In a case of a carmaker rolling out its first attempt at a hot hatch, its reputation is always at risk, especially if the car doesn't quite meet drivers' expectations. After all, there is nothing worse than driving a car that's pretending to be something it's not.

Thankfully, the Hyundai i30 N is everything but.

The latest car from Hyundai's N performance brand, the letter representing both the brand's home in Namyang as well Nurburgring, is a true blue sizzling hot hatch that will have no troubles keeping up with some of its rivals.

While hot hatches like the BMW M140i, the Mercedes-AMG A 35, the Renault Megane RS and the Volkswagen Golf GTI are extremely capable in their own right, the Hyundai i30 N is a brilliant car that showcases the Korean brand's credentials as a capable carmaker.


Are you sure about that?!?

Take its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot powerplant for instance. It is a hardworking gem of a unit that's capable of a generous dose of 250bhp and 353Nm of twisting force, allowing the i30 N to finish the century sprint in just 6.4 seconds. This figure puts the new Hyundai on par with the iconic Golf GTI.

Deserving of more praise is the way the car moves on the tarmac. Like a ballerina, the i30 N is capable of dancing gracefully to your every calling. Regardless of what drive mode you're in - Eco, Normal, Sport, N or N Custom - the car's six-speed manual gearbox never fails to entertain with its slickness and refined quality. The clutch is ideally weighted and easily modulated. No guesswork is required in getting to the biting point.

Better yet, there's an option to rev match your shifts, which means lesser power loss and a smoother transition whenever a downshift is required. You could, of course, choose to manually blip the throttle, but the system does it with such accuracy and fluency every single time that leaving it to its own devices manages to keep you more engaged with the car.