Hyundai i20N review: is this 201bhp hot hatch a match for the Fiesta ST? | Top Gear
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Welcome to one of 2021’s easiest-to-understand new cars: the Hyundai i20N. This isn’t a niche-busting crossover-urban-SUV hotchpotch with a hybrid propulsion system. Nope, this is old-school. It’s a 201bhp little hot hatch with big potential. But will it be a match for a Fiesta ST? Top Gear Magazine’s Head of Testing, Ollie Marriage, has hit the road and track to find out…
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I love my N. I spend a lot of my day in the car, and it makes every trip feel like play time. Best investment I've made since gamestop.
You done well with the games top lol
Are you referring to the 130N or what?
@@hpman911 I wish it was the I30N. I'm here in the states so we don't get that on here. I have the Veloster N.
@@SL4PSYM4XY got a Veloster n about a month ago, i think it is a bit faster in the turns and i like it over the i30n, if i only had one car thou i would want the i30n.
Golf looking, not for me
What Hyundai is doing with their N cars reminds me of the glorious Japanese cars from the '90s
Yes i like it soo
I mean there is the GR Yaris
@Bitterman uhhh pretty sure that the i20N could probably keep up with quite a few of those stock, do you know how slow those cars are from the factory?
@Bitterman hahaha jdm fanboys bragging about cars they saw in video games
@Bitterman there is a reason it's compared to fiesta st and clio rs, not an sti which natural comeptition is focus rs, it's not even the same class, you can compare civic vi type r to a clio 2 sport, both had same horsepower, same size, and old supras were slow and heavy and a lot of them were bought NA with shitty automatic
This just reminds me of the hot hatches of the 90's. Turn off or remove all the assists and you've got one really fun car.
90s hot hatches were much much much better than this hyundai JUNK.
many still run. Most hyundai cars wont last even 10 year.
@@learn2237 it'd be nice to see what happens with them
@@learn2237 don't hyundais come with 10 years warranty
@@learn2237 so you still live in the past. Also, I've seen plenty of 20 years old Hyundai's on the street. or more.
Granted, in the 90's they lacked refinement, they lacked many things. But on the engine department, they were actually reliable.
Also... Until early 90's, Hyndai cars 1.5 engine, was a mitsubishi unit.
@@learn2237 hyundai cars would last longer than any American car
Such a cool little thing. Loving what Hyundai is doing with the N series of cars. Great video.
With all off the douchebaggery Hyundai has done and still is doing to their own customers, I'll never again buy anything from them or their sub brands.
@@business-us1zl ?
Shame front looks weird
@@business-us1zl Bro you literally commented the same exact comment on another hyundai video, stop spamming ffs
@@business-us1zl wat
Good on Hyundai for sticking with a manual box and making it fun to drive, too many of the new so called hot hatches are soulless to drive
Depends on what market you are going for. I am around 50 and love a manual box. I would buy this car. I did buy a Colt Ralliart brand new. Which I had mapped to 190 BHP years ago. But the market for this car is rich 20-25 year olds? I have seen younger lads love the automatic Renaultsport Clio
Wow.
Remember Hyundai and Kia 10 years ago? Mostly recognized for cheap, bad looking, extremely boring cars for those without much to spend on cars.
They still are kind of affordable, but other than greatly improving their designs and quality, what are these exciting cars lately?
Stinger GT? i30N, and now this? Boy did they step their game up. Sure, it's not as exciting of a hot hatch as some others, it's more like a Polo GTi from what I see and read: perfectly usable on the daily, great tool on the track or twisties, but maybe missing emotion. And that mainly comes down to the engine in this case.
Imagine them creating a lighter, snappier engine in the next gen, and there we are - the Koreans are very close to being absolutely astonishing. And for now, they're just very, very good.
We just bought my mother this generation of the i20 - of course, not the 'N' model, just as a little city car for her to get around the city with. And does it do great? It does. She sat in it after driving a 2nd gen Kia Cee'd and the uplift in quality is really noticable even compared to that. Cost very little money and there's lane keeping assist, heated seats and steering wheel, infotainment system, LED lights, cruise control - and overall good feeling of quality when you sit in it. They advance so quickly.
