It was a loop worth exploring further, so we set to thinking about what car would best suit. The Nurburgring is used to develop all kinds of cars from myriad car manufacturers. Not only is it situated in the backyard of German giants like Porsche, BMW M, Audi RS, and Mercedes-AMG, but the locale has even attracted carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Hyundai N to set up bespoke test centres.
The difference with the i20 N is its ability to show various telemetry through the N menus, such as a g-meter, track timer, a boost gauge, and throttle position. A nice touch is the ability to call up Australian racetrack outlines such as Baskerville Raceway in Tasmania or Sydney Motorsport Park. Sadly, I couldn’t find one for the Melburgring… time to get campaigning.
When you do have to wash off speed, the reliable brakes offer substantial initial bite and hold on for extended use. While our Melburgring doesn’t feature anywhere near the same level of demand a real racetrack would have on brake fade, these units held up well to continued punishment throughout the day.
Beyond Narbethong, we head right towards Marysville where the speed picks up and the bends start flowing more progressively than the tighter sections of the Black Spur. Though it’s now pouring with rain, the i20 N seems unfazed, holding its line well through long bends and feeling confident despite the weather.
As part of the Drive content team, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.
He understands that every car buyