Our Cars - Hyundai i20 N Introduction

The Suzuki has its charm, but in the end, the extra excitement and performance of the N was too hard to resist.

The buying experience was made easy by Jonny at RN Golden Hyundai in Huddersfield. They’re a family business and it shows, with a relaxed atmosphere in their dog-friendly showroom. With immense patience, Jonny listened to our needs and arranged an extended, unaccompanied test drive on each visit. By removing the pressure of being watched, this really helped us find out if the Hyundai was the right fit. Handily, with a bit of Google-mapping, I also found a mini hill climb nearby, allowing me to get under the car’s skin.

But a strange thing was happening with i20 N values – the market was propping them up in the wake of it being removed from sale. The numbers involved got a little uncomfortable. But finally, after three trips over the Pennines, the right car presented itself and we drove away in a Performance Blue example with less than 6,000 miles under its belt.

Initially, however, my decision to buy an i20 N was motivated by rationality rather than desire. A car I respected, one that aligned with my needs rather than an obsession. The justifications were reliability, practicality, safety.

But that slow-burn admiration has now turned to love. And much to my chagrin, a large factor in our blossoming relationship is all the things I used to oppose – to the point of wearing them as a badge of honour – that have won me over.

My commute has gone from being a chore to something I look forward to. In winter, the screen demisted on command, the heated seats and steering wheel kept me toasty whilst my phone charged. As summer approaches, the climate control is keeping the temperature just so. Road trips have become something for both me and my better half to enjoy rather than endure. And with a motorway mpg in the 50s, they’re more justifiable. Then, when I get to the end of the motorway, with one press of a button, the Hyundai sheds its skin and comes alive.

Obviously, I have the N1 and N2 buttons set up as polar opposites – maximum attack and maximum comfort. For pushing on, I actually like the heaviest steering setting – unlike many of my peers – for it adds to the planted feel of the car and helps meter out the hyperactive front end. Admittedly, this does trade a little of the more natural weighting and loading of the default steering. Both have their merits. Throttle-wise, I favour the medium setting, and to satisfy my boy-racer, the exhaust valve is pinned open, even though it also gives more voice to the augmented engine note. I do wish Hyundai would produce an update revising this to something more natural and less tone deaf.

But I’m surprised by how tangible the differences are between the settings, and many times I end up performing a quick tweak depending on the weather. In the wet, the more laid-back responses of the default settings promote a calmer approach, taming wheelspin and keeping the performance exploitable.

I do, however, have some changes planned for the car. First to go will be the Pirelli P-Zero PZ4 tyres. They’re great in the dry, but abysmal as soon as the temperature drops below eight degrees Celsius – which, of course, it’s prone to do in the UK. They’re also wearing so fast that one axle has already been replaced by a pair of Continental Sport Contact 7s – for me, the UHP tyre of the moment. I also know from experience they’ll last longer and perform better when it’s chilly. I’d also like an alcantara steering wheel after recently driving the Abarth 600E.

Power is a trickier subject. Sometimes the i20 N can feel like a rapid little scamp, other times, a little flat. I don’t feel like the car needs any more performance, and jeopardising the five-year warranty and breakdown cover is out of the question, but the brain worm has to chip away at something…