10- 20years ago Hyundai KIA made OK cars. Not any more.
recall after recall , catching fire on highway.
@@personal8580 Yeah, well, our i20 also has an early problem with the clutch which happens to be a common problem.
But other than that, solid. Even Toyota has problems with reliability nowadays compared to their 15-20yr old cars. More technology -> more things to go wrong.
@@alf279 I'm thinking about buying i20n tho, but as I heard the clutch is hardened in N cars, a.k.a. it has race clutch in there to last longer and to handle more power. So I'm not really worried about clutch, but I heard that i30n is not very well built, that they have some problems after only 20-30k km so I'm not really sure if I should buy it now or wait for next gen...
@@patrik-4163 always buy one with a good warranty. I love my Hyundai but it needs a warranty like it’s euro competitors
@@patrik-4163 i think it can be changed by an after market clutch cylinder
Another car the US doesn't get. F*** I hate SUV's.
Your roads are too long and straight
@@ollie-t7862 ye that’s pretty true
@@bruhwth What about in the Rockies.....
@@hellobooom maybe besides that, most of the roads are pretty straight.
not this.
"I'm not sure the limited slip differential is actually necessary"
Said no driving enthusiast, ever. 🤣
Yeah, i don't know what he's talking about. Maybe he likes one tire smoke.
@@mro9466 yes, the old one tyre fryer.
Why? Everyone loved a one wheel peel trying to pull out of a wet junction 🤣
pretty sure mclaren doesn’t have lsd
@@mro9466 Doubt it powerfull enough to smoke a tyre coming out of a corner
This looks like a happy dog in the corners, marking it's territory as it goes for a walk.
Rear wheel up.... there's a good dog.
Who’s a good boy Who’s a good boy you are you are
Cool car takes me back to the 90's and 1100kg and around £25k what's not to like, pop a exhaust on and air filter and will be a hoon.
better check out this documentary, before you buying it.
Drivers fear for safety as years-long recall fails to catch some engine failures
czcams.com/video/2iaMHhWkSNw/video.html
most Hyundai engines seize up around 50k -90k.
It's 1190 kg, not 1100 kg.
@@gree9963 Information pulled from your arse.
@@kpopkpop5235 what do I say to the burnt BMW's or Mercedes on the side of the road (recent ones)? We don't talk about those because they're premium?
So sad that we can't get these in the States. Everyone wants their stupid crossovers with lane departure assist so they can text and drink their coffee.
But we do get the Veloster N. I’ve owned one for almost a year... super fun little car.
Its olso got a lane departure. And many more
EU always get the cool version
heyy you american have plenty alternative you know
@@arher9598 If US had released the i30N, I would've never bought my current car MK7 GTI and that's fact
I’m glad to see these thereabouts 200bhp hatches still being made. As much as I love the new 300/400bhp hatches for their speed, for the day to day driver these are perfect.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
With the i20 or the Fiesta, you're on a winner.
These days the B-segment hatches (Light cars in Australia, subcompacts in the USA) are playing the role of what C-segment (small cars / compacts) used to be just 10-20 years ago. If the theoretical numbers are to be believed, this i20N actually has about the same amount of legroom as the Golf MK VII. Pretty impressive engineering on their part.
I'm glad the Elantra N is available for those among us who want the same kind of fun but with more room for the family, I just placed an order for one yesterday.
Yes agree. I went for the i20N as there's more room in the back than the i30! And car park spaces aren't bigger unlike cars have gotten.
Dont forget the weight, some of those hatches got a bit fat recently.
1190kg in modern day is fantastic in every way.
@Bitterman What do you expect when a car is twice the price, smaller engine, smaller overall size and with rally heritage?
Seems like a strange comment, you seem to forget that power to weight is just as important for handling as it is for straight line speed. Sure the type r will be quicker in a straight line. Boring.
