Auto blog

Hyundai i30 N: This is the 271-horsepower hot hatch we won't get

Hyundai has finally taken the wraps off of its very first N-badged car, the i30 N, along with many of the car's features and specs. Visually, the car has subtle changes including larger grilles in the front bumper, a front spoiler with red trim, black headlight housings, new side skirts, a larger rear wing, and a more sculpted rear bumper. The car can also be fitted with either 18- or 19-inch wheels. Inside you'll find heavily bolstered seats, blue buttons on the steering wheel for driving modes, blue stitching on the seats and trim, and aluminum pedals. Performance-wise, the i30 N should be pretty potent with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 271 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's nearly 20 more horsepower than the Focus ST, and about 50 horsepower more than the GTI Sport. The Focus ST does have 10 more pound-feet of torque, and the GTI Sport roughly matches the twist output. The i30 N channels its power through a six-speed manual transmission and electronic limited-slip differential to the front wheels only. View 6 Photos To make the most of all this power, Hyundai bestowed an array of electronic aids. The sportier suspension features electronically adjustable shocks to improve ride or handling depending on preferences. An automatic rev matching system is included for flawless, smooth, quick downshifts. The i30 N also has a variable exhaust system for quiet cruising or loud hustling. All of the above features along with steering feel and stability control sensitivity can be adjusted by selecting one of the car's five driving modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, N, and N Custom. There's even a launch control function. Unfortunately, we won't be getting Hyundai's hot hatch here in America, despite the fact that we already have a version of the regular i30 in the form of the Elantra GT. But we know that Hyundai is working on an N version of the Veloster, and we expect that N car to make the trip Stateside. It will probably have the same engine found in the i30 N, just in a funkier body. And if it has the same engine, we wouldn't be surprised if it comes with most of the i30 N's handling upgrades and gizmos. Related Video: Hyundai Hatchback Economy Cars Performance hyundai elantra gt hyundai i30 Hyundai N

Hyundai and Rhys Millen reunite, will return to Pikes Peak with new RWD racer, Genesis Coupe

Last September, Hyundai confirmed that it was exiting all of its motorsports programs in North America. That left Rhys Millen Racing without a title sponsor for its Formula Drift and Global RallyCross Championship series challengers. It also looked to have meant the end of a partnership that last year resulted in a record-setting run at Pikes Peak when Rhys Millen established the new benchmark for a run up the Colorado mountain in a production-based race car.
Hyundai clarified that September report by saying it was "reconsidering our continued involvement in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, having achieved the world record in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe this year." The return is official, with Hyundai saying it is going back to the peak with Millen and two cars, one of them a "purpose-built unlimited class rear-drive," the other being the Hyundai Genesis Coupe-based racer that set last year's record in the time attack two-wheel-drive class.
Hyundai wants to show off the strength of its engineering, so the unlimited car will have something like 900 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque while using the production block, cylinder heads, bearings and accessories of its Lambda V6 engine. You can read more about the effort in the press release below, and click the image above for an enlarged view of what's coming.

Are old airbags killers?

Takata airbags may not be the only ones with some very serious problems. A new report from TheDetroitBureau.com claims that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened its second investigation into bad airbag inflators, and this time, they aren't from Takata. The focus of this latest case is on the airbag inflators in some 500,000 older Chrysler Town and Country minivans and Kia Optima sedans, all of which come from ARC Automotive. While the Takata case looks at problems stemming from the engineering and production process, the ARC investigation focuses on the age of the inflators. As TDB explains, airbag inflators are essentially what the military refers to as shaped charges, sort of like Claymores (for fans of the Call of Duty series). In combat, they blow up in a specific direction, protecting those behind the explosion, although in the case of airbags, the explosion "[creates] a precise rush of hot gases" that inflate the bags. NHTSA's worry is that with the increased average age of today's vehicles, years and years of being bounced, jolted, and shaken about and exposed to often-radical temperature changes have altered the nature of the explosives in these vehicles, causing too big of an explosion. "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate." – Analyst George Peterson "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate," analyst George Peterson told TheDetroitBureau.com. NHTSA boss Mark Rosekind backed up aging angle. "Cars are lasting on the road a lot longer than ever before," Rosekind told TDB, adding that seals could start breaking down. "Is aging now an issue? That's part of the investigation going on." NHTSA has only identified two "incidents" so far, although according to Center for Auto Safety Director Clarence Ditlow, there's genuine concern that there could be additional unidentified cases. "Could we have missed more? That could be the case," Ditlow told TDB, citing the misidentified deaths in the Takata investigation. Ditlow was quick to point out that, even in older vehicles, airbags are much more likely to protect than harm. "No one is saying you should disable your airbags," the safety advocate told TDB. "You're far more likely to be helped than hurt by one if they go off." At least one automaker, meanwhile, has already been advised of the investigation by NHTSA and is checking its airbags.