RE: Hyundai i30 N full details
Discussion
It's not the badge or the spec sheet bragging rights that will make this car, it's the proper development work that went into setting it up that should convince us. Too bad if it turns out to be a great drive yet is dismissed beforehand on a few subjective quid too much, and this is Pistonheads I thought...
Oh and the article states that 19" is better. Perhaps on track, but for a road car I'll take 18" any day on a Golf sized HH!
Oh and the article states that 19" is better. Perhaps on track, but for a road car I'll take 18" any day on a Golf sized HH!
If it lives up to the EVO drive, it could be pretty special. Which is exactly what they need if they want to make an impression on the market. I followed one of these around the 'Ring last year in Industry Pool and they are really not slow at all. Far quicker than the 275bhp would suggest.
At the end of the EVO article they dropped a hint at a 400bhp 4WD Focus RS competitor arriving at the back end of next year.....
At the end of the EVO article they dropped a hint at a 400bhp 4WD Focus RS competitor arriving at the back end of next year.....
Onehp said:
It's not the badge or the spec sheet bragging rights that will make this car, it's the proper development work that went into setting it up that should convince us. Too bad if it turns out to be a great drive yet is dismissed beforehand on a few subjective quid too much, and this is Pistonheads I thought...
Oh and the article states that 19" is better. Perhaps on track, but for a road car I'll take 18" any day on a Golf sized HH!
Indeed. How can people on PH dismiss it as having no value or competence without driving it themselves? Oh and the article states that 19" is better. Perhaps on track, but for a road car I'll take 18" any day on a Golf sized HH!
Wouldn't the bloke who oversaw it, "Albert Biermann - who used to be VP of engineering for BMW's M vehicles", know a thing or two about performance cars? The myopia of not being able to see clearly beyond a badge (or a company's limited heritage) makes me chuckle.
More competition in this space is healthy for consumers.
I like the triangular high level brake light. But as observed earlier it seems like it's been designed by committee. Focus front, Civic Type R red front splittery bit, Pug side view, Golf rear with a sprinkle of Audi. It also needs to undercut the RS's and Type R's significantly, because Hyundai lack the pedigree and history of a performance brand - indeed the model name 'N' seems to be plucked out of the air because it 'looks like a chicane' and the performance division is kinda near the Nurburgring.
Having said that, have we ever had it so good with hot hatches?
Having said that, have we ever had it so good with hot hatches?
If they can get people to go & test drive it I'm sure they'll get sales weather that'll turn into lots of sales remains to be seen people will have to get past the badge, which will be the bigger problem just ask Kia the GT C'eed was a decent steer but people won't buy them (a Focus sized hatch for Fiesta money) it looks like a decent car.
I'm sure it will be good but with so much competition it really will be an uphill struggle given the brand has zero credibility in the performance/hot hatch arena. It'll be a curiosity I suspect for many but this is where brands start and in 20 years we may well think of them in the same way we do the current brands
ZX10R NIN said:
If they can get people to go & test drive it I'm sure they'll get sales weather that'll turn into lots of sales remains to be seen people will have to get past the badge, which will be the bigger problem just ask Kia the GT C'eed was a decent steer but people won't buy them (a Focus sized hatch for Fiesta money) it looks like a decent car.
Thing is they won't test drive them. As you can see from 85% of the posts thus far, badge is more important than how they drive, look or what they cost. Even a £25k and a best in class driving experience, they will still be outsold by a VW, just because...In the 21st century, sadly motoring enthusiast=image enthusiast.
stevesingo said:
Thing is they won't test drive them. As you can see from 85% of the posts thus far, badge is more important than how they drive, look or what they cost. Even a £25k and a best in class driving experience, they will still be outsold by a VW, just because...
In the 21st century, sadly motoring enthusiast=image enthusiast.
What if it wins absolutely every group test? And it’s declared as the next best thing to an E46 M3? Sounds far fetched, but it could be given the effort they’ve put in and the people involved. I for one am interested in the 4WD one if they bring that out...In the 21st century, sadly motoring enthusiast=image enthusiast.
stevesingo said:
ZX10R NIN said:
If they can get people to go & test drive it I'm sure they'll get sales weather that'll turn into lots of sales remains to be seen people will have to get past the badge, which will be the bigger problem just ask Kia the GT C'eed was a decent steer but people won't buy them (a Focus sized hatch for Fiesta money) it looks like a decent car.
Thing is they won't test drive them. As you can see from 85% of the posts thus far, badge is more important than how they drive, look or what they cost. Even a £25k and a best in class driving experience, they will still be outsold by a VW, just because...In the 21st century, sadly motoring enthusiast=image enthusiast.
I hope the next Megane (if it's a good one) gets the sales it deserves but it goes to show how hard it is to crack a badge conscious market.
I would love to have been a fly on the wall at the meeting where they were brainstorming to come up with a performance brand designator as they went through the alphabet discussing the spare letters and coming up with "N" and then coming up with "it symbolises a chicane". I hope the marketing people got a bonus.
yme402 said:
Noble effort, but why would you ever choose this over a Golf GTI ?
I'd say because it's different, and may very well actually be a better car judging from the first drives. I'm guessing you've not been in any current gen Hyundai's. Genuinely, even the bog standard cars are incredibly accomplished. Way better in many respects than the established competition. I had an i10 as a hire car recently and the engine was great (revvy little 3 pot that actually pulled all the way to the red line), the gearbox was really nicely weighted and direct, and the handling was really pretty engaging. Interior was also actually pretty nice. It made the other car I had (an Adam) feel like a complete turd (which, incidentally I think it is!).Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff