[Dazzler]

 

[beerman]

Make sure you return it.......Intact 

[Dazzler]

I've done about 100 kms so far - worked up a bit of an appetite and had to go home for my meds.. THink I might have to put $10 worth of 98 in it before I take it back. Had a good play and got some nice photos. Does look great in red, but think we will would get the Performance blue.

Photos and videos to come later... and a mini review. 

[mickd]

And the grin will go from ear to the other.   

[Dazzler]

So the awesome guys at Motors Devonport lent me a brand new Red i30N with Luxury Pack for the day while my SR Blind Spot Monitor error was being investigated.

Here are some photos. Will add my thoughts on the car later this evening if when I return it.

[Dazzler]

Some videos Via dropbox. Hope this works!


https://www.dropbox.com/s/awrp7viul2jr0fd/Dazz%20the%20i30N%20full%20movie.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5tn4zcl3xvo385k/FXVD5427.mov?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtdrmksa6ld6f8h/IMG_3981%5B1%5D.MOV?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7l42hmjanka7z8d/IMG_3982%5B1%5D.MOV?dl=0

[CraigB]

Your already to go with the racing shirt 

What’s the plan...a day drive (flog) out to the Nut

[Dazzler]

Your already to go with the racing shirt 

What’s the plan...a day drive (flog) out to the Nut

I went as far as Penguin and came back the fun road! Dorian wanted a look. Didn't think I better put too many clicks on it. But had a good drive on a variety of different roads and in different modes. I'm at home for a bit. Better get some 98 in it and take it back shortly!  Surprised they haven't called me! 

[CraigB]

Surprised they haven't called me! 

They probably think they have a good chance of tempting you get the clicks up and offer them 8k less 

[John B]

Mmmm nice. Now Trish is not getting the Ford perhaps you could trade your SR in for it. 

[FatBoy]

That's possibly the red one they said that they had available in Tassie should I wish to go ahead with the lease.

I couldn't keep the smile from my face when I drove one.  Did you put it in "N" mode at all?  A very "firm" ride.

[Dazzler]

That's possibly the red one they said that they had available in Tassie should I wish to go ahead with the lease.

I couldn't keep the smile from my face when I drove one.  Did you put it in "N" mode at all?  A very "firm" ride.

Yes, Jamie. I tried all the different setting. I was actually quite impressed with the ride. Not that much worse than mine and maybe better in some setting. I'll do a post with a fair bit of feedback shortly. 

Mmmm nice. Now Trish is not getting the Ford perhaps you could trade your SR in for it. 

Too early for me to swap and the SR probably suits me better (more about that shortly)

Trish liked it but wouldn't take it for a drive in case she was tempted. I think we both like the performance blue best. If Trish fell in love with it I would have tried to wangle a good deal on hers as a trade, but she thinks she would miss the room of the wagon and is attached enough to it now she wont give it away. Only done about 24,000 I think and as good as new.

[Dazzler]

Ok, so here are my thoughts on the i30N after having it for a few hours and doing around 100 kilometres on a variety of roads with a lot of different settings.

Firstly i would like to say, that while the N is awesome in many ways, the SR DCT is not shamed. If I had a standard GD or FD as my current vehicle or a Corolla or Mazda 3 rather than my SR I probably would have been blown away.

So here are the positives. The SR seats are very good, but the N seats are better. The range of adjustment and the materials make them very comfortable. I love how the seat squab can be extended under your thighs for extra support and the padding is not too firm either (just right).

The ride is really well sorted. In normal mode I don't think it is as jiggly as my SR on some surfaces. Even in N mode I found it bearable. Possibly helped by the compliance of the padding in the seat squabs.

I liked the instruments. very clear and nicely calibrated, but again the SR ones are just as good. The way you can customise all the N mode settings on the 8 inch touch screen is awesome.

Like all current Hyundais I like how logical all the stalks and menus are. I've driven a current Impreza and Civic and both were not as user friendly for setting things like the cruise control and other personal settings. Everything is so seamless and (mostly*) just works on my SR and the N

* having issues with my Blind spot monitoring which Motors are doing their best to sort.

