HERE'S A HOT HATCH DRAG RACE FEATURING VW'S MK8 GOLF CLUBSPORT AGAINST HYUNDAI'S I30 N
The latest incarnation of the Mk8 GTI ClubSport is a special thing, featuring a specially designed front bumper, a stylish two-part roof spoiler, wider sills, a bespoke diffuser and some model-specific 18-inch wheels. On the engine front, the ClubSport features the same turbocharged 2.0-litre powerplant that’s mated to a sublime 7-speed DSG transmission, and the whole package sees power rated at 221 kW with a healthy 400 Nm of torque. It’s a hot hatch in every sense of the word, and in the performance stakes, it’s a rather brutish front-wheel drive car. This Mk8 ClubSport can hit 100 km/h in as little as 5.7-seconds and hits an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h in stock form. The suspension is tweaked a little better than the regular GTi, and that gives it some great handling prowess, it’s actually not too far off what the all-wheel-drive Mk 8R delivers. In the front-wheel drive hatchback segment, it’s arguably the best you can get. It may not be the most powerful, especially when compared to the Japanese and French cars in the same segment, but it’s a brilliant all-round package. It’s also one of those cars that inspires confidence, it can make drivers with no skills feel like weekend track gods. With the Volkswagen Golf GTi being 50 years old now, there’s no doubt it’s a popular performance hatchback, and when something has a lineage like this car has, every other car in the segment gets compared against it, no matter the engine size, power output or drivetrain differences. You’ll still get people wanting to know how it compares to a 310 kW Mercedes-AMG A45 that also has an all-wheel drive system. That’s just what happens when you’re the top dog. In this here drag race, the German hatchback goes up against a segment rival, but from an automaker that has upped its game so much lately that it’s become a major player. Hyundai has an amazing hot hatch offering in both the ICE and EV spheres.
In this fight, the iconic VW goes up against the Hyundai i30 N, a Korean contender that no one really saw coming. We’re glad it’s here though. This hatchback is a great comparison to the VW because at its heart is also a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-potter, but it’s a little down on power, 15 kW to be exact. The Korean churns out 206 kW of power, and the associated torque figure is also a little lower at 392 Nm. The front wheels are driven with an 8-speed dual transmission, and with Hyundai N doing all the important bits, the suspension is brilliant and makes the car a competent handler. The electronic limited-slip differential is regarded by many in the know as being one of the best out there, and if you’ve ever chucked one of these around in anger, you’ll understand what they mean. The car is claimed to be able to hit the benchmark 100 km/h speed in a quicker time than the ClubSport, not by much as you’d expect, but with less power and less time making performance cars, a 5.3-second time is pretty damn impressive. As with the GTi, in stock trim, the car is electronically limited to a top speed of 250 km/h. The i30 N tips the scales at 1,445 kg, so it even has a little bit of a weight advantage over the 1,459 kg of the ClubSport. On paper, even with lower power and torque, the i30 N looks to be the better performer of the two, and a much better performer than the regular Mk8 GTi. The pricing was also better for the Hyundai, too. They’ve been paired together before, but this latest duel is brought to you by Daniel Abt in the Drag Race segment of his YouTube channel. If his last name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s part of the ABT Sportsline family and fast cars are pretty much in his DNA. This is a rad comparison - who are you backing?
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows what happens when you put Volkswagen's awesome Mk8 GTi ClubSport up against the finest hot hatch from Korea, the stylish and quick Huyndai i30 N. It's a close match on paper, but how does that translate to the real world? You have an answer: VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport vs. Hyundai i30N Performance | DRAG RACE | Daniel Abt
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