‘Strong & reliable’ hot hatch that’s been discontinued helped Jeremy Clarkson ‘fall back in love with driving’
A SOUPED up hatchback that was discontinued earlier this year once helped Jeremy Clarkson “fall back in love with driving.”
The pocket rocket Hyundai i20 N, which is a high-performance version of popular i20, rubs shoulders with the very best hot hatches on the market and has gained plenty of plaudits – including the Top Gear legend.
Launched in 2020, the i20 N is Hyundai’s smallest hot hatch, and drew inspiration from their i20 N WRC rally car.
Boasting a 2-litre turbocharged motor, the i20 N is capable of hitting 276 bhp that will get it from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.
That’s coupled with an impressive top speed of 143 mph.
Sadly, the pocket rocket was canned in Europe earlier this year – with the Korean brand decided to axe the i20 N and i30 N hatch and release a sporty EV instead – but it still represents “value for money” for a petrolhead searching for some bite on the used car market.
“I really loved this car.”
Jeremy Clarkson
It certainly captured Clarkson’s imagination, who gushed over the little car for a feature titled “How I fell back in love with driving” for The Sunday Times in 2021.
He wrote: “I was falling a bit out of love with driving, it was becoming a chore.
“Who could have imagined that it would take a five-door, five-seater Korean hatchback to remind me what fun the road can be? I really loved this car.”
He went on to say: “It’s one of those cars that turns into any corner at any speed you like, and that whizzes from place to place in a frenzy of histrionics and fizz.”
Comparing it to the i30 N, he wrote: “Like its bigger sibling, it’s well made and strong and reliable and safe, and there are folding rear seats, but all of this sensibleness is masked under a thick layer of fun and games.”
Jezza isn’t the only fans, as Autocar claimed the i20 N “builds on its bigger sibling’s sense of engagement but adds … polish and handling precision” while Auto Bild from Germany said that it “liked it a lot – inconspicuous in everyday life, responsive on the track”.
Motorheads keen to put Clarkson’s poetic words into action can pick up an i20 N for under £25,000 – with good priced examples currently available on Autotrader for around £23,500.
For drivers on the hunt for a high-performance supermini on a budget, a car expert has highlighted a “cheap to run” hot hatch with “great handling” that’s less than £2k.
Elsewhere, a motoring giant has revealed it’s discontinuing its range of performance EVs after just two years… but could rebrand an iconic model.