The new Hyundai i20 N has already proven itself as an accomplished hot hatch in isolation, but we wanted to put it up against its larger sibling - the i30 N - to really test its mettle. Our Track Battle video puts the two head-to-head against the clock.
Hyundai hit the ground running with its N performance brand, launching the deeply impressive i30 N, in 2017. The 2021 i20 N is the latest from the N stable of hot Hyundais, one that distills the recipe into a smaller, lighter, more affordable package.
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The i20 N rivals the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST and VW Polo GTI, and brings a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-pot to the table, which sends 201bhp through a 6-speed manual gearbox. It's an effervescent machine, the i20 N - it weighs just 1,220kg, and the front tyres find bundles of grip while powering out of turns, thanks to a mechanical LSD. It'll even pick up an inside rear wheel while negotiating the tighter sections of the Llandow Circuit that hosted our track battle.
But can the i20 N usurp it's older, more powerful sibling, the i30 N? The i30 N has already given the VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST a bloody nose, with a punchy engine, absorbing chassis and strong build quality. However, it's now been given a dual clutch automatic gearbox for the first time, to make better use of the 278bhp produced by its 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo.
That's a heap more power than the i20 N, and from rest, the i30 N will hit 62mph in 5.4 seconds, slicing 1.3 seconds from the newcomer's time. Accelerating out of the low speed corners at Llandow, the more potent i30 N should win some valuable time, but mass is not on its side. The i30 N weighs in at a portly 1,535kg, which will take the edge of its agility, braking and turn-in ability.
Place your bets, then - the lighter, more athletic i20 N, or the bigger, more powerful, well established i30 N? Steve Sutcliffe is at the wheel to settle this family feud.
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