@Bitterman GR Yaris is not lighter than I20N. Gr Yaris is 1280KG Curb, this is 1190KG curb.
@Bitterman literally nobody cares what you said, because lightness has nothing to do with power. Shut the ???? Up.
I think this guy is smoking something. He said it sounds bad? It pops and crackles man. It's the best sounding hot hatch for the money, no doubt.
Pops and crackles aren't exhaust sound in the same way drinking craft beer isn't a personality
Inside the car sounds boring. My corsa opc on the outside sounds nice. On the inside sounds like it's dying
Lol don’t be a twat
@@Pedro_opc Corsa OPC is a fcking good car. But the Sound is pretty bad.
@@mitchellsteindler lol 😆
I do like Hyundai's styling. They can actually make good-looking mainstream cars.
It is nice to see new players on the mini hot hatch category. Clio, Corsa, 208, Ibiza are no longer on this league, so i20N and GR Yaris are a really fresh take on how a small hot hatch should be.
20 years later and people will talk about how simple and pure fun this car is
I own one of these and i'm loving this car. Just enough power to have a huge amount of fun and this thing absolutely grips to the road. Never been worried about taking corners at higher speeds it just grips to the road like a champ.
Sounds just like what I'm looking for! What settings do you use? Do you have the assists off?
Are you sure about that Nurburgring comment? as far as I know "The ‘N’ in Hyundai N stands for Namyang, home to Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea since 1995"
They've said I stands for Namyang where it's engineered and the Nerburgring where its perfected
@Octavian Roman It's for both trust me I've watched far to many videos on the i30n and this car 😂
thats super cool. i know Namyang. super cool place and i visited HUGE dogmeat market there.
I’ve heard both
It's just marketing, it means nothing tangible
The N stands for the Hyundai test center in South Korea „Namyang“ not the Nürburgring in Germany :)
its both actually, the N logo is shaped like a corner at the nurburgring
The cars are developed in Germany for the most part. N stands for Nürburgring and Namyang.
These hot hatchbacks aren't even available or popular in Korea. These are developed in Hyundai Europe exclusively for EU markets.
It is both. I work for them.
How does Top Gear doesn't know this?
Is no one going to address that fact that one wheel was in the air not touching the ground for the whole video?😂
Shows it’s got a very stiff setup so not a bad thing
@@DamoDrives I rather have all my four wheels on the ground when cornering
@@Riiiisc yeahhh chassis flex my favourite
@@Riiiisc you don't get the fun of small hatchbacks then
@@Petrospect I own an Abarth 695
I just love this little thing. I think I'm buying one next year.
I am the one who was in charge of i20 N Program Manager in 2018. The i20N went in production almost the same when I initially had planned to be.
Great review and very useful too, especially for all of us who own a private circuit in the back of our house...
What was the Llandow lap time for this motor? 48 seconds?
Still can’t beat the Fiesta ST💪🏻
Gr yaris kill both with 3 cyl 😆
@@GODiscomingsoonagain you are probably right but the Yaris is really in a different segment and £10 K more !
SDUFC
SDUFC
@@jonwick6707 ???????🤯
Ordered. Polar white with a black roof. Cannot bloody wait🤘
An intake and exhaust + a tune will make this all the car almost anybody could ask for.
I have the Veloster N. Amazing car.. but damn I wish we could get this in the states
So it’s not coming to NA?
That’s utter BS!!
They should do an Accent N.
I wish we could get Veloster N over here - I’m tempted to import one not going to lie
@@matthewgannon722 Why they can hardly sell them here
@@RCXDerp look awesome and N Hyundai’s always usually drive nice
Fiesta ST any day
Same engine that was in my Proceed Gt, so these will have plenty of room for tuning without spending a fortune on hardware. Mine had 240 bhp and was a hoot.
Love the colour absolutely gorgeous and beautiful
Impressed by the weight
I really like it. Looks smart and seems to go well too. Seems a bit pointless having four modes for everything but it's nice to have it if you want to use them.
I believe it has a custom setting where you can mix and match settings, like Sport for steering and Sport+ for exhaust. That makes it a bit more useful.
