Hyundai i20 N: a crazy and sensible car at the same time
You probably know someone who knows someone whose grandmother has a Hyundai i20, or who has a Hyundai i20 on lease. The Hyundai i20 is a sort of default for those who want a logical, spacious, somewhat anonymous, somewhat slow, very boring supermini. But this is a regular i20. The Hyundai i20 N is a completely different animal.
Many years ago, somewhere in the late seventies, the European car manufacturers discovered that if you take a compact car and install a powerful engine and proper suspension in it, then you can say that it is a "hot compact", it has the same level of utility, but it has crazy performance. Hyundai i20 N comes with a 1.6-liter engine that produces 204 horsepower, a six-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip differential smoothness, amounts of character and other spirit that almost no Hyundai on earth has.
To clarify again: for those looking for an electric car, an economical car, a car that never goes to the garage, the Hyundai i20 N is the most illogical car on earth, because the i20 N is intended for those who love cars, understand them, understand the ins and outs of driving them, understand that a car is much more than a gimmick, like the ability to jump to 100 km/h in four seconds - a car is a package. The Hyundai i20 N is a package that is crazy and makes sense at the same time.
In terms of looks, it's easy to think that the Hyundai i20 N is the same as the neighbors' Hyundai i20, assuming that the neighbors got angry and decided to go to an accessory store. Many years ago, in order to produce a hot compact car that has a lowered suspension to improve the center of gravity, large wheel rims, a turbo and a proper exhaust system, you had to purchase a hot compact car and then invest tens of thousands of shekels in add-ons and accessories, some of which attract too much attention. The i20 N just gets it right. Those who don't understand might think it's an i20 with some pointless additions. The heart of the i20 N is the engine: a relatively modest engine, 1.6 liters, one turbo, 204 horsepower. It doesn't sound like a lot and to be honest, we would be happy for an i20 N with 250 horsepower. Because for the i20 to be perfect, it needs 250 horsepower, exactly to reach that magical balance point that has so much more than acceleration times to 100 km/h.
Hyundai i20 N is a car of rare balance and surprising balance together with playfulness and brutality that is very difficult to find in modern and sensible cars. The secret is in the combination of the engine, the gearbox and the differential. The i20 has a powerful engine, a manual transmission, of course, and a device called a limited slip differential. What this means is that where a normal car would just pour all the power into the tires, the i20 distributes the power to the wheel that needs it to kick it into turns, again and again and again.
The i20 N has electronics, lots of electronics, like many modern cars. Safety systems, engine management calibration systems and the like, but in the i20 N these systems are designed to hide Mr. Hyde from Jekyll: in everyday driving the i20 N is a normal manual i20, albeit incredibly difficult due to the sports suspension. It is even quite economical, for those who manage to stay in "saving" mode. But at the push of a button, a devilish act takes place: the i20 N's exhaust has a valve that opens and allows it to release noise and quite a few explosions, the pedal response sharpens, the power flows impressively.
The Hyundai i20 N has a cabin like any other Hyundai i20 - of course with excellent sports seats, a beefy steering wheel, and control buttons for the sports systems. If it was a normal i20 we would say it is a little spartan, a bit simple, a bit boring, relatively spacious, radio, small screen. But hot compact cars, a disappearing breed, are designed to do just that: blow off steam on winding roads on a Saturday morning, come home, load up the kids and a cooler, and go to the beach with the drive selector on "economy". This is where the i20 N excels, because unlike most hot compacts of the past, it has five doors. If mom or dad don't choose to accelerate or go into a turn at crazy speed, no one will know it's the sporty version.
Hyundai i20
- Engine: Gasoline, volume: 1,598 cc. Maximum power 204 hp, maximum torque 31 kgm
- Performance: Maximum speed 230 km/h, accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds
- Official fuel consumption: Manufacturer data 14.2 km per liter. Test data: 7.3 km per liter
- Safety: 7 airbags, not yet tested in a public crash test. Infection group: 13
- What we liked: Character, road behavior
- What we liked less: Flashy design
- Competitors: Volkswagen Polo GTI
- Conclusion: A hot compact, for those in the know only
