Late to the show or a brilliant move by the Koreans? The Hyundai i20 N is the first N iteration of the brand's B-segment model and you'll have undoubtedly heard it: they aced it. So here's another love letter...

While the majority of manufacturers killed off the halo versions of their compact models, Hyundai did exactly the opposite by producing the first ever Hyundai i20 N. That's right, there's never been an N version of the B-segment model offered by the Korean brand in Europe. But in all honesty, you not knowing about that is easily forgiven. See, the way the performance subbrand entered this niche was simply unprecedented. It was so successful that it felt like N subbrand has been around for decades.

Where it was hard to stand out in the hot-hatch segment a few years ago, these cars have now become rare. The Volkswagen Polo GTI, MINI Cooper S, and Ford Fiesta ST are the only three offerings right now, next to this new kid on the block that is.

So what are we talking about?

Abstractly looking at the potent Hyundai generates an image of an 1190 kilogram, front-wheel drive car with 204 horsepower and 270 Nm (300 Nm in overboost). But dive beyond that and the details start telling a story that does the car justice. It's when you look at things like the mechanical limited-slip differential, the rev-matching function, the rare two-piece torsion beam at the rear, a manual transmission, and the big brakes with calipers to match, that you realize just how much work Hyundai put into the car.

The recipe not only sounds good, but Hyundai's N division made it all work together seamlessly with the interior and exterior tweaks too. Compared to the standard i20, the N version gets lavished in the 'N warpaint' we've all grown accustomed to over the last few years. Front and back gain a new bumper, there are side skirts, and the wheels have upgraded to an 18-inch set with 215/40 R18. N-logos are well represented both inside and outside. On the side, the color scheme continues on various panels, on the sports seats, and the N steering wheel. Compared to the regular i20, the i20 N gets software added to the infotainment. Software that the brand calls 'exclusive N content'. It effectively adds an interface for tuning custom drive settings, an interface for the car's parameters, and also adds a track performance recorder.

Complete package

So what does the brand ask for this spicy hatch? In Belgium, the car will cost a minimum of € 30.999. You'll get a near fully optional car for that money, as Hyundai only leaves a few things left to choose from. There's a two-tone paint option for a black roof, the most expensive paint will set you back € 700, and the last thing on the list is optional BOSE audio. Everything else that you read about comes with any i20 N sold.

Right in the feels

The thing with hot hatches is that they, when done right, effectively turn you into an 18-year-old again. Albeit one with more self-control. What I mean by that is that the car should lure you into naughty behavior as if it's the car's second nature. And guess what? The Hyundai i20 N does just that in two ways: first by having those nifty N buttons on the steering wheel and secondly by offering a rewarding experience at any given speed. The latter is proudly promoted by the car's system which suggests you might want to slip into the N drive mode when it spots twisty roads in its map data. Brilliant. But there are more features to this car that add to the magic, features like launch control and a genuinely rewarding exhaust note.

Despite the i20 N being relatively small, the reworked suspension doesn't make the car jumpy. There's confidence-inspiring neutrality in the chassis and a high amount of feedback from the entire car. So much that I often wondered if the inner rear wheel might have left the tarmac for a bit. The rear end will even wiggle outwards a bit if you turn off every form of assistance, yet the understeer does present itself with a small warning upfront. A bad amount of understeer? No, we're dealing with a front-wheel drive car, and for that type of drivetrain, the i20 N falls well within acceptable margins. Even torque steer remains acceptable, only in launch control did I ever worry about how hard the torque worked through the drivetrain.

Not all bliss

Hyundai made one choice that does puzzle me though, and that's the choice of the flywheel. Or that flywheel’s rather large size that is. Due to this relatively large size, the 1.6 T-GDI engine falls slowly in revs. This is in contrast to how nimble everything else feels, it feels off by being slow to drop in revs. Where the engine eagerly climbs in revs and output and rewards accordingly, the size of the flywheel corrupts the overall experience somewhat. But this character is in no way a deal breaker, let that be clear. And whilst I'm complaining, I might as well add the last negative remark: it could use a tiny bit more power. Albeit offered in more horses in boost function or higher peak output, the car begs for a bit more pull after the initial shove in the back. Which makes me wonder: could there ever be an i20 N Performance? Either way, the performance is there with 0-100 kph met in 6.7 seconds.

Summary

It won't come as a surprise that I'm very, very impressed by what Hyundai has created. The Hyundai i20 N is nothing short of a quality hot hatch that offers a tremendous amount of fun. In terms of interior and exterior, it faces the same challenge as any hot hatch: making it stand out from the car it is based on. For the majority, Hyundai has done a remarkable job here too. Inside and out, the smallest N car feels and looks special. When it comes to a rewarding and refined drive, the B-segment N car is among the best I've had the pleasure of testing. And last but certainly not least is the exhaust note, which almost seemed like it didn't suffer from the particle filter.

Buyers won't be disappointed when they chose the Hyundai i20 N, the car is everything you hear about and perhaps even more. Hyundai N might be at its prime right now, choosing the N over other brands is perhaps more valid than ever. Albert Biermann, the man largely held responsible for how good N is, has retired. Get them while they're good?

Hyundai i20 N Tested: Compact Bliss