By now, we’re sure you’ve already heard of Hyundai’s N Division, a division dedicated to making dynamic sports cars not unlike BMW’s own M Division. The similarities in scope and name are no coincidence, as the man behind Hyundai’s new N Division is none other than Albert Biermann, former head of BMW M. Biermann’s first new project is the Hyundai i30 N, a fun-to-drive hot hatch that has a surprising amount of BMW M DNA in it, as Car Throttle recently found out.
When you drive the Hyundai i30 N, you might notice some striking BMW M-like details. For instance, it gauges, while different then BMW’s, have similar needles and rev lights to a BMW M car’s. Those rev lights are also dynamic and change depending on engine temperature, telling you how far you should rev it as the engine heats up.
It also gets a remarkable amount of drive mode customization. While most BMW M cars have three settings for the steering, suspension, throttle and gear shifts (the latter only if the DCT is optioned), the Hyundai i30 N has even more. It has the ability to tweak settings for even the limited-slip front differential.
We don’t want to spoil all of the similarities, as you should read the Car Throttle article yourself, but there are a couple more than aren’t that shocking when you know that Biermann is responsible for the car. So if you’re a BMW enthusiast who’s looking for a new hot hatchback but can’t afford a new BMW, the Hyundai i30 N might be a good choice. It’s the more affordable car and it even packs some of the BMW M DNA that you know and love.
[Source: Car Throttle]
