Hyundai’s i20 N is the newest supermini-sized hot hatch on the block, and it’s clear that it’s out for the Fiesta ST’s scalp.
A quarter mile of damp runway might not be the most obvious arena to find out which is boss, but since these kinds of cars spend much of their time sprinting between traffic lights on city streets, subjecting the pair to Carwow’s customary drag race showdown isn’t such an inappropriate test.
While the full-sized hot hatch sector is almost completely dominated by identikit 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engines, it’s good to see a bit more variety in the class below. The Hyundai is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, the Fiesta (in this case, a sportier Edition variant) has a 1.5-liter triple, and the third car in this clash, the Volkswagen Polo GTI, has a 2.0-liter turbo four.
When it comes to power, the i20’s 201 hp just edges the 197 hp of the ST and the 2021-spec Polo used in the test. The recently announced, but not yet on-sale 2022 version gets a slight bump to 204 hp, but makes the same 236 lb-ft as the old car.
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That torque figure makes the VW 33 lb-ft gruntier than the Hyundai, and 22 lb-ft stronger than the Fiesta. But it’s going to need it all to overcome a significant weight penalty that’s partially the result of the test car’s dual-clutch transmission. The other two have no such option and are only available with a manual gearbox.
The Hyundai and Ford also come with limited slip diffs, which helps them hook up off the line slightly more easily in a video that highlights what a nightmare launching a front-wheel drive car in less then dry conditions can be.
The three cars trade places in the drag race and roll-on competitions depending on whether the drivers pulled off a great start, and whether they could downchange quick enough to stop the DSG Polo storming away.
It’s a scrappy, inconsistent affair full of botched launches and fluffed gearshifts, a salutary reminder of how much harder it was to race cars in bad weather before electronics, dual-clutch gearboxes and all-wheel drive made getting from here to there as simple as pushing a pedal.
But Hyundai’s angry-looking i20 N ends up victorious, demolishing the standing quarter in an impressive 14.9 seconds. Mind you, Ford recently revealed the updated Fiesta, with the ST getting the same power but extra torque and a few minor changes, so we wouldn’t be surprised if there is a rematch.
Ford recently showed the facelifted Fiesta range, including the sporty ST