Think the N looks better in the flesh than in Photos. The Red looks great although being a solid red I would be nervous about fading in the long term. My preference if we bought one would be Performance Blue. Love the wheels and the tyres aren't too noisy considering they are Pirelli P Zero performance rubber. 

The Handling as you would expect is very confidence inspiring. I didn't slow down for some corners that I would have in my SR and she went around them like she was on rails. The brakes are obviously amazing too, but I think I prefer the feel of my SR in that department. I think Performance brakes are calibrated to need a bit more pressure before they bite. My SR ones feel more progressive. The steering feel is excellent.

That crackle in the exhaust on downshifts is brilliant and I love the rev matching feature you can program in, which gives a little blip on gearchanges.

Now for some less positive observations.

Even in Normal mode, the N needs to be manhandled a bit around town. You can tell it has a performance clutch and while not as bad as when in performance mode it needs a few extra revs when pulling away from lights. I stalled it three times in various different situations. Mind you, I don't drive a manual very often and haven't owned one as our main car for 8 years.

I wasn't about to thrash a car with less than 100 kilometres on the clock, but I didn't find it as zippy as I expected. Like I said, my SR can do 0-100 kph in 7.2 seconds while I think the N is 6.1 seconds. If I had come from a lesser hatch with a 0-100 kph time of say 9 or 10 seconds I would have been hugely impressed I'm sure.

The 6 speed manual is notchy but acceptable. Certainly not the best gear change I've ever experienced but it feels rock solid and had no problems at any stage select any gears. So far from the worst as well.

I was a bit surprised even with the luxury pack you don't appear to get blind spot monitoring. This was about the only thing I missed apart from the Autonomous cruise which also isn't available because the N only comes in Manual at this time.

So If I didn't already have an awesome car in my SR with DCT I'd probably be chafing at the bit to have an N. If you have an SR already be confident you still have a great car.

If I think of anything else I'll edit this post later. There is a lot I didn't bother mentioning which has already been covered by others.

[Dazzler]

Just a couple more things I thought of in the middle of the night (as you do) 

I took it to show my "performance nut" friend Dorian and even though he didn't have a drive and I didn't "thrash it" in our 5km loop he was like "A pig in $hit". Dorians own car is a souped up Skoda Octavia with 400 kws, but he loved the look, sound and ride of the N. I think he was the only person in the world yesterday with a bigger smile than me! I think that says a lot.

I also think if I was 10 years younger and had access to a fully run in "N" on a closed race circuit like some Hyundai staff have I might have felt different. A lot of the extra performance of the N over the SR is not usable in the real world.

The other thing I don't think I mentioned was that in view of the slightly drab looking interior colour scheme, if I got one I think I'd get the performance blue. I would then get some leather bibs made up to fit over the spindles of the 5 headrests in a matching baby blue. A bit like this look in my daughter's Focus ST. You could do this with the red as well..

[Lakes]

that's how they do it Dazz! they think you will trade up.
good idea!!

[Lakes]

Just a couple more things I thought of in the middle of the night (as you do) 

I took it to show my "performance nut" friend Dorian and even though he didn't have a drive and I didn't "thrash it" in our 5km loop he was like "A pig in $hit". Dorians own car is a souped up Skoda Octavia with 400 kws, but he loved the look, sound and ride of the N. I think he was the only person in the world yesterday with a bigger smile than me! I think that says a lot.

I also think if I was 10 years younger and had access to a fully run in "N" on a closed race circuit like some Hyundai staff have I might have felt different. A lot of the extra performance of the N over the SR is not usable in the real world.

The other thing I don't think I mentioned was that in view of the slightly drab looking interior colour scheme, if I got one I think I'd get the performance blue. I would then get some leather bibs made up to fit over the spindles of the 5 headrests in a matching baby blue. A bit like this look in my daughter's Focus ST. You could do this with the red as well..

order two Dazz!! sure they will give you & u mate a good EOFY deal!!
I'm excited for you both

[Dazzler]

Cheers John, but more likely to get Trish something. But not an N, boot too small for her. 

