Hyundai i30N Performance VS Fiesta ST an owners review
Let me start by saying this is not a Hyundai i30N VS Fiesta ST competitor comparison or journalists type review but a review based on my ownership of both cars so as such, it is subjective. However, It is based on actually owning both vehicles for over a year rather than just test driving them for a few weeks. Let’s get into it:
To be clear I am talking about the Hyundai i30N performance manual circa 2020 and the Fiesta Mk8 ST-3 three door Cira 2020.
Hyundai 2.0L T-GDI 4-cylinder 271PS 378 Nm Torque
Fiesta 1.5L 3-cylinder 200PS 290 Nm Torque – with performance pack – limited-slip differential (LSD)
Price
I owned the I30N first and at the time of ST3 ownership, the new on the road price of the Fiesta ST-3 was about the same as the Hyundai.
What does it feel like sitting in the cockpit
Both cars felt like a nice place to be and both cars have plenty of toys to play with if that is your thing. As well covered in many reviews, I will set this aspect aside. I loved the ST-3 Recaro seats (not fitted to later models) but would have preferred a slightly smaller steering wheel. The fully electric adjusting seats in the i30N were good but personally I preferred the ST-3 seats. However, leaving the seats aside, generally the controls and switches felt of a slightly better quality to me in the i30N.
Overall, nothing about the cockpit in either car would have swayed me to go for one over the other. Let’s be honest though, who really is going to buy a hot hatch based on which interior they prefer unless maybe all other factors are equal.
Handling
Both cars offer incredible handling especialy on the twisties however, you can feel the extra weight of the i30N as it just does not feel as nimble as the ST-3. That said, the i30N front end is amazing in how well it is glued to the road and goes without fuss in the intended direction. You would have to be mad man / woman in order to push it to anywhere near it’s limit on public roads and in real danger of loosing your licence. As good as the i30N is in the handling department, I slightly prefer the ST-3. With the nimbleness and balance you feel like car is rotating around you thus you feel so connected to it and the road.
Engine and Gearbox
As far as gear changes are concerned, I would not favour one car over the other really. Both are good, having a nice sporting feel with each change. If you have owned a BMW I think you would notice the gearbox feels similar to a Beamer. This makes sense given the cars development was overseen by former M Division engineer Albert Biermann.
The St- 3 engine was perhaps my biggest surprise (we will talk performance later) in that I never imagined the 3-pot ST-3 engine could ever feel anything more than a 3 pot engine even if it was the best part of 200 horses. I could not have been more wrong and even after reading motorjournalist reviews prior, saying how good it is, I was still pleasantly surprised. There were no surprises with the I30N (not a bad thing) as the 2.0L 4-pot unit is a more conventional package and performs well with it’ 280 horses.
Suspension and steering.
The Hyundai has a plethora of driver settings and configurable options right up to full on N Mode. Here the suspension is rock hard and best suited to the track unless you fancy a trip to your dentist to replace fillings. For me I would use custom settings and have performance at Max. Suspension and steering set to the more comfortable settings which still gave fantastic handling as mentioned above. One thing I would mention is the Hyundai did have a horrendous turning circle but I would not let that put one off.
The Fiesta does not have adaptive suspension but does have 3 selectable drive modes Normal, Sport, and, Track mode. The normal mode feels as if you are driving a normal EcoBoost Ford Fiesta. In this mode, a cylinder can also shut down, taking the 3-cylinder engine down to 2. In Sport mode the active exhaust comes alive. The steering input and the throttle responsiveness are also improved.
The ride is firm but not overly so and I feel Ford have done a really good job making it firm enough but still usable as a daily drive. The turning circle and steering I found very good.
Performance
As you would expect i30N is a faster car despite being heavier as those extra 80 horses and torque are significant. The i30N offers a strong performance but I would say does not feel quite as fast as you would expect. It accelerates very smoothly more like a large naturally aspirated engine.Yet despite all that torque, you can get caught out when stretching your right foot towards the carpet sometimes requiring a quick change down in order to move on at pace.
The ST- 3 on the other hand feels faster than it actually is and the tiny 3 pot seems to respond well in any gear with a sense of urgency. You definitely know you are driving a turbo aspirated car here.
Setting aside how it feels – Clearly both on paper and in the real World the i30N performance is faster and will outperform the ST-3 in terms of straight-line speeds and in-gear accelerations.
Braking
No concerns here both cars braked well but the graphic N adorned I30N brakes seemed to have more stopping power.
Pops and Bangs
Mapping by the manufacturers of hot hatches for pops and bangs seems quite the in-thing right now. If you like you pops and bangs neither car disappoints. The i30N in N / sport mode and the ST-3 in sport or track mode opens the exhaust flap.
The i30N is the loudest but very predictable and uniformed – on down changes the revs have to be quite high. The ST-3 pops and bangs are somewhat quieter but do seem to be less uniformed and some may argue a bit more fun therefore. The loudest bang comes from the ST-3 when changing between 1st and second for some reason and the revs do not need to be very high.
Reliability
No issues here with either vehicles both performed faultlessly (unlike my Peugeot 208 GTI) and only required standard servicing.
Summary and thoughts
Let’s remember this is an owner’s review of both vehicles rather than a rivals comparison which for the Fiesta would have been against the Hyundai I20N and for the I30N would have been against the likes of a Golf GTI variant, Honda Type R, Peugeot 308 GTI, Ford Focus ST and the like.
The Fiesta also has the ability to put a smile on your face as a hot hatch should and works well as a daily drive. It has eagerness to move on at pace in any gear and does not feel much slower in the driver’s seat. It feels light and agile and one feels very connected to the road and very comfortable in the supportive Recaro Seats.
The I30N is a fantastic car and of course slightly more practical being slightly larger and as you would expect by the stats and offers more performance. It handles well and sounds great especially in N mode. However, the Fiesta just seemed more fun to drive so that would be my choice if I had to choose between them.
End.
