2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan Review
Price & Specs8.5
Interior & Practicality8
Performance & Economy8
Ride & Handling8
Running Costs & Warranty8.5
What we like:
  • Handsome and different styling
  • Quick but efficient engine
  • Crisp manual gearbox
What we didn't like:
  • Manual variants feature less safety tech
  • Interior quality is lacking
  • Featureless rear seat and boot
8.2DiscoverAuto Rating

In recent years, Hyundai have created some fantastic looking cars: the Veloster and Sonata being just two of them. The company is on a roll with good designs recently and this was further proven when the brand pulled the covers off the i30 Sedan. While it’s not for everybody, it has gotten the car talked about – which is surely the whole point of styling a car with such tenacity. While the regular i30 sedan is a good runaround prospect, we tested the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line sedan fitted with the standard manual transmission.

2021 Hyundai i30 N-Line Sedan

The small sedan market has seen a big demise in recent years with the boom of the SUV but there are still a few models remaining. The Hyundai i30 sedan (previously known as the Elantra), the Mazda 3 sedan, Toyota Corolla sedan and the Kia Cerato sedan are the only cars in this segment at the moment.

Price & Specs: 8.5/10

The Hyundai i30 sedan range kicks off with the Active, which is priced at $25,190 plus on-road costs for the manual – the automatic is $2,000 more. The 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan we tested here starts at $30,690 plus on-road costs for the manual with the automatic setting buyers back $32,690. We think that the Mazda 3 G25 Evolve is the i30 N Line’s closest competitor at $30,190 plus on-road costs.

As standard, the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan is equipped with an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, a 4.2-inch colour driver’s display, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start (remote start for the automatic), 18-inch alloy wheels, alloy sports pedals, a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, automatic LED lighting with auto wipers, leather upholstery, heated and auto-folding exterior mirrors, wireless phone charging and sporty N Line styling details such as a bodykit and the seats.

Standard safety features of the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan include six airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assist, automatic high beam, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, driver attention detection, rear occupant alert, safe exit warning and an alarm. Choosing the automatic variant adds adaptive cruise control and auto rear braking – both features are disappointingly unavailable with the manual, unfortunately.

Above the N Line sits the auto-only $37,690 i30 N Line Premium, which gains a larger 10.25-inch screen with satellite navigation, live traffic updates, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, a sunroof, an electric driver’s seat with memory, front parking sensors, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, rear auto braking, digital radio, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and LED ambient lighting.

The standard features list for the i30 N Line is pretty extensive. The Mazda 3 G25 Evolve does feature an extra airbag, satellite navigation, two extra speakers, digital radio, traffic sign recognition, a head up display, a height adjustable passenger seat and an electric driver’s seat with memory but the i30 features big ticket items such as leather upholstery and – if it matters to you – the turbocharged engine.

The only standard colour is ‘Polar White’ whereas all other colours attract a $495 increase. These colours include ‘Phantom Black’, ‘Intense Blue’, ‘Amazon Grey’, ‘Lava Orange’, ‘Fluid Metal’ and our test car’s ‘Fiery Red’.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

The standard Hyundai i30 Sedan comes with a 2.0-litre four cylinder engine that produces 117kW of power and 191Nm of torque. Stepping up to the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line gets you a 1.6-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine from the company’s new ‘Smartstream’ engine family that produces 150kW of power and 265Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission, although a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is also available.

Compared with the 2.5-litre Mazda3 G25 Evolve, the i30 sedan offers more performance. Its 139kW of power and 252Nm of torque are down 11kW and 13Nm respectively, though it feels like a greater difference in real life thanks to the i30’s turbo – the Mazda is naturally aspirated. The i30 feels much faster and more pokey when putting your foot down and the mid-range acceleration is more impressive in the i30.

The standard six-speed manual is a great option that really adds another layer of fun and involvement to the i30 sedan. Hyundai’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is not brilliant as it features a lot of low-speed hesitancy and less decisiveness than a VW Group DSG transmission at higher speeds. The tuning of the six-speed automatic in regular i30 sedan models is a lot better, in our opinion.

The claimed average fuel consumption for the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan is 7.5L/100km for the manual and 6.8L/100km for the automatic. In our week with the i30 with mostly highway driving, we saw an average of just over 6.0L/100km, which is a lot less than previous i30 models that we’ve tested. The Mazda 3 G25 has a claimed average of 6.2L/100km for the manual and 6.5L/100km for the auto.

