Hyundai adds sporty N Line grades to i30 line-up

BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 10th Dec 2018

HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has deleted the two SR grades from its i30 line-up, replacing them with three slightly dearer N Line variants inspired by its recently released i30 N hot hatch.

Compared to the discontinued SR and SR Premium, the N Line and N Line Premium are $500 more expensive, but buyers are compensated with a longer list of sporty standard equipment.

The N Line starts from $26,490 before on-road costs with a six-speed manual transmission, while a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic adds $3000. The DCT-only N Line Premium costs $34,990.

Both N Line grades lift their bumper and grille designs from the i30 N, albeit with silver trim instead of red, with the rear bar picking up a diffuser-style element.

Black headlight bezels and side mirror caps finish off the exterior upgrade alongside Hyper Silver 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, dual exhaust tailpipes and N Line badging.

Inside, front sports seats with carbon-fibre-style bolster trim, embossed N logos and red stitching and piping, a sports steering wheel and gear selector, alloy pedals, N Dark Metal inserts, red highlights, a black headliner, and leather-appointed upholstery feature.

Shared with the i30 N, the N Line pair also upgrades to an Australian-developed sports tune of the i30’s independent suspension, which consists of MacPherson-strut front and multi-link rear axles.

There are no other mechanical upgrades to the N Line variants, which maintain their SR predecessors’ 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 150kW of power at 6000rpm and 265Nm of torque from 1500 to 4500rpm.

Other standard equipment in the N Line includes LED daytime running lights and tail-lights, keyless entry and start, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, satellite navigation, digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, a reversing camera, and rear parking sensors.

Advanced driver-assist systems extend to autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, and driver attention alert, all of which are exclusive to the DCT variants.

The N Line Premium adds LED headlights, rear privacy glass, a panoramic sunroof, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a seven-speaker Infinity sound system, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and front parking sensors.

According to HMCA chief executive officer JW Lee, the two N Line grades build upon the i30’s already strong foundations.

“The new 2019 i30 N Line models build on the sporty appeal of the previous i30 SR to make our award-winning small car an even more compelling proposition,” he said.

“With the N Line, owners can have an i30 N-derived performance package combined with the everyday practicability of our core Hyundai models.”

Meanwhile, the i30’s four carryover grades – Go, Active, Elite and Premium – have lost their rear foglights, while the Go’s optional SmartSense package now includes power-folding side mirrors with integrated LED indicators. Pricing for all variants and options is unchanged.

Sales of the i30 have taken a minor hit this year, with 26,416 examples sold to the end of November – a 3.3 per cent decrease over the 27,313 deliveries made during the same period in 2017.

Nonetheless, the i30 is the third best-selling small car in the sub-$40,000 segment, trailing the Toyota Corolla (33,009 units) and Mazda3 (28,780) but ahead of the Volkswagen Golf (17,856) and Kia Cerato (17,414), among others.

2018 Hyundai i30 N Line pricing*