Skip advert
Advertisement

Hyundai i30 N ‘N Option’ previews Hyundai’s performance customisation service

Paris motor show concept debuts upgrades soon to be available to Hyundai N customers

The Hyundai i30 N has proved without any doubt that Hyundai is capable of a creating a serious, and seriously fun, performance car. But the Korean hot hatch can look a little subtle, especially if its not painted in the light blue launch colour, or when you compare it to some other hot hatches – the Honda Civic Type R, for example.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Hyundai’s new option package, previewed at the Paris motor show, gives us a taste of how extreme future i30 Ns and other performance Hyundais could look. Although it’s just a show car, the Hyundai i30 N ‘N Option’ features a selection of parts that customers will be able to have fitted to their cars from the factory when N Option is officially launched. 

> Click here for our review of the Hyundai i30 N

This level of customisation is rarely seen from a manufacturer, it’s only aftermarket tuners offer such a wide variety of parts and the ability to transform a relatively understated car into something as aggressive as this show car.

While no further performance modifications have been announced as yet, the show car does wear 20-inch cast alloy wheels (up an inch from those on the i30 N Performance) wrapped in ‘semi-slick tyres’. Additionally, the i30’s styling gains a prominent rear wing and pronounced side sills, and front and rear splitters all made from carbon fibre.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

Equally dramatic is the vented bonnet, while emerging from the rear splitter and diffuser combination is a set of quad tailpipes, which presumably feature the same active exhaust technology as on the i30 N Performance. An extra red graphical element surrounds the lower grille, and there’s a large Hyundai N graphic along the sides of the car over the matt paintwork. 

The interior too gets the N Option touch, most obviously in the form of lightweight sports bucket seats with heavy bolstering and Alcantara trim. The steering wheel is also trimmed in Alcantara (the standard wheel is leather) with carbon accents, while criticisms that the standard car feels a little cheaply trimmed in places should be minimised by the Alcantara dashboard, door cards and cubby box trim, complemented by carbon fibre inserts.

The overall effect doesn’t quite have the impact of Hyundai’s i30 TCR car – the wide arches will have to wait for another day – but do give the production car enormous presence.

Hyundai is pitching N Option as the other extreme to that of the N-Line versions in the line-up, which offer a taste of Hyundai’s motorsport brand without committing to the full performance cars. The company says N Option will be officially launched ‘in the near future’.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Hyundai i30 N (2018 - 2024) review
Hyundai i30 N 22 – front cornering
In-depth reviews

Hyundai i30 N (2018 - 2024) review

The i30 N sits at the top of a very talented field. With a truly engaging chassis and a punchy powertrain, it's a fantastic thing to drive
25 Apr 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman 2.0 four-cylinder – the car world's greatest misses
Porsche 718 four cylinder
Features

Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman 2.0 four-cylinder – the car world's greatest misses

Downsizing the engine of Porsche’s entry-level sports car was an embarrassing flat-four fiasco
18 Feb 2025
Used Porsche 911 (991, 2011 - 2018) review – should you buy the unloved 911?
Porsche 991 Carrera rear
In-depth reviews

Used Porsche 911 (991, 2011 - 2018) review – should you buy the unloved 911?

For better or worse, the 991 was a huge moment of change for the Porsche 911, as it passed the half-century mark. We look back at the black sheep of t…
17 Feb 2025
Alpina B3 GT Touring 2025 review – a 190mph alternative to the BMW M3 Touring
Alpina B3 GT Touring
Reviews

Alpina B3 GT Touring 2025 review – a 190mph alternative to the BMW M3 Touring

A swansong for Alpina’s hot 3-series lineup, the B3 GT Touring is a fine and unique alternative to the very best fast estates
16 Feb 2025