[Shambles]

but more likely to get Trish something... boot too small for her.

Just double her up, she'll fit in

[John B]

but more likely to get Trish something... boot too small for her.

Just double her up, she'll fit in

 

[Dazzler]

but more likely to get Trish something... boot too small for her.

Just double her up, she'll fit in

Even Trish laughed at that one. 

[Purplehazeffc]

won't quote your whole review here Daz. So I will just do a copy & paste sort of thing with " " around from you post.
Very good review by the way      There is one down at the dealer when I brought mine. Had a bit of a sit in it..

"Think the N looks better in the flesh than in Photos."    100% agree. Mine looks way better in the flesh, than any photo I have seen.
Since I have had mine. I have seen a Red & Blue on the road. And even they look better in person than in photos.

" I think I prefer the feel of my SR in that department. I think Performance brakes are calibrated to need a bit more pressure before they bite. My SR ones feel more progressive"
That is where I would differ from you there. I find my SR brake are over sensitive.  Trying to do heal & toe down shifts, which I was doing in my previous 2 cars was easy.
With the SR, it's very easy to brake way to much. As you don't need as much force on the pedal. So you get a lot of jerky braking..

"That crackle in the exhaust on downshifts is brilliant and I love the rev matching feature you can program in, which gives a little blip on gearchanges."
The crackle on downshifts is in the tune. Hence why the SR doesn't have it. I do get the occasional pop when downshifting. Mainly pops when you blip the throttle from idle. Which you can here in my exhaust video. The rev matching cannot be added to the SR  But the pops & crackles can with a custom tune.

"You can tell it has a performance clutch and while not as bad as when in performance mode it needs a few extra revs when pulling away from lights"
Even the clutch on my SR needs some revs to pull away. I stalled it a couple of times when I 1 got the car. And the accelerator just needs to be touched, otherwise the revs flair up pretty fast. Totally different to other manual cars I have owned.

"The 6 speed manual is notchy but acceptable."   Not sure if it is the same gearbox as the SR. Doubt it. But mine is the same. It's not bad by all means. I haven't missed a gear in it at all & goes in fast..  But I find the gear shift knob a little to high for my liking.

But it does go to show that the Hyundai i30 SR is such a great car for the $$ they are asking for..  And also remember as if you compare both as manuals
The i30N is $15 grand more expensive..  Is it worth that much over the SR.  Yes in some of the features that you get. As a track day car. Yes.
But as a day to day car driving on the streets going to work, shops etc.  The SR can get up to any legal speed limit with ease.  I find it hard to put my foot down for to long.
I hope you can find time to be able to go for a drive in a Manual SR Daz. To compare the cars as both manuals.
Would be real interesting for a difference now that you have driven a N..

Again thanks for the write up & your view..   Makes me want to go a drive one now lol

[Dazzler]

Cheers for the feedback and glad you thought it was Ok. 

I really like the brakes in my SR, but maybe they work better with the DCT transmission.

We are currently playing around with a replacement for the WIfe's car. We went in investigating an i40 tourer (she's always liked those). They didn't have any but they ended up giving us a manual petrol Qashqai for the weekend. She quite likes it but on paper the boot is 100 litres smaller than her i30 Tourer. She is thinking about a Manual PD SR, but that is 140 litres smaller boot. They did offer to get one through from elsewhere but I don't want to muck them around if she feels the boot is too small to live with. 

[John B]

Good positive write up about the i30N in my latest RACQ magazine. Only negatives were the space saver spare wheel & the hard plastics on the interior.

[Dazzler]

Just a bit of an update. They have sold several N's in Devonport including a couple of white ones and the Red one I drove.

I saw a red one in Devonport today (probably the one I drove) and it has been dressed up with white stripes and "sport" Decals. It looked pretty good. I'll try and get photos if I see it parked somewhere.