BLUE CHIP: HYUNDAI i30 SEDAN N

TIME IN OTHER CARS PUTS THE TRUE WORTH OF THIS SPORTS SEDAN INTO PERSPECTIVE

-  ALEX AFFAT

Price as tested $49,060

This month 731km @ 11.05L/100km

Overall 5085km @ 10.45L/100km

THE HYUNDAI i30 Sedan N has seen quite a few fills this month, sadly most of them with others at the wheel. With a steady stream of road test cars and a couple of newcar launches on my plate, for the last few weeks the i30 Sedan N has been in heavy demand among the road test team hankering after something a bit spicier than mainstream SUV fare.

The fuel figures have had a bit of a kick, so I suspect the other journos about the office have been having fun with our sleek blue bolt. And the Sedan N really is one of those cars.

After hopping back into its sculpted sports seats after a steady stream of mid-size SUVs, with a few hybrids sprinkled in between, it really does feel like a car that wants to go fast.

There's a tinge of urgency to the i30 Sedan N low-speed manners in traffic, in large part because of the formidable amount of idle creep conjured from the throaty 2.0-litre T-GDi turbo-four and wet-style eightspeed dual-clutch gearbox.