In a testomony to enduring enthusiasm for a pocket-size, track-ready each day within the Australian market, Hyundai’s i20 N TTR hits the tarmac once more for 2025. It’s all about shameless, veritable enjoyable within the newest N emblazoned hot-hatchette as public highway amusement prevails.
How for much longer a automobile like this – small inflexible chassis, guide transmission, overboost, and an apparent nod in direction of excessive efficiency tomfoolery – goes to final is a type of tough questions all of us attempt to keep away from.
Can we get an i20 N whereas ever a Yaris GR or Polo GTI exist? We’ve already seen the Fiesta ST apparently succumb to market tendencies. Regardless of the case, we obtained a brand new i20 N this yr, so allow us to rejoice appropriately.
Allow us to dwell as we did in our Civics and Charades as 19-year-olds – within the second. This yr’s i20 N TTR has landed with some delicate however tasteful upgrades within the styling and driver comfort departments.
Hyundai noticed no have to tamper with the center and soul of an virtually good manifestation of the new hatch both. Entrance finish revisions begin with the bumper and grille. A small change making an enormous aesthetic distinction is the blacked-out Hyundai badge.
The mixture means the messiness of the previous grille has been tidied up and matured. Deep fog mild housings and a particular lip draw the nostril vast, and the identical goes for the again finish.
Flared hips, a low-set diffuser and prolonged roof spoiler draw the physique wider than a automobile in its class should dare. It’s an optical phantasm that permits you the total good thing about the scale novelty, however with no shrinking in highway presence.
In the meantime, TTR crimson N brake calipers peer by means of freshly styled 18-inch alloys. These wheels are fantastically paired with the i20 N, virtually like 4 purebred Huskies staring again at you from their without end residence.
Sitting pretty flush with the guards too, the entire setup has a rebellious stance, one which hints on the automobile’s essence of punch, dealing with, and play. Punch comes from the savage little 1.6-litre Smartstream turbocharged inline four-cylinder.
The bundle produces 150kW and 275Nm, or a 304Nm torque restrict once you hit overboost (in different phrases, maintain your foot down and be rewarded with an additional 29Nm for essential overtakes).
Regardless of the TTR trim carrying an additional 25kg above the 1210kg unladen weight of the bottom mannequin, energy to weight nonetheless sits someplace round 122kW/t. By comparability, you’re thrashing a Polo GTI.
You’re getting thrashed by a Yaris GR although, and also you’re not an embarrassing distance behind your i30 N massive brother, at 145kW/t. Hyundai know that the ability must be transformed to play, nevertheless, and an outstanding dealing with prowess speaks to that.
A finely tuned setup begins with Macpherson struts up entrance, however being the smallest N automobile there’s no absolutely unbiased suspension within the rear, with a semi-independent coupled torsion beam used as a substitute.
Don’t be postpone by this – Hyundai’s Nürburgring testing is fairly evident given how sharp this factor feels at each ends of the automobile. It’s additionally stiff, mild and compensated for by that unbelievable mechanical entrance differential, even within the wildest of situations.
So how does all this translate into consumer expertise? What are you able to do with it? Effectively, about as a lot as you dare in line with your proclivity for consideration and threat taking. You may merely benefit from the reassuring grumble heard at low RPM and latency of what’s at your disposal.
You may give it the odd squirt and chirp into second (which by no means will get previous) earlier than merging again to the left. You possibly can additionally dwell perpetually in N mode. That’s our desire – blow out the mixed 6.9-litres/100km consumption and recognise the liberty this automobile provides you.
You’re probably going to hit someplace between 7.0-litres and eight.5-litres/100km until you’re the tamest of drivers. We spent the primary 100km or so of this highway check sporting in a brand-new set of Pirelli P-Zeros, then it was grip aplenty.
Do your absolute worst as a result of this factor glues itself to the highway like a local weather protester. For the extra technical hairpin laden adventures, torque steer is wrangled and smoothed out very well.
That leaves all of the consequential stuff – the road you choose and an exit technique – as much as you. On the dust, the rally pedigree shines by means of and it’s only a case of whether or not you’re ballsy sufficient to expertise that weird sensation of a FWD energy slide.
When you get your eye in, you get some first rate grasp earlier than bringing it again beneath your toes. In the meantime, transferring by means of all six gears is a fabulous affair.
With brief throws, easy however decisive shifts and a pleasant little bit of weight to the clutch, it’s a ‘field poised for efficiency driving. That mentioned, the clutch isn’t so heavy as to be insufferable for on a regular basis use.
Equally, the journey in suburbia undoubtedly has a coilover-esque bob and bounce, however it’s not at all oppressively harsh. On the within, styling is clear and sensible, and regardless of some opinions, every part felt sturdy too.
The i20 N now runs a ten.25-inch infotainment unit and the identical measurement customisable TFT instrument cluster in one other good instance of stopping what’s finally a “driver’s automobile” from lagging behind in tech and inside performance.
Via the larger display screen all of your Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity will be managed, and you’ll choose what to blast by means of the seven-speaker Bose audio system.
“N Grin” customisation (throttle response, rev matching, diff locking and so on.), launch management and different hooning necessities may also be fiddled with by means of the contact display screen. Over-the-air (OTA) software program updates and built-in LED inside temper lighting have been added.
This full spec TTR will get the entire suite of SmartSense security and driver help expertise together with N-embroidered race seats too. You undoubtedly really feel strapped-in sitting in these however there’s sustained consolation.
We put down some critical kilometres throughout this highway check and by no means had a touch of cramping or restlessness. Huge storage capability is one thing you’re not likely searching for on this automobile, however there’s ample room for you and the passenger.
Likewise, there’s useable leg room within the rear, and a intelligent hid ground compartment within the boot when you raise out the insert. Quibbles? Any? Perhaps a very good signal is that they’re straightforward to slender down and there’s solely two.
Whether or not it’s throughout the board we are able to’t say, however our check automobile did have a fickle wi-fi charger and was fairly patchy regardless of completely different telephones, case on, case off and so forth. A low-key however beforehand echoed criticism is that of the excessive beams.
In a world with off highway mild bars burning by means of our retinas, Hyundai may afford to offer them a bit extra oomph – we’d prefer to drive quick at evening, too. This automobile can and can carry constant enjoyable to your sluggish trudge of every week, observe days or a again highway thrashing.
The final time this author had the identical feeling was again in 2022, ripping a 595 Competizione round some unsealed entry roads. And but the i20 N isn’t facetious like that. It’s a critical driver’s automobile and a catch-me-if-you-can commuter.
However on the similar time, it’s a well mannered, fashionable, effectively outfitted, comfy runabout, all-in-one. Let’s take pleasure in it whereas we are able to and hope it stays for the long run. Present pricing places the TTR variant at $36,500 earlier than on-roads.
Yow will discover out extra on the Hyundai Australia web site, or by speaking to your native dealership. To get a low charge finance quote, speak to Australia’s finest reviewed automobile finance dealer; Credit score One. To see an excellent vary of automobiles on the market, try OnlyCars.com.au.
Our check automobile was equipped by GM Specialty Automobiles for unbiased evaluation functions. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to evaluation this automobile.