Having been in one of these & listening to what the owner had to say about his car, that he's been to track day in, is that its a great Hot-hatch for those who have a little bit less driving skill & experience that some of the more lairy & wayward handling Hot-hatch's require to keep on the road/track
Are we going to get this in🇨🇦,I’ve been looking at the Veloster N to buy but I like this.
Handsome car , I had a 98 Tiburon fx and it was an amazing car.
I love car 96 tiburon
As someone who particularly loves fun to drive cars, I think the i20N looks alright, would love to own one of those, just too bad not every dealership and every country can bring one in which is a shame, my country is one of them.
In Australia there sold out with a big back order that Hyundai stopped taking orders.
Since we don't get in the USA, it's not a match for a fiesta ST here. The closest thing we have is the Veloster N. It's a great little car, I have driven it. Unfortunately for me it's out of my price range. I have a 2019 Fiesta ST, paid around $21k new. I had a 2016 Fiesta ST before that. Most fun thing I have ever bought with money.
It took a long time for the tester to suggest the car is FWD. The GR Yaris is AWD. The two aren't even comparable.
FWD cars can be more fun to drive than AWD.
@@iluvcakes19 Depends on if they have a "limited slip differential" or not! With that, they're definitely fun to drive!
Looks good, shame there's no 3dr option though
Cool little hot hatch. Props to Hyundai again. Like this reviewer too. He’s clear, insightful, and has enough personality.
Looks flippin amazing!! I keep loving Hyundai more!
"The engine internals feel heavy" - AKA code for "this thing will take some serious boost".
Yep, they’re fairly detuned from the factory. There’s at least 40 more horses in there with even the most basic of maps.
The reviews that I’m looking for because this car will be allowed as a first car in NSW and its manual and its small THANK YOU TOP GEAR and it sounds good
Surely insurance is mega high mr egg?
@@theessexracer probably not being 1.6 l
@@shazboz 201bhp 🥴 my first car had 67hp and it cost me £2800 (in UK)
@@theessexracer my Mazda3 has 121bhp and cost me £1.8k as an 18 year old
You're definitely doing something wrong lol
@@yeshwantdasari2075 Sometimes being old has it's benefits. £1.8K for insurance? Holy s#@t!
I like that exhaust sound 😍. I was going to buy this one but I got a pretty good deal in my country for brand new fiesta ST3 with all the optional extras... i don't regret but I do like this i20 N! Nice review aswell. With very well explained pros and cons and honest opinion. Good job
I cannot believe that Hyundai is given the equal focus on Euro, North America, and Australia market, and given each market the best they want. As much as I'd love to drive this car, however, being in the US I'll definitely enjoy the Palisade a lot more for the road trips.
I like manual cars,when I driving,it feels like playing games
Nice car, looks a lot of fun.
I'd still take the Fiesta. From front on the lights look a bit low for my liking.
As opposed to the dramatic sharp styling of the flabby old Fiesta you mean? Jesus🙄🤣🤣🤣
I drove the i30n fastback and they are definitely on the right track with that one
Awesome video review
Props to this review. One of the best I’ve seen (overall) in terms of explaining the dynamics of a car.
Very bad approach if you think that this car has something similar to a rally car. GR YARIS is a rally car approved for the streets. They are not comparable.
It’s a fiesta ST competitor with rally car mentioned in the brochure, not in the price range.
This basically like with the Polo R WRC which was still just FWD. Don't know what these manufactures want to accomplish with this. These are cars for enthusiasts and those are normally people that can immediately see through the bullshit. This car has basically nothing to do with rallying. If it would have AWD it would have at least some credibility.
