2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI versus 2018 Hyundai i30 N Review

By Karl Peskett.

If you’ve ever ordered something from eBay, it doesn’t take long to realise that you don’t always have to have an original part for something to work properly. Mobile phone batteries, remote control car parts, even car keys can be just as good as the original, if not better.

Take, for example, a remote that we needed for an older model Camry. The original is a sealed unit, which means you can’t just replace the battery. Price from Toyota? $200 and we’d have to go and get it ourselves. Price from eBay? $40 and it was delivered to the door.

So when is an original product better than its competitor? When it’s the Golf GTI Original. VW has been making hot hatches (and the GTI specifically) for 40 years. But there’s a newcomer knocking on the door, waiting for its turn in the ring.

You’ll probably have heard of the Hyundai i30 N, and the fact that it’s making waves in the motoring world. The “N” stands for Nurburgring, which is where has spent much of its time honing the qualities of its first hot-hatch. And it shows. The i30 N has a very boy-racer look and feel about it, and it’s clear that the levels of grip, weighting and balance have all been crafted using the world’s most gruelling race track as the basis.

But for some, that might be a little too much. There’s a level of compliance that Volkswagen’s hot hatch, the GTI, offers which ever so slightly eludes the newcomer.

Take, for example, the ride. While the i30 N runs on 19-inch tyres, the GTI makes do with 18-inch hoops. That extra inch doesn’t seem like much but it takes the hardest edge off bumps and makes the suspension not have to work so hard to make up for it.

The rifle-bolt feel of the i30 N’s manual gearbox has a very mechanical action, but the GTI’s positive gear throw just feels a little more fluid and not quite as clunky. The steering weighting is likewise a bit more feelsome in the GTI whereas the Hyundai tends to be a bit overweighted, a bit too heavy just for the sake of it.

But where the Hyundai really makes an impact is with its engine. The 2.0-litre turbocharged unit is an absolute gem, making a whopping 202kW and 353Nm, making the i30 N capable of hitting 100km in 6.2 seconds. When put into race mode (by pressing a light blue race-flag button on the steering wheel), the throttle response is sharpened, the exhaust opens up and there’s a wonderful pop and crackle on the overrun at high revs. It sounds delicious and is a lot of fun.

The Golf, however, doesn’t quite produce as much, with 169kW and 350Nm from its 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder. Still, it will hit the benchmark sprint in 6.4 seconds, which is not shabby at all. The difference between the two motors, however, is the GTI is far quieter and more refined, and its torque comes in a lot earlier. The Hyundai’s motor feels really peaky with a fair bit of lag, but the GTI’s engine is far more usable low down.

But you’re wondering how with that much less power the Golf is able to almost match the i30 N’s pace, right? Ah, that comes down to mass. The GTI hits the scales at just 1304kg, whereas the i30 is a lot heavier – 1478kg is a fair bit extra to carry.

It feels like it in the corners, too. While the Hyundai’s tyres are fighting the extra weight to keep it turned, once in the corner, the tricky front differential allows you to throttle on and fire out the other side. The GTI’s slightly softer tyres allow a little better turn in initially, but can’t quite carry as much speed on the exit. But we’re talking at the limits here.

Inside, it’s familiar territory. Volkswagen offers up its classic soft-touch plastics and brilliant build quality, while Hyundai’s leap forward into 2018 expectations is excellent, with finishes that are worthy of being lauded, if not category-leading.

The VW has a more contemporary feel with its LED red strips along the doors at night, while the tartan cloth seats may look odd, but they’re a throwback to the first GTI’s seat trim. They’re also a bit wider than the Hyundai’s quite sporting bucket seats.

Of course, the i30 N does offer the more practical five door configuration as opposed to the GTI Original’s three-door body style. Of course, there’s a five-door GTI available, but you’ll pay a few thousand more for the privilege. That, and we couldn’t get our hands on one in time for this review.

Priced at $37,490, the GTI Original is the cheapest GTI you can buy, and it undercuts the $39,990 Hyundai by enough to make it worth a serious look.

If it’s a very quick, edgy looking hot-hatch with plenty of drama that you’re after, the i30 N is the car for you. But for an everyday driver’s car that you can still have a lot of fun with, the less overt GTI is the more comfortable steer and the better choice.

Hyundai has come a long way, but 40 years of hot hatches has to count for something.