WE'RE IN MID-WALES, BUT I'M THINKING ABOUT Western Australia. And not only because it's tipping it down. A couple of years ago on holiday in Cottesloe, Perth, I was in a car travelling down a seafront street at sunset and unexpectedly found myself in the middle of a convoy of N-model Hyundais: i20 N, i30 N, Kona N and Elantra N (sold as the i30 N Sedan down under, and not sold at all in the UK). They were emerging from a park, where an N owners' meet was clearly in full swing, with plenty of other cars and their keepers chatting under the dusk sky.
It was a slightly incongruous scene, not because it was on the other side of the world - Australia has a healthy appetite for hot hatches - but because before 2012 the N brand simply didn't exist. And before 2017, when its first production model, the i30 N, went on sale in Europe, it was in few car enthusiasts' consciousness. In a few short years, Hyundai N has accomplished a launch-control-worthy 0-60 in terms of brand awareness: thanks largely to the stellar i30 N and i20 N hot hatches, N cars have become cult-hero modern classics within their own lifetime. And the halo effect has been transformative for Hyundai's wider image, too. This most beige of brands was suddenly a maker of alltime-great affordable performance cars (and it's been able to leverage that appeal with more profitable N Line trim levels for its mainstream models, too).
Now it's starting again - not from square one, but by turning the page to a hefty new chapter. In the past few months, petrol-powered N cars have ended sales in Europe as the N department pivots to performance EVs, the first of which being the well-received Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2024 de Evo UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2024 de Evo UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BMW M135 xDrive
The M135 has lost an and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?
Audi S5
S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?
Lamborghini Urus SE
Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?
HALL evo OF FAME
The evo Hall of Fame was established to recognise the great and the good of our corner of the universe. Prepare to welcome this year's inductees
CIRCUIT DAY
After three days of assessing their behaviour on the road, it's time to head to the Circuito de Navarra to find out how our nine contenders respond when their handling limits are explored
EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024
Nine brilliant cars, from flyweight roadsters to bombastic supercars to a be-stickered estate(!), do battle on some of Europe's finest and most spectacular roads. Which will emerge victorious? Place your bets now.
Porsche Panamera GTS
It lacks the raw power of its hybrid rivals, but does the new GTS’s more traditional approach give it its USP?
Alpine A290 GTS
The new electric Renault 5 has won plenty of plaudits. Is the hotter Alpine version a car to win petrolheads' hearts too?
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop