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Hello all and welcome to another build thread of mine.
This will not be as significant or in-depth as the EP3, simply because the car is new, but I will try to provide as much content as possible
So then, the car. Why a Hyundai?
- Fun factor
- Looks
- Rarity
- Price to performance ratio
I wanted something aggressive while also being reasonably understated. That immediately ruled out the Civic Type R and Focus RS for me. It was then down to M140i, Golf GTI/Golf R/Audi S3 or some french alternatives. I test drove an M140i, it was actually a tuned one and I must say it is one hell of a rocket ship.. while going straight. As soon as we got to some corners, it felt bloaty (if it can be described that way?) and the suspension was unsettling. The car even had an M performance Diff and Eibach springs. The exhaust note was glorious though, that straight six (last of it's kind now) is a very nice engine, good torque and respectable MPG for what it is. So that car was a 50/50 for me, I decided to keep looking. I then tried a blue Golf R which had every option from factory including an Akrapovic Exhaust. The thing was pretty mental off the line, and relatively comfortable as a daily when not in it's most aggressive settings. The DSG is smooth and sound insulation was great. Since this was a Pre-GPF car, the exhaust actually sounded good, even if a little artificial with the pops happening on every single gear change. The problem with it for me, is that it was so expensive for the year and mileage it was on, and also it was pretty boring to drive. Not because the car isn't fast or anything, but because it takes no effort to go fast. Perhaps I should have tried a manual? Later that week I tried a Golf GTI which felt like a downgrade from the R in every single way bar the handling, and then a friend of mine's S3 which felt... well Golf like. Then I started looking at Megane RS, and quickly came back to my senses (french electronics lol). So last port of call, before signing a deal on a beemer of some kind was the i30 N which a lot of people on Youtube raved about, so I had to go and see why.
Something quite interesting about the car is the fact that it was engineered by Albert Biermann. He was a fundamental part of the creation of BMW’s M division, and responsible for arguably one of the greatest cars of all time, the BMW E30 M3. Many people don’t know this and usually say "Yes but it's just a Hyundai". But even if we disregard all of that, the car just makes you want to drive like a lunatic! It is incredible how much fun it is to drive, it honestly feels like a oldschool hot hatch. It doesn't have digital speedo or a fancy automatic gearbox, which is great! Instead it has all the features you could possibly need, along with a ton of extras (Wireless charging, heated seats, steering wheel and mirrors, DAB/Apple Car Play/Android Auto, Nav ect. ect. all out of the box). Not to mention the central display's N mode settings, which allow you to configure your car as you see fit. There is no mode that fits all, so this way you can have your suspension in X setting and your steering in another, or perhaps even lock your diff or keep it open, change exhaust volume/pops, ect. I felt like a kid at Christmas and probably spent 2 hours messing around with every setting the car had before even driving it
Anyway, enough chatter, let's get on with the pictures. So I picked it up on Monday last week, and had the dealer register it directly to my plates (I do wonder what it's 69 plate would have been though).
The dealer managed to install the rear plate (with tape as requested) however they could not mount the front for some reason, so I drove it home like this:
There was no time to lose, so first mod was to de-badge the rear as I think it makes it look a lot cleaner:
Then change numberplate lights to LED:
While at it, decided to do the rear indicators also:
You can see the comparison here:
[video=youtube;2Av2xbgCDMk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Av2xbgCDMk[/video]
I also had some N stickers for the side skirts, which already have them embossed but it looks better with some colour imo:
And last but not least, a much needed wash and interior clean:
And that's it for now. Will update as I get through the running in period, which is around 600 miles.
SK-R
This will not be as significant or in-depth as the EP3, simply because the car is new, but I will try to provide as much content as possible
So then, the car. Why a Hyundai?
- Fun factor
- Looks
- Rarity
- Price to performance ratio
I wanted something aggressive while also being reasonably understated. That immediately ruled out the Civic Type R and Focus RS for me. It was then down to M140i, Golf GTI/Golf R/Audi S3 or some french alternatives. I test drove an M140i, it was actually a tuned one and I must say it is one hell of a rocket ship.. while going straight. As soon as we got to some corners, it felt bloaty (if it can be described that way?) and the suspension was unsettling. The car even had an M performance Diff and Eibach springs. The exhaust note was glorious though, that straight six (last of it's kind now) is a very nice engine, good torque and respectable MPG for what it is. So that car was a 50/50 for me, I decided to keep looking. I then tried a blue Golf R which had every option from factory including an Akrapovic Exhaust. The thing was pretty mental off the line, and relatively comfortable as a daily when not in it's most aggressive settings. The DSG is smooth and sound insulation was great. Since this was a Pre-GPF car, the exhaust actually sounded good, even if a little artificial with the pops happening on every single gear change. The problem with it for me, is that it was so expensive for the year and mileage it was on, and also it was pretty boring to drive. Not because the car isn't fast or anything, but because it takes no effort to go fast. Perhaps I should have tried a manual? Later that week I tried a Golf GTI which felt like a downgrade from the R in every single way bar the handling, and then a friend of mine's S3 which felt... well Golf like. Then I started looking at Megane RS, and quickly came back to my senses (french electronics lol). So last port of call, before signing a deal on a beemer of some kind was the i30 N which a lot of people on Youtube raved about, so I had to go and see why.
Something quite interesting about the car is the fact that it was engineered by Albert Biermann. He was a fundamental part of the creation of BMW’s M division, and responsible for arguably one of the greatest cars of all time, the BMW E30 M3. Many people don’t know this and usually say "Yes but it's just a Hyundai". But even if we disregard all of that, the car just makes you want to drive like a lunatic! It is incredible how much fun it is to drive, it honestly feels like a oldschool hot hatch. It doesn't have digital speedo or a fancy automatic gearbox, which is great! Instead it has all the features you could possibly need, along with a ton of extras (Wireless charging, heated seats, steering wheel and mirrors, DAB/Apple Car Play/Android Auto, Nav ect. ect. all out of the box). Not to mention the central display's N mode settings, which allow you to configure your car as you see fit. There is no mode that fits all, so this way you can have your suspension in X setting and your steering in another, or perhaps even lock your diff or keep it open, change exhaust volume/pops, ect. I felt like a kid at Christmas and probably spent 2 hours messing around with every setting the car had before even driving it
Anyway, enough chatter, let's get on with the pictures. So I picked it up on Monday last week, and had the dealer register it directly to my plates (I do wonder what it's 69 plate would have been though).
The dealer managed to install the rear plate (with tape as requested) however they could not mount the front for some reason, so I drove it home like this:
There was no time to lose, so first mod was to de-badge the rear as I think it makes it look a lot cleaner:
Then change numberplate lights to LED:
While at it, decided to do the rear indicators also:
You can see the comparison here:
[video=youtube;2Av2xbgCDMk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Av2xbgCDMk[/video]
I also had some N stickers for the side skirts, which already have them embossed but it looks better with some colour imo:
And last but not least, a much needed wash and interior clean:
And that's it for now. Will update as I get through the running in period, which is around 600 miles.
SK-R
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