The Hyundai i20 N hatch is the proverbial pocket rocket.

It's easily the cheapest entry to high performance motoring, with support for 'tracking' the car if that's part of your plan.

You can even download layouts for the various race tracks around Australia and upload them to the car, allowing you to time laps and compare your times to those of others.

How good is that?

STYLING

Launched here in late 2021, the i20 N is part of a stable that includes the i30 N hatch and sedan, Kona N, and now the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 N electric vehicles.

They should not be confused with Hyundai's N-Line variants that look much the same, but don't offer anywhere near the same level of performance.

At launch, i20 N's competitors included the Suzuki Swift Sport, Ford Fiesta ST and the Volkswagen Polo GTI.

The Swift is really not in the same league; the Fiesta is no longer with us and the Polo, though a worthy competitor, is considerably more expensive.

We lament the loss of the Fiesta which disappeared along with the Focus ST and red-hot Focus RS - no longer part of the plan going forward.

At launch, i20 N was priced from just $32,490 and it was an absolute steal.

Not much has changed since then, apart from the price which is now $37,500 plus on-roads - but it's still worth every cent.

The Polo meanwhile retails for $41,990 plus on-roads.

Powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, i20 N is available in a choice of five colours.

INFOTAINMENT

Infotainment comes in the form of a 10.25-inch touchscreen, with a second 10.25-inch screen for the instrument cluster.

There's Bluetooth with multi-phone connection, voice commands, built-in navigation, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio and Bose premium eight-speaker sound.

It also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but neither are wireless - you need a cable.

There's also wireless phone charging, with USB -A and -C ports and a 12-volt socket in front, plus a single USB-C port in the rear.

The system also displays track maps with lap times, personalised throttle response settings, exhaust note and stability controls.

Hyundai Bluelink connected car services provides access to a variety of services along with over the air updates.

There's automatic collision notification, emergency call (SOS) function, connected routing with live traffic updates, alert services including geo-fencing, valet, speed and time alerts, remote control of climate and vehicle functions, navigation send to car, voice recognition for POI lookup, vehicle controls and vehicle settings management.

SAFETY

i20's four-star safety rating expired back in 2019 and it has not been retested, but then it's still the same car.

There are six airbags, a reversing camera with guidelines and the Hyundai Smartsense system that comprises auto emergency braking (car/pedestrian/cyclist), along with blind-spot collision-avoidance, forward collision avoidance assist, lane following and lane keeping assist (line/road-edge), rear cross-traffic collision warning, driver attention warning, and rear occupant alert.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

The 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder pumps out 150kW of power from 5500-6000 rpm and 275Nm of torque from 1750-4500 rpm, with 304Nm available on overboost from 2000-4000 rpm.

Drive is to the front-wheels through a six speed, close-ratio gearbox, refined and reinforced to cope with higher revs, torque and launch control.

DRIVING

There's no getting away from the fact i20 N is a small car, with little rear legroom.

But you're not buying this car for its creature comforts.

It's all about high performance and the car's ability to hug the road in corners, or on the race track if it comes to that - because that option is supported.

Want more room?

Drop the 60:40 rear backrests and it offers a flat load area.

With a false floor, the boot reveals a relatively deep secondary space, despite the fact there's a space saver spare underneath.

Once you're in the car, the heavily bolstered sports seats are surprisingly comfy.

At 1213kg, the i20 N is relatively light, which combined with a limited slip diff and standard six-speed manual gearbox deliver an exciting drive experience.

Even better being a small car you'll feel like you're going fast, even when you're not.

Believe it or not it takes standard 91 unleaded and boasts claimed fuel consumption of 6.9L/100km.

A Torsen differential manages the transfer of power to the front wheels, sensing slip and distributing torque as required.

It delivers better traction and handling by locking up when necessary, ensuring that power is effectively transferred to the wheels with most grip.

An active variable exhaust system contributes to the drama, with a single outlet and the help of a sound generator to ramp up the sound in N mode.

The dash from 0-100km/h takes 6.7 seconds and the car has a top speed of 230km/h.

Two large grey steering wheel mounted buttons marked N engage N Grin Control, ratcheting up the noise and throttle response with another big red REV button that can be used to adjust rev-matching, delivering slicker gear changes.

There are six drive modes in all: Eco, Normal, Sport, N, Custom 1 and Custom 2.

Steering is precise and direct thanks to a reduced steering gear ratio over the standard model, with Pirelli P-Zero rubber that provides plenty of mid-corner grip.

High performance brakes with bigger front discs bite hard and resist fading, producing a consistent pedal feel.

However, ride quality quickly deteriorates on country roads and being a smaller car it tends to be pitched around due to its short wheelbase.

Keep an eye out for potholes because the results could be cataclysmic.

During our week with the car, we clocked up 528km of mixed driving at an average of 6.2 L/100km.

A light foot brought this figure down to 5.5L/100km, while the long-distance average stood at 8.9L/100km, suggesting what you get depends very much on how you drive.

Supported race tracks include Wakefield Park Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park in NSW, Winton and Sandown in Victoria, Queensland Raceway and Lakeside in QLD, Mallala and The Bend in SA, Symmons Plains in Tasmania, Wanneroo in WA and more, including multiple layouts and separate start/finish lines where applicable.

Impressive stuff.

SUMMING UP

The i20 N is a terrific little car for those who love to drive.

Those looking for comfortable, set and forget transport should look elsewhere.

The act of driving a manual, high performance car is an engaging experience and one that is difficult to replicate in an electric vehicle.

At this price, it's a keeper.

The real question however is how long will Hyundai retain it as part of the line up as the switch to EVs gains momentum.

RATINGS:

Looks: 7.5

Performance: 8

Safety: 7.5

Thirst: 7.5

Practicality: 6

Comfort: 7

Tech: 7

Value: 8

Overall: 7.3

AT A GLANCE

MODEL LINE-UP

I20 N, priced from $37,500

Note: This price does not include government or dealer delivery charges.

Contact your local Hyundai dealer for drive-away prices.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Hyundai i20 N 1.6-litre turbo-petrol, five-door hatch, FWD

STANDARD WARRANTY:

Seven year / unlimited kilometres if serviced by Hyundai (5 years / unlimited kilometres otherwise)