Hot hatchbacks are a regular sight on the Autocar long-term test fleet. There’s little else that can balance power, practicality and cost as well as the humble family car once a manufacturer has given it a performance-minded overhaul, and we love them for it.
The category is dominated by familiar makes and models, though, so it’s rare we get the opportunity to run a manufacturer’s first attempt at a hot hatch. But that’s exactly what happened when we took delivery of a Hyundai i30 N to our test fleet at the beginning of the year, not long after it had earned an admirable three and a half stars in an Autocar road test.
Better yet, it arrived while we were running the latest version of the car that first popularised hot hatches back in 1976. The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a consummate all-rounder and as compelling here in its seventh generation as it has ever been.
The big question, then, is whether Hyundai has managed to best Volkswagen at its own game at the first attempt of trying or the GTI is still the car you’d want to live with. This naturally caused great debate in the office, so we’ve left it to news editor and i30 N minder Rachel Burgess and Golf GTI-running editor Mark Tisshaw to argue it out.
RB: Do you reckon the GTI still rules the hot hatch roost, then?
MT: Now there’s an opener… The GTI is unique, not in the clichéd sense, but because nothing else has really replicated its formula, the i30 N included. You’d be mad to launch a new hot hatch with the GTI’s low power figure, but its appeal has always been in its all-round usability.
RB: I’ve always had a soft spot for the GTI. Still, the arrival of a new hot hatch is rare, so it’s been great to have a few months to really get to grips with the i30 N. It isn’t as well-rounded as the GTI, granted, but that very reason sometimes means it’s more exciting.
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More discount available on the VW
The Hyundai is too new to get much off with a broker at the moment, but nearly 5k discount at Broadspeed on the VW could make a big difference.
Also it's a shame Autocar can't resist adding mostly unnecessary options. The most expensive paint, dark wheels, and a tarted up nav? Seriously? Without those the pricing might well affect choice and they won't make much difference come resale.
Where is the meat?
Two journos having a love-in discussion? Is that the new format for comparisons between cars?
While we are at it: videos are great! Super! and INSTANTLY FORGETTABLE!
How about some more boring, old-fashioned text with facts and figures aplenty AS WELL?
It seems that The AUTOCAR is following a trend set by some racing sites but this is not necessarily a good thing: by nature, racing is ephemeral; people buy cars that they keep years... different worlds!
Always fun to see an article
Always fun to see an article about the GTI because you know that no matter what the verdict, it's the car the journalists are more likely to buy with their rather than your money.
As for Hyundai, it failed my crucial ownership test in that the longer I owned it the less l liked it - I never had a car with more problems from failed reversing cameras, faulty clutch, wheel bearing failed at 19k not to mention all the poorly thought out guys like a boot that dumped water onto your head when it opened.