Ride & Handling: 8/10

The 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan rides exceptionally well for a car that is supposed to be performance focused. The Australian tuned suspension works a treat in the suburban streets – the i30 N Line isn’t phased by potholes or speed humps and rides quite well no matter if you’re driving through the city or out on the open road. Thanks to a longer wheelbase and different tuning, the i30 N Line sedan rides noticeably better than the hatchback variant – it’s softer and more forgiving. The N Line also adds independent rear suspension over normal i30 sedan variants, which enables its ride to be even better than those smaller-wheeled cars.

The handling abilities of the i30 N Line Sedan are quite good. Like the ride quality, the handling is Australian tuned and while it’s not as corner hungry as the i30 N – or incoming i30 N sedan – we think it’s a very fun car to drive. The slightly softer tune of the sedan makes it more playful than the hatch, which is more serious behind the wheel.

Strangely enough, the hatch variant of the i30 comes with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres which perform exceptionally well, although unfortunately the Sedan gets Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2’s which simply aren’t as good – though they do make the sedan more fun as a result.

Interior & Practicality: 8/10

The interior of the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan is completely different from its hatch counterpart, which makes it feel more modern and newer on the inside. The sedan has a more sculptured dash and centre console with a bar that runs from the dash to the glovebox on the passenger side and we love it. It’s a genuinely unique dashboard design that makes the cabin of the i30 feel somewhat exotic – it’s a shame that the materials don’t live up to the exotic design, however.

The dash and door panels are mostly hard plastic, which is disappointing as the design of the dashboard is otherwise excellent – it’s even practical with big cupholders, a deep tray ahead of the gearbox and reasonable door pockets. Thankfully, the leather quality on the steering wheel and seats is quite good – though we wish the seats were heated as leather on cold winter mornings gets very cold. Speaking of the seats, they are supportive and comfortable on longer journeys – even without lumbar adjustment – but it would be nice if the driver’s seat was electrically adjustable for even more variety in the driving position.

The 8.0-inch centre screen is easy to navigate with the shortcut keys to each side of the screen. The colours are bright and the screen is crisp. The reversing camera is also good quality but we wish that it had satellite navigation and digital radio for the price. It does feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which worked flawlessly for our time with the car. The wireless phone charging pad ahead of the gearbox is also conveniently located.

Passengers in the rear seat of the i30 sedan are mostly well catered for as there is excellent room, even for taller folks, as legroom is excellent and even headroom is reasonable despite the coupe-like roofline. The seats themselves are also quite comfortable and there are also rear vents and a centre arm rest with cupholders, though no charging ports is frustrating – as is that there is only one map pocket.

The 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan features a pretty reasonable 474-litres of cargo space. There are also handles to fold down the rear seats which opens up the boot even more but as far as features go that’s it – there are no hooks, storage boxes or nets. The Mazda 3 Sedan’s boot can swallow 444-litres of cargo, which is 30-litres less than the i30. Under the floor is a space saver spare wheel.

Service & Warranty: 8.5/10

Hyundai offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan, which is the same warranty offered by Mazda for the 3 range. There is also 12 months of roadside assist which is extended by a further 12 months at every scheduled service for up to five years. Although it is also worth noting that the mechanically similar Kia Cerato GT comes with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty and the same roadside assistant layout as the i30, but up to eight years rather than five.

The i30 N Line Sedan requires servicing every 12 months or 10,000km, which is also the same as the Mazda3 and Kia Cerato GT, but the Toyota Corolla features longer 15,000km service intervals. The price of servicing the 2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan over the span over five years/50,000km is $1,495 – the Mazda 3 costs $1,700. Owners travelling more than 10,000km per annum will have to service their cars more regularly over the five year period and should budget in another $300-600 for servicing over that time.

2021 Hyundai i30 N Line Sedan DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.2/10

While the i30 N Line doesn’t have as much standard equipment as the Mazda 3 G25 Evolve, and the interior quality is nowhere near as good, it is more powerful, cheaper to service and it also rides and handles better. The Hyundai i30 N Line offers a dynamic package in a practical sedan for a reasonable cost. The engine is grunty, the transmission is fun to roll through the gears and the exhaust makes a nice growl when accelerating. There is also more than enough active safety tech to keep you on the road and the interior is a comfortable place to spend time.

2021 Hyundai i30 N-Line Sedan

We think the i30 N Line sedan is a great all-rounder that is even better rounded than its hatchback sibling – as well as its competition. If the interior were made better quality, a touch more standard kit like satellite navigation and digital radio added and the better tyres from the N Line hatchback added, it would be close to perfect. But as it stands now, it’s still a great option – one made a lot better, in our opinion, by the sweet six-speed manual transmission.

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