The Hyundai i20 N is the small hot hatch that Hyundai's N division built for buyers who want genuine performance in a compact package. It sits below the i30 N in the range and below it in price, but the brief is the same: make a small car fast without making it unpleasant to live with. In a segment that includes some well-established favourites, that is a serious challenge.
Jenny takes the i20 N through the kind of driving that separates a performance car from a regular hatch. On tighter, faster roads it is an engaging machine with a chassis that rewards commitment. The engine delivers enough pull to make overtaking straightforward and the gearbox is one of the better manual setups in the class. In city traffic it behaves, which not all hot hatches can claim.
For buyers who want hot hatch engagement without Golf R spending, the i20 N is a serious option. It asks you to give up some refinement and practicality, but that is the deal with cars in this class. Those who take it up will find a car that is more fun than its badge history might suggest.
The full review is on the CarTell.tv YouTube channel above.