Great presenter! Opinionated but fair and geniunely happy to be there. 👍
Really nice looking bit of kit, it’s a shame only Ford (and the limited run Yaris) make a 3 door hatchback these days though, we don’t all need rear doors
I really prefer analogue gauges much better
Can anyone figure if he is trying to criticise or praise the car??😂😂😂
A good opinion is not black or white
@@greensamurai5805 99% of the opinions of the Yaris GR or Fiesta ST are black and white that they're pretty much perfect - clear here the I20N unfortunately isn't
@@ScottZ370interesting point but i was clearly talking about his opinion not the car
Great review
Would hope it is, didn’t the Ford B2 / B2E platforms first go on sale over 20 / 12 years ago after entry to the JWRC??
what i dont understand is, he says the hand brake doesnt do very much but in a german video they do wounders with the handbrake, also here it says the sound isnt good but also in the german video they say the sound is good and real, im confused.
Agree. Reviewers seems to disagree quite a bit on central points. Also some say the suspension is super hard and punishing others that its perfectly fine. Some say it sounds better than fiesta St... Confusing. I want to know how easy it oversteer.
The badge snobs will still say its a trash
Yeah, the German car badge snobs won't be buying it.
@@LS-hl1yi they will, i am one of those. Preordered i20n 😈
@@venom_Nperformance I suppose it does have nurburgring in the name
@@LS-hl1yi or namyang.
@@venom_Nperformance Wann bekommst du ihn? Ich finde nichts dazu, wann er endlich offiziell auf den Markt kommt und zu offiziellen Preisen findet man auch nichts.
Does it not have independent rear suspension or does it just have the thickest swaybar
Seems as though it would be better off with a supercharger instead and could be better using that for rev matching. Is there a super charger option?
So very sad we don't get any hatchbacks in the US anymore. I love my previous generation Fiesta ST, but I would have loved to have options when buying it even more.
Write this to Ford. Nowadays, American manufacturers literally tell you what they think you should buy. And they give you no choice. Hail freedom... 😕
The Mrs has the i30n and that’s an immense car, I have fancied getting one of these myself when they come out, did hope it would be a little cheaper than 25k though !
I have the fastback version and its quality, loves to be thrashed and is very capable, brilliant on the B roads
Yeah driving N definitely make me smile
Literally fun car
It’s 2021 nothing worth having us less than 25k
@@Cous1nJack if the new m3 is 85k with a few options then I guess it’s not bad value 🤣
@@Cous1nJack yeah suppose you could buy a ford and have your eyes pulled out, they are getting overpriced. Just remember you might turn your nose up at less than 25k but you can also be paying over the odds, bang per buck Hyundai are on the money I think
Really wish we got these in NA over the Veloster.
Please do a review on the golf 8 R
Best looking micro hatch.
@Bitterman 100%agree and I defo agree about wishing it was faster.
I'd still buy the Fiesta
Yes the Fiesta ST (200 hp) is better and faster with the overboost to 215 hp = 245 km/h
way better looking
7:02 Full 3-Wheel motion around the corner, rear-inside just hanging out in the air! 😆😎👊🏼
This needs to come to canada! ❤❤
This is the first I’m hearing of this car, how longs it been about.
Love Hyundai’s N division
Few, possibly 10, years already
@@AliasHSW nooo not the i20 the I20n
@@skella722 Less than a year.
@@TheIceMurder2 The 120N has still not been launched in the UK. Was going to be “spring” but I guess put back due to Covid.
Perfect review ... Perfectly engineered and they bits and pieces do the job for geeks as well ;)
a full comparison with the fiesta st and a Clio 200 n/a is needed
Anyone know where the road bit of this was taken? Looks familiar but can’t place it.
I ordered one 😁 Can not wait to take it for the ride 🥺
Yes you have to ordered one of those i20N before you can feel the power of that little bomb. In Belgium its not posible to ask for a testdrive.... to less i20N's. So you have to buy one before you can say... it's a good engine. This is sad and so I buy a Ford Fiesta ST for less with te same performances.
@@fvand4294 I ordered one from Germany. Same car but, 9 000€ cheaper than in Belgium. Zot.
@@TonoCajka whattttt? 9000 € scheaper? 🤔 Really in Belgium in red and black roof = 31.049 €
A race between the i20N, Fiesta ST, Polo GTI and an Abarth Competizione would be interesting!
