australia shifted the goal posts slightly when in late 2017 it released the three-door Golf GTI Original, slashing $4000 off the GTI’s entry price to $37,490 plus ORCs ($39,990 for the auto).

Nevertheless, Hyundai is bullish about its first hot hatch.

"We’ve set the MLP at $39,990 to ensure there are no excuses," exclaimed Hyundai Australia CEO, JW Lee.

"We encourage every genuine enthusiast in the hot hatch market to drive it and make their mind up based on the product's merits.

"Given the way i30 N looks, sounds and drives, we believe it will make a compelling case against its strongest competitors, regardless of price," said Lee.

Both front-drive cars are powered by 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engines, but while the Golf GTI is good for 169kW and 350Nm, the i30 N bangs out 202kW and 353Nm – and up to 378Nm on overboost.

Creating a public spat between the automotive heavyweights, the boss of the Hyundai's high-performance N brand, former BMW M chief Albert Biermann, recently slammed the Golf GTI as a wannabe that'll only be good for "a few laps on the race track". Naturally, Volkswagen fired back at the "extraordinary claims".

"The Hyundai i30 N has been developed for no other purpose than to deliver maximum driving fun to our customers in an accessible high-performance package," said Biermann.

"With the high-performance N models we will enhance our brand's appeal with emotional products that cater to the needs of people who love to have a smile on their face when they drive their car on a winding road and listen to the sound of the engine.

"That's why we measure high-performance in BPM, heart beats per minute instead of only RPM."

There are more high-performance Hyundai N vehicles in the works, including the recently revealed Hyundai Veloster N, which isn't coming to Australia.

The next Hyundai N model expected to be launched here will the i30 N Fastback and there's talk of a tyre-frying N SUV too, possibly the Tucson.

The Hyundai i30 N is backed by the brand's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

2018 Hyundai i30 N pricing:
i30 N manual -- $39,990 (plus ORCs)

Option:
Luxury pack -- $3000
Luxury pack with sunroof -- $5000
Metallic/mica paint -- $495

Hyundai i30 N standard features:

Performance features
- Active variable exhaust
- Electronic Controlled Suspension
- Electronic sound generator
- Electro-mechanical LSD
- Launch control
- N Drive Mode System
- N race computer
- Overboost function
- Performance brake package
- Rear stiffness bar
- Rev matching function