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Hyundai has revealed its rather sexy new i30N Fastback, a four-door coupe version of its already hugely well-received i30N hot hatchback, and it's found an interesting way to show the car off ahead of its official debut at the Paris motor show. Hyundai got World Rally Championship superstar Thierry Neuville and Touring Car legend Gabriele Tarquini to drive the new i30N Fastback from Rome to Paris in just 8 minutes 18.49 seconds. Sort of...
It actually turns out that there are two villages, called Rome and Paris, perched on the west coast of Denmark. They're just over 12km apart, and the Danish authorities closed off the road so that Neuville and Tarquini could duke it out in identical Fastbacks to set the fastest time between the villages. In the end it was wily Tarquini, a veteran of 25 years of racing, who set the fastest time.
"With the all-new i30 Fastback N, Hyundai again sets new standards in the market, enhancing the brand's appeal with highly emotional products," says Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Marketing and Product at Hyundai Motor Europe. "With the new hot coupe our customers will enjoy the same driving fun of i30N packaged in the car's beautiful GT like shape wherever they drive!"
The i30N has already been a decent success for Hyundai in Europe, selling more than 3,000 in the first half of this year, and the sleeker, somehow cooler Fastback could extend that ever further.
As with the hatch, the Fastback gets a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, with a choice of 250hp or 275hp. Both have a top speed of 250km/h but the more powerful engine sprints to 100km/h a little faster, in 6.1 seconds.
The Fastback also gets the changeable driving modes setup from the hatch, which is now called 'Grin Control' by Hyundai. You use two big paddles on the steering wheel to choose between Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom modes.
The i30N Fastback also features Hyundai SmartSense active safety and driving assistance technologies complying with the highest European safety standards: Autonomous Emergency Braking (standard), Driver Attention Alert (standard), Lane Keeping Assist (standard) and High Beam Assist (standard).
On the outside, the obvious difference to the hatchback is the longer, more sloping rear end, with a unique rear bumper, which like the front one gets a bright red character line. The new back end also gets a hoop spoiler integrated into the rear hatch, and twin exhausts. It's more practical than the hatch too, with a 450-litre boot.
Sales of the i30N fastback will start shortly after its public debut at the Paris motor show.