Should you buy one?

Unless you’re in the fortunate position of being able to afford nearly £50k for a Honda Civic Type R, the i30 N is the best family-sized front-drive hot hatchback out there. It’s a sharper, rawer thing than its immediate rivals, with a setup that’s equally at home attacking road or track. That’s partially down to all the standard go-faster bits that are either optional or absent from some rivals.

However, while equipment levels are certainly good, the interior is rather drab to look at and it’s not as easy to live with as the competition. The Cupra Leon, Golf GTI and even Civic Type R and Audi RS3 are more fuel-efficient and comfortable in the real world. Given the keen pricing, we’d still be awfully tempted by the i30 N, though.

What we like

It’s surprising how close it gets to the Type R in terms of driver involvement, and while the grippier, punchier Honda is faster cross country, the more ragged i30 N is arguably more fun more of the time. Standard kit levels impress despite a keen price, with bits to help you go quickly and make your life more pleasant. Reliability is top notch and the boot’s a good size, too.

What we don’t like

Despite a few N-specific details, the interior still feels a bit drab and uninspiring like the regular i30’s. Rear legroom isn’t great if you’re tall and the engine is thirsty. You’ll also find the ride firmer than rivals, even with the adjustable dampers in their softest setting.

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