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Video: Hyundai i20 N vs i30 N track test comparison – Nurburgring

The Nurburgring in Germany is a 20.8km ‘public road’ track that is open on most weekdays during the warmer months, and regularly on weekend days except during winter. Taking it on in any car is very challenging, on both the car and the driver.

Laps costs 30 euros (about AU$54) per lap and you can do as many as you like, or as many as you can fit in during the day’s session.

Nurburgring-Adenau

You have to concentrate harder than on most tracks purely because this one is so long. Adding to that, many of the corners are blind, in that, there is a crest or some kind of hill leading up to the corner and you can’t actually see where the track goes. And the track is comparatively narrow. Best to study videos and/or play console/computer simulators before heading out.

Then, add in a mixture of other vehicles with drivers of varying skill level, some steep dippers and little jumps, and a steeply-banked hairpin with concrete blocks as the surface, and you’ve got yourself one very exciting lap.

2025 RSR Nurburg

I recently had the opportunity to take on this circuit in a few Hyundai N models, thanks to Hyundai Australia and the good guys at RSRNurburg. RSR offers a range of hire cars that you can use to lap the circuit, at full speed, including i20 N and i30 N. These are in standard trim aside from upgraded brake pads (and decals).

As a bonus, they also have a special model they call the i30 N RSR Edition. This is an enhanced version based on the DCT model, featuring a custom exhaust, remapped ECU, aftermarket wheels, uprated brake pads, new springs and dampers, and a stripped out interior with a roll cage.

2025 RSR Nurburg-cars

With a bit more power than the standard 206kW model, and less weight even with the roll cage, this is pretty much a race car that’s road legal. And it’s fast. The main thing I noticed is how flat and neutral the handling is, even on the Nurburgring which is notorious for bumps and undulations. RSR obviously tuned the car specifically for this circuit. Perfectly.

Secondly, the RSR Edition presents more drama and theatre inside because most of the sound insulation is removed – sounds tend to bounce around more when there is no furniture around. It is as thrilling as it gets.

2025 RSR Nurburg-Hyundai i30 N RSR Edition rear wing

While I did try to record some laps times on the days we were there, traffic on the circuit made it hard to nail a clean lap (bridge to gantry). But in the end the i20 N lapped in 9:06.7, the standard i30 N in 8:57.5, and the RSR Edition, with two crashes and orange flag sections, 9:29.8.

Which car is best? The i20 N is definitely the most fun, with its manual transmission and very forgiving handling, while the i30 N hauls harder on the long uphill sections and offers more speed. Understandably, given it churns out more power and torque.

2025 RSR Nurburg-Hyundai i30 N Brett Davis

It would be interesting to see how the i30 Sedan N (Elantra N) would do around this circuit, with its longer wheelbase potentially providing enhanced stability. Either way, both models are a lot of fun on the Nurburgring. You can tell these machines have been developed here as well, as they don’t feel out of their depth at all, offering great stability and longevity. (Hyundai has a large workshop right next to the track and tests prototypes here regularly.)

The great thing is Hyundai still offers all models in Australia. Hot hatches like this are getting rarer and rarer, and, unfortunately, will soon be gone. At least in raw, petrol-engine-only form with available manual transmissions. Check out the full video below to see how it went.

Brett Davis

Brett started out as a motor mechanic but eventually became frustrated working on cars that weren't his. He then earned a degree in journalism and scored a job at Top Gear Australia back in 2008, and then worked at Zoom/Extreme Performance magazines, CarAdvice, and started PerformanceDrive/PDriveTV in 2011 with Josh Bennis. He's now the owner and managing editor here at Driving Enthusiast.

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