The smallest car in South Korea’s performance portfolio has huge spirit.

Price: $53,990

Powertrain: 1.6-litre turbo petrol inline four with 150kW/275Nm (up to 304Nm on overboost), front-wheel-drive, six-speed manual transmission, economy 7.7L/100km, 175g/km CO2.
Vital statistics: 4075mm long, 1775mm wide, 1440mm high, 2580mm wheelbase.

Like: Brilliantly sorted; bursting with character.
Not so much: A Recaro seat wouldn’t go amiss.

WITH a hotshot electric Ioniq 5 already being worked up, it’s possible the latest local addition to the fast-growing N division could be the last to be fully reliant on petrol.

That’s fine. Times are changing; change can be good. Still, could there be any better way to exit full-out fossil fuel-reliance than with a genuine, highly-effervescent old-school pocket rocket, one that gives high-octane thrill without being too much of a wallet destroyer?

In so many respects, the i20 N is a crowning glory of Hyundai’s performance story, as it has so far been told. It’s not electric, but it is so very, very electrifying. What an astounding complete and compelling car this is.

All the usual ‘hot hatch 101’ applies. Beefed-up brakes, sports-tuned suspension, a limited-slip differential, turbocharged power and racier styling inside and out …the ‘usuals’ to turn a compact family hatch into a firecracker all apply.

Simplicity and purity also weight in; hence why it has a six-speed manual gearbox. You don’t get to achieve as a well-positioned product without canny consideration to bottom line costs, right?

As much as there’s truth to that, it’d also be a falsehood to imagine Hyundai has been skimping. It’s the attention to detail that compels this to be considered the best effort yet. That and the exquisite additional engineering.

The only N product not to be built in South Korea – the birthplace is much further from Seoul than our market; Izmit, Turkey – the i20 is fabricated from Hyundai’s own steel. The N development continues that ‘in house’ ethic.

Unlike other makers of hot hatches, Hyundai hasn’t outsourced from specialist parts providers, No Brembo or Recaro branding here. The entire drivetrain (engine, gearbox, reinforced clutch, the purely mechanical limited-slip differential) are Hyundai-designed. The 18in wheels, the exhaust system, the brakes as well. The tyres are from Pirelli. But these P Zeros have an i20 N-specific compound.

The five-door shape is the same as used by a shopping basket edition, prolific in Europe but not sold here. But ‘same’ only to a point. The shell has been reinforced in 12 places. While the donor car’s MacPherson strut front suspension is carried over, as is the rear torsion beam, both are uprated. There’s also extra camber at the front, along with a new anti-roll bar, and some additional bracing between the rear wheel arches. Everything sits 10mm closer to the road.

It’s a lot of effort. But, then, there’s a lot of good reason. Among all the N models it has the best kind of credibility, with close tie to make’s World Rally Championship (WRC) car.

All in all, then, this is still very much a gun machine, with decent tech talent and still making a decent fist of delivering as much race-fuelled flavour as is practical without going totally silly about it.

And, wow, does it look good or what? Sitting squat and properly hunkered on oversized rims, it’s perfectly proportioned and especially good in appearance when, as tested. In the same basic colour scheme as the rally car; a soft, very slightly purplish-tinged blue with a red signature stripe that runs along the front apron and down the sills.

That, plus the competition-tinged styling elements of a grille inspired by a chequered flag, a WRC-style roof spoiler, plus neat little ingredients such as the triangular F1-style fog light and a sporty diffuser housing the oval exhaust add up to massive visual drama. And if any eyes fail to spot, all ears will surely prick up when it fires into action. N cars all tend to barp and burp when fired up and become blaringly loud when given the boot, but this engine has a particularly special bang-bang note.

It doesn’t have the most kapow in this category, but there’s enough to make it a handful. In theory. Hyundai delivers some clever tech to contain torque-steer wrestling and wheelspin wastage. As straight-from-PlayStation as the N Corner Carving Differential, an N Custom Mode, N Grin Control System, N Performance Braking System and N Rev Matching might all sound, they really are quite impressive elements. On top of those, as the video shows, N cars have a seriously decent launch control.

The interior is of course touched by the performance-theme gene, but don’t think it’s just about bunging in some suitable leather and fabric sports seats, big headrests featuring the N logo, a chunky steering wheel and plenty of contrasting coloured stitching and chequered flag motifs. That stuff’s just the icing.

Look to the three-spoke sports steering wheel and you’ll see the same two big blue buttons as found on other N models. As per convention, these alter the driving modes; the one on the right being the more important, as it activates the full firestorm. There’s also a big red Revs button that looks really important. It is.

Likewise, the touchscreen in the centre console. In an everyday Hyundai, this would mainly be for the infotainment system. Here that function is almost secondary.

The primary role for the screen is to give a driver access to a whole load of N-dedicated involvements. You can – and should, because it makes a good thing even better - adjust settings for the exhaust, steering and more.

The digital instrument cluster also has option to scroll through a number of menus to access settings, data and the like. That’s all very competition-ish and, unlike Hayden Paddon, you won’t have a co-driver to help sort it all out.

But don’t fret; while fiddling with them on the move might prove foolhardly, the menus and sub-menus are not that complex and the benefits are worthwhile.

One aspect being developed during test was a database that will help those intending to run these on race tracks. Mapping for five layouts are set to be included; they’re missing out on Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, which is a shame, because it’s well-suited to road car fun.

The other primary screen function is that it is the access to the launch control, which is worth trying at least once. In an appropriate setting. If it’s going to be a public area, chose a very quiet and straight back road, with good grip, and be prepared to reign it in when reaching 100kmh, which comes up very quickly.

Hyundai builds all sorts of safety parameters into the system – the engine has to be warmed up, of course, but there’s so much more. The windows have to closed, the steering has to be properly straight (you could have waggle the wheel), the road has to flat and, of course, every occupant has to be belted in. The control is also time-restricted. You can set the revs – in interests on not being too brutal on the gear, I opted for the lowest setting of 3000rpm (it’ll go to 5000rpm).

There’s one more trick and that’s to be quick smart on the throttle action; you can’t gently feed it in, it’s basically a brutal mash to the floor and hold it there. Get it right, and the engine will smash straight to the pre-set revs and pop-bang away, just like a WRC on a stage start line, awaiting you to drop the clutch; again, as abruptly as you floor the throttle.

And when it goes … wow, does it go. Straight after driving the i20N for seven days, another week was spent with an i30 N Fastback with DSG. If you had to pick?

On paper, the baby model is outgunned. The i30 is great and it sounds brilliant, too, plus it really rockets. There’s more mid-range torque than the 1.6-litre car. And having a computer determine when to shift gears give an edge; no matter how fast and well-timed your left foot, left hand movements are, the DSG will ALWAYS be faster.

And, yet … there’s something about the i20 N that really makes you want to drive it just that little bit more. It just has more soul. More charisma.

There’s no need to drive either at full explosivity. Flick the drive mode into Eco and each are relatively docile; just ordinary everyday small hatches. The i20 handles subservience better as it has decent cabin space and a reasonably-sized (352 litres) boot. The visual malevolence aside, it’s a good little shopper.

Better than the Fastback, really, as the larger car really squanders space. Headroom is a real problem for anyone over medium height. I’m tall and, in the driver’s seat, my head brushed the roof lining. The back seat just wasn’t doable. Whereas I could have sat anywhere in the i20 and felt comfy. Hand on heart.

N cars aren’t built for tootling, but they do cope with it. Yet there’s no argument that these engines thrive on being worked. The i30’s 2.0-litre is faster to hit max attack mode from the get-go; the i20 N’s mill has a touch of lag between flooring the accelerator and the delivery of its energy. Once through that, though, it’s impressively energetic.

Take either from Eco into Normal and there’s a significant lift in spirit. Dial them up to Sport – these actions all being via the blue button on the left side of the steering wheel boss – and far more of the fun factor kicks in. More? The right-side button is for serious stuff. That’s the switch to N mode. Hit that and suddenly life become becomes very interesting; as well as putting the steering and engine in their most aggressive settings, it also ramps up the character of the exhaust to its most barking. Favourite settings - even one for proper left-foot braking – can be saved in Custom.

Fast driving brings appreciation of the N Corner Carving Differential. Sure, it’s just a fancy name for a mechanical limited slip differential, but boy, is it worth having. The car has no lack of grip whatsoever, but with the diff enacting to best potential it tracks incredibly well. If you want all that, a dose more pace, then there’s that big red button, which enacts an overboost to 304Nm. Grin mode only lasts 20 seconds, but it’s certainly well named. Your face will ache.

The rev matching? Switch it on and it holds the revs slightly on down changes, to smoothen it out. If you know how to change down properly, and can heel and toe, there’s obviously no need for it. But a lot of people have trouble with that, so it’s useful. Not a gimmick. Another high-point for engagement is the steering; the i30’s is good, but the i20 is the one you can guide intuitively with fingertips.

The i20 N was always going to be a great fit here. There’s that whole Paddon side of things to leverage off, and rightly so. We’ve had to wait an age for this car, and who knows how long it’ll be around.

But if you like hot hatches, you’re going to love it. Sure, it lacks power occasionally compared to one or two rivals, notably the Toyota GR Yaris which, in sense of ‘WRC-ishness’, registers higher on the doppelganger scale by adopting four-wheel-drive. And it’s three-pot turbo puts out 50kW and 95Nm more.

That car has risen in price since launching at $54,990 and, in any event, is something of a theoretical foe, now, through being one of many Toyota special products that, due to the chip shortages, has become an unobtanium.

Even though it hasn’t the most wallop, the i20 N’s power to weight is still decent and 0-100kmh in 6.2 seconds is pretty decent. Bear in mind that the Korean concoct is a reasonably featherweight firecracker, tipping the scales at 1190kg empty (pub quiz factoid: That’s EXACTLY the same as the pre-hybrid-era WRC car).

In any event, it makes good use of what it has. Any car with ability to slice through corners with a feeling of total control, even when it’s cocking an inside rear wheel, has to be considered special. That’s this car. It’s fantastic.

And, yes, the i30 N has its pluses, too. But as much as the Fastback silhouette is nice on the eye, you pay a high price for it in respect to eroded headroom. I’m tall, but not outrageously so, yet my head was brushing the roof lining when I was driving; I couldn’t put up with that for long. And I wouldn’t even think about sitting in the back. I wonder, too, about the shell’s torsional rigidity, given that it has massive crossbar behind the rear seat. I don’t recall the hatch having that.

Hyundai created the N subdivision to add some motorsport-style zing to its models. It hasn’t held back and there hasn’t been one I haven’t liked. But there is now one I like best of all. If you’re a true enthusiast, the i20 N is very hard to pass up.