Prices revealed for new 2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N

Hyundai has revealed UK prices and specs for the new i30 Fastback N, which is on sale in Britain from 21 January. 

Just one version of the i30 Fastback N is coming to these shores. While internationally, it'll be available as a base model with 248bhp and as a Performance model with 272bhp, the regular UK car will be equipped with the Performance pack as standard and priced from £29,995. That makes it £500 more than the i30 N Performance hatchback, while standard equipment is carried over.

• New Hyundai i30 Fastback N prototype review

Under the guidance of former BMW M division boss Albert Biermann, the N brand is looking to strength its foothold in the performance car market following the successful launch of the i30 N, which dramatically outperformed the company’s initial expectations.

Marketed as a more ‘elegant’ and ‘sophisticated’ alternative to the regular i30 N, the Fastback sits in a more exclusive area of the market without any direct competition. Hyundai says it’s the first five-door performance coupe in the C-segment.

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It features design cues familiar from the i30 N such as the aggressive bumper design, dual tailpipes and F1-inspired triangular fog lamps that will be used as visual identifiers of N models in the future. However, the Fastback does adopt a sleeker five-door body and integrated boot spoiler with black gloss detailing.  

The mechanical makeup of the i30 Fastback N is identical to that of its Performance pack hatchback stablemate. Both are front-wheel drive as standard and use a six-speed manual gearbox, the quicker of the getting from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds.

The top spec Performance model, of which 90 per cent of buyers are expected to go for, features larger 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres, an electronically controlled limited slip differential, adaptive dampers and a sports exhaust system.

• Best performance cars on sale

An i30 Fastback N was never originally in Hyundai’s product plan – the success of the regular model and customer demand encouraged the brand to put it into production.

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Thomas Burkle, chief designer at Hyundai Europe, told Auto Express: “We offer the Fastback as a more elegance car, people who like sophistication. And the icing in the cake is the Fastback N – where we can combine elegance with the performance.

“We have to make a step from the practical cars we make to do something really special. The Fastback N opens the door to new territories.

“We wanted to do something born not out of the mathematics of rational thinking and marketing, rather something that is purely emotional. I told my design team ‘lets do something you would like to buy’”.

Click here for a round-up of all the news from the 2018 Paris Motor Show...