Polo Gti competes with the Veloster N
2L squad lol
@@revmatchproductions The polo is a 1.8L with around 200bhp is it not? The Veloster is 275bhp
@@tramp0pro the new Polo is a 2.0L
I kinda liked that Box
Interesting to compare the review with the one on Auto Motor Sports a German channel.
This channel is famous for being biased and praising VW. In their review the were totally positiv about the interior quality, the engine and the setup of the I 20 N. When I watch this review it sounds quite artifically critical.
I have the feeling the Top Gear Moderator is payed by Ford.
Wow!What a car!Powerful,low weight,one step ahead compared to direct rival as St Fiesta!Congrats to Hyundai😎!!Great job!
Well the ST has 200bhp and 320nm soo I think ithe ST is slightly faster? As this is 204bhp and 275nm? But I don't know on paper
@@Chappers.Gaming Then again the I20n weighs 100kg less. Carwow did a drag race and the I20n beat the fiesta but the fiesta was gaining towards the end
Interesting but nothing that makes me want to swap my ST. I do like the styling of it but it would look so much better as a 3 door, and without a 3 door option it wouldn’t make it on to my short list if I was about to change my car (yes that’s probably petty but we all have our preferences)
It's not the engine internals that make it feel like the revs aren't dropping quick enough, it's an emissions trick to hang the revs in decel to prevent production of NOx gasses. I know what you mean, when rotational mass is high it feels like there is mechanical drag preventing the engine from revving freely but in modern cars it's often am emissions deal. Some do it more than others, my mk7.5 Fiesta ST does it noticeably, there are some ECU tuners who can take some of that out but often a lot of it is baked in and can't be removed. So unless you do a standalone ECU no way around it often.
Is it worth it to buy the sport or the sport plus package with the lsd?
Someone needs to explain why there was a $5,000 price hike between the 2020 and 2021 model year. It doesn't seem like there is hardly any difference between the two except for the 2021 gets a +25HP bump over the 2020. Even of you got the Performance Pack for the 2020, it was only a $2,100 option. You could tick almost every option box on a Fiesta ST and be around $25,000 out the door with no haggling.
Inflation
it may drives good ... but it has the appeal of a Skoda Fabia PS: N stands for Namyang where it was developed.
nothing wrong with a skoda fabia
I have a 5 door ST and love it
I think, if you want a hot hatch, you have to buy the Fiesta ST 💪
We desperately need this in the U.S
I feel like this would of been a great car with a more revvy 1.8-2L NA engine something like a k20 type thing of a 2zzge kind of engine would probably suit this quite well
Engines like that can no longer pass the tough euro emissions standards unfortunately 🙁
@@welz2002 i know which sucks because I feel like cars died after that
Your right but it won't be possible unfortunately all small turbos
I wish. Plus better long term reliability
I loved my corolla T sport! 8200 rpm in a corolla. Most corollas used over here by more elderly people or for delivering fast food from takeaway shops
2:48 the N doesn´t stands for Nürburgring alone. In first place its because of Namyang
I think it needs negative 1 camber angle on rear wheels and it will be perfect
Why don't we have that in the US?
I20N vs fiesta st vs vw polo gti vs mini cooper-s vs yaris track battle drag race make it happen
The yaris is on a whole nother level... more hp and awd
Would prefer it if it had the R5 rear wing 😅. Kudos to Hyundai and the N division 👍
You might get one aftermarket
I really like it!!! Now I want one!
I’m in need of a i30n facelift review
Sounds good to me, heard few crackles here and there, it was nice
You made me feel not wanna test drive it... Even though I wanted to... The worst thing was that they didn't let you test it against the other cars! This is suspicious.... Thank you for the review!!!
Their rivals are costlier than theirs...might damage their image
I just bought must and the last owner put p609 rapid tyres on it 💀
Its definitely better than my last car but not by much they understeer kills with those tyres, and when it's not ondersteering, the back is trying to swing out.
Still great fun to drive, I'll probably pick up some oem tyres when I have more mone though.
I like the review, this guy and high peak matt should get their own top gear.