Jenny reviews the all new Hyundai i20 N on private track in Australia.

It was a few years ago that Hyundai gave us the lovely i30 N with that smooth engine, sharp handling and limited-slip diff. Now the i20 is nowhere near the i30 in terms of popularity, but if you know your hot hatches, you’ll know that they are a mix of fine handling, lightweight body and powerful engines. Going one size down in this respect can only be a good thing. And this is exactly what the i20 N is.

The engine in the I20N is a 1.6 turbo petrol in its latest generation. We couldn’t really expect the same power level as in the i30 N. This 1.6 litre turbo produces 150 kW of power and 275 Nm of torque. That’s a bit less than the Ford Fiesta ST in terms of torque, but a bit more in terms of power. The engine is paired with a 6-speed manual.

Hyundai’s i20 N weighs 1190kg, sprints to 100 in 6.7 seconds and shoots up to 230 km/h.

The latest i20N is really close to the Fiesta ST and that one is maybe the benchmark in this segment. The Polo GTI has a bigger 2 L engine so also more torque, though a bit less power. I drove the Polo, though not recently, and I think the difference in torque is something I could notice. However, as I said, it is definitely not all about power and the i20 N is not lacking in this respect. I’m looking forward to trying the GR Yaris soon as that one in a whole different beast on paper with 200kW and 370Nm and AWD. But that should also mean the price point is different.