You can see an i30 rolling around in Austin - it’s called the Elantra GT in North America. Same vehicle, we simply don’t get the hotter N version. The Veloster will get that treatment.

When I was young, my grandparents would flip cars every 2 years and sell them to my parents on the cheap. Pro: always had reasonably new cars. Con: my grandparents were huge Chrysler loyalists. That means my dad had a selection of LeBarons and Intrepids. My mom, for a time, drove the Daytona (a first-gen followed by…

The car seemed shockingly composed, it has to be said. The larger curb impacts don’t seem to do much to upset it at all.

Small detail to add: a 20% tariff results in more than a 20% increase in a vehicle’s sale price. The 20% tariff is charged on the declared value of the goods upon import, which is to say the price declared on the shipping manifest. This is what the distributor “pays” the factory for the car. From there, the raw costs…

I drove a track-prepped one at the Nurburgring (on my honeymoon, natch...). Brilliant little car.

I’m guessing pretty damn low! See you around.

Hello, fellow North Bay-ite.

It’s a hatch, despite the cut lines looking otherwise. Source: involved in the car’s development.

Where is everyone getting that idea? It is a hatchback.

At media day it’s somewhat under the radar as the event is supposed to be for credentialed media. Today and tomorrow are Industry Days, when anyone willing to shell out $95 for a ticket can go. This is when you’ll see the truly large groups of engineers descend on the vehicles. You’ll find them sitting in cars for an…

Having driven several vehicles with a split rear window, I’ve never found it to be a major issue. It’s less distracting than the rear spoiler on my first car (Cobalt SS Turbo). The split is set high enough that you can see way back.

It’s not a design choice made for aesthetics. It’s driven by aerodynamic theory. That blunted rear end provides significant airflow benefits, reducing turbulence behind the vehicle. When you’re dedicating a vehicle to a specific task (i.e.: fuel efficiency), sometimes form has to follow function.

Very likely, yes. A twist beam is much more compact than a multi-link setup.

“N” refers to both Namyang, which is where Hyundai’s R&D centre is located in Korea, as well as “Nurburgring” where Hyundai Europe is now tuning cars.

I went for my honeymoon in Switzerland and after 10 days we drove up to Stuttgart (Porsche/Mercedes museums) and then to the Nurburgring. The next day I rented a race-prepped Suzuki Swift from Rent4Ring and did laps with my new bride. Her first ever laps of a race track, in fact. So yes, a honeymoon (or at least part…

It’s Multimatic, not Motomatic. They’re also the folks who build the GT350R Mustang race cars, they did the carbon tubs for the Aston One-77, etc. Very cool little shop that punches well above its weight.

Is Korea not a place cars come from?

Low-hanging fruit:

Still the fastest car ever tested in Car and Driver's Lightning Lap competition, 5+ seconds a lap faster than modern FWD sport compacts. Keep laughing.

I never regretted buying it. At the time, it was a phenomenal value, all the more so because I bought it when GM was on the ropes and got a discount so big it was borderline criminal. Today, though, I suspect I'd probably lean for something a little more versatile/refined.