At the bottom of the car brands’ model ranges, it is mainly about cost and efficiency, but sometimes enjoyment is also allowed. Like with the new, fat version of the Hyundai i10. The N-Line delivers 100 hp; Hyundai’s smallest never had that much power.
The letter N should be firmly on the retina of car enthusiasts and that works very well. Three years ago, the Hyundai i30N made its appearance, with the letter N which stands for the speed paradise in the German Eifel. Indeed, the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. But the N also stands for Hyundai’s test track in Namyang, South Korea. The Nordschleife says a lot to every car enthusiast. Five years ago we traveled with an ordinary i20 to Hyundai’s German test center, located next to the legendary circuit. There, we wanted to find out how many hours the brand’s models spend on the more than 20-kilometer circuit before they hit the market. Every type, including the versions without N. After the N, which stands for the absolute extremists among the tickled versions, Hyundai came up with the N-Line package derived from it. That does contain the looks and some adjustments, but not the extreme of a full-fledged N.
Hardcore N
An example of this is our test car, the new i10 N-Line. This is a nice-looking variant of the A-segmenter that we so far only know with the brave 1.0i engine. That is a three-cylinder without turbo of 65 hp, with which we developed almost ‘left-lane fear’ during our six-month endurance test. The N-line is very different, because thanks to a turbo on the same 998 cc block you suddenly talk about a power of 100 hp.
The i10 N-Line almost looks like a hardcore N. That idea creeps up on us as we take more turns at high speed. The tendency to lean over is gone, and the front axle has a lot of grip! Only once before we drove an A-segment car where understeer was just as long or even practically no longer required, and that was a Renault Twingo RS, one of the most powerful models of its kind ever. We leave the Abarth 500 in all its special versions out of consideration, because it is so much more expensive that it has transcended the A-segment.
Lots of money
Driving the fast i10 is a strange sensation. The high seat and the narrow interior remind you of the fact that you really are in a small car, but the fanaticism with which it bites into corners is not inferior to that of a sporty car from a higher class. The i10 chassis can handle much more power than the 100 hp that the three-cylinder has to forgive. Let’s head in: Hyundai also has a 120 hp version of this block on the shelves! On the other hand, even more fine grinding and even more horsepower could easily lead to a price tag of € 25,000. And this N-Line is already over 20 grand. Anyway, that’s a lot of money for a potential youngster. Do you see that also? Yes, because it has a different grille with different daytime running lights, red accents, an N-Line badge, 16-inch wheels and a twin tailpipe. It really says something!
Nature sounds
The Hyundai comes across as serious and modern in its entirety. The red edges of the ventilation grilles, the steering wheel with red stitching and the gear knob are part of the N-Line decoration. The letter N has been beautifully processed in the backs of the chairs. In front of you you have a neat, complete set of instruments. The occupants are further spoiled with seat heating and the steering wheel heating provides hot knists. The i10’s interface includes the ‘nature sounds’ feature, where you can conjure up the sounds of gentle waves on the beach, or the muffled sounds of a snowy village. Relax after a wild ride with the N-Line… We recently saw this function in the new i20. It may say something about the mature, balanced character of the i10, which in many ways is not inferior to a car from a higher segment.