The Hyundai i20 N is dead; we take it for one last drive – car pictures of the week

It's not often that a manufacturer produces a world-class performance car at the first time of asking, but that's exactly what Hyundai did with the i30 N in 2017. Four years later it hit another home run with the smaller but equally infectious i20 N, but just as the N division was establishing itself as a maker of truly great hot hatches, Hyundai decided to discontinue its petrol-powered performance cars in early 2024. 

In the latest issue of evo, we bid farewell to the i20 N by taking it for one last drive on spectacular roads in mid-Wales. To read the full feature, pick up a copy of evo 326 in-store or online via the evo shop. 

The i20 N’s ingredients are simple but executed brilliantly. It packs a feisty 201bhp 1.6-litre turbo engine and a six-speed manual into its compact size, driving the front wheels with just 1190kg to pull along. The N division was involved in the i20 project from the beginning to make it a stronger base from which to build a hot hatch, and the results are stellar. 

‘I’ve been lucky enough to run both i30 N and i20 N as long-term test cars in the past, and loved them both,’ said evo’s James Taylor.

‘The i30 N even more so than the i20 N: there’s something about the older, bigger car’s more muscular character, the extra performance of its brawny 2-litre engine over the 1.6-litre i20 and the sense that it’s a bit of a hot rod, a skunkworks-style development of a very ordinary base car into something special. But the i20 N does feel a more complete, cohesive car: you can tell N division got its mitts on the source material from the start.’

To read the full feature, grab a copy of evo issue 326.