Every year, cars get more expensive and we have to borrow more money from the banks to buy them. But Hyundai has given us a real reason to pick the new i30 N over its Golf GTI rival: the £24,995 base price.
It's one of the lowest in the segment, certainly unbeatable among the top contenders. By comparison, the cheapest Golf GTI is £28,320.
There's also a small performance gap that works in Hyundai's advantage, as we've already discussed. The base GTI comes with a 230 HP (227 bhp) 2-liter turbo engine while the i30 N gets 250 right out of the box for a 0 to 62 sprint time of 6.4 seconds.
But we're pretty sure everybody will want the performance version because that one packs 275 HP and does 60 in 6.1 seconds.This one costs £27,995 and you get extra kit too.
The base model comes as standard with 18-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, LED headlights, adaptive dampers and an 8-inch infotainment screen with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The i30 N Performance ups the ante with 19-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires, electric seats, bigger brakes, active exhaust and an electronically controlled limited slip differential (E-LSD) that allows driven wheels to turn at different speeds by applying different amounts of torque depending on the load transfer.
Of course, there are a lot more rivals to consider in this segment other than the Golf GTI. The car to beat right now is the Honda Civic Type R which packs 320 HP and will set you back from £30,995. But its aero pack is more "boy races" while the Hyundai is upmarket and restrained.
The cheapest hot hatch is usually a Ford, and the Focus ST is no exception. This veteran retails for £25,235 but there's an offer going on right now for £24,235 which is a little bit cheaper than the Hyundai. So which would you have?
There's also a small performance gap that works in Hyundai's advantage, as we've already discussed. The base GTI comes with a 230 HP (227 bhp) 2-liter turbo engine while the i30 N gets 250 right out of the box for a 0 to 62 sprint time of 6.4 seconds.
But we're pretty sure everybody will want the performance version because that one packs 275 HP and does 60 in 6.1 seconds.This one costs £27,995 and you get extra kit too.
The base model comes as standard with 18-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, LED headlights, adaptive dampers and an 8-inch infotainment screen with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The i30 N Performance ups the ante with 19-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires, electric seats, bigger brakes, active exhaust and an electronically controlled limited slip differential (E-LSD) that allows driven wheels to turn at different speeds by applying different amounts of torque depending on the load transfer.
Of course, there are a lot more rivals to consider in this segment other than the Golf GTI. The car to beat right now is the Honda Civic Type R which packs 320 HP and will set you back from £30,995. But its aero pack is more "boy races" while the Hyundai is upmarket and restrained.
The cheapest hot hatch is usually a Ford, and the Focus ST is no exception. This veteran retails for £25,235 but there's an offer going on right now for £24,235 which is a little bit cheaper than the Hyundai. So which would you have?