Hyundai i30 N Line Full Review

Engine

The i30 N Line is powered by Hyundai’s popular 1.6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that puts out 150kW of power and 265Nm of torque.

This same engine is shared with the Elantra Sport, Elantra SR Turbo, Veloster SR Turbo, i30 SR and the new Kia Cerato GT.

Performance

Thanks to its dual-clutch gearbox, expect the N Line to do 0-100 in roughly the low 7 second mark.

More importantly, it handles incredibly well – better than any other competitor in the ‘warm hatch’ market I would say thanks to its incredible Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires.

The engine revs well and manual mode keeps the car exciting, but (and this is the 3rd time I have said this), the exhaust note really needs to be more enticing to the naked ear.

Fuel Economy

Hyundai claims fuel consumption at 7.1L/100km on the combined cycle.

Our real world tests returned remarkably similar figures, averaging about 7.6L/100km on the combined cycle. Except that figure to drop to 5-6L/100km on the motorway, and upwards of 9.0L/100km of pure start/stop city driving.

Interior & Technology

The N Line has comfortable leather seats with sporty red stitching, but only the N Line Premium gets the electric seat position adjustment.

There is keyless entry, push button start, an 8.0-inch colour touch screen with CarPlay/Android Auto and analogue dials with a central LCD display for speed/settings.

Boot capacity is measured at 395L, which can be expanded to 1301L with the second row folded down. There is a decent amount of room space in the back row for a hatch but if you are a lanky lad like me, it may get tight with someone behind the driver.

Safety

The i30 was given a 5-Star ANCAP safety rating in 2017.

The Premium has six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, AEB with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and driver attention alert.

The previous SR’s blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert functions are missing from the N-Line, which is a bit unfair, particularly given the $500 price rise.

Ride & Comfort

This car handles incredibly well thanks to those insane PS4S tires – these are hyper hatch type tires that come stock on this car so we are incredibly impressed with it.

It can make the ride a touch firm every now and then, but honestly it’s meant to be a sporty-ish car. The tire profile isn’t alarmingly low, so bumps aren’t easily felt and the comfortable seats inside make it a pleasant ride.

Warranty & Servicing

Hyundai offers a 5-Year/unlimited kilometre warranty with 12 months roadsides assist and a lifetime capped-price servicing regime.

Servicing is every 12 months or 10,000km.

Most services are $269 with the occasional breach of the $300 mark and as the car heads into its 7th year of life, the prices start to climb.

Pricing

Below is the pricing of the N Line as well as the full blown N as a frame of reference.

N LINE 1.6LULP7 SP AUTO $29,490
N LINE 1.6LULP6 SP MAN $26,490
N LINE (SUNROOF) 1.6LULP7 SP AUTO $31,490
N LINE (SUNROOF) 1.6LULP6 SP MAN $28,490
N LINE PREMIUM 1.6LULP7 SP AUTO $34,990
N PERFORMANCE 2.0LPULP6 SP MAN $40,490
N PERFORMANCE LUX 2.0LPULP6 SP MAN $43,490
N PERFORMANCE LUX S.ROOF 2.0LPULP6 SP MAN $45,490

Overall

The i30 N Line provides a great compromise between the standard i30 and the N Performance. It is sporty, filled with features, comfortable and plays the role well to impress as a warm hatch.

It handles well, is cheap to run and gives drivers that extra bit of excitement that the standard models just can’t provide.

ALL our videos of the i30 N Line:

Full Exterior & Interior Tour:

Exhaust Sound:

Tech Review:

Engine Tour:

POV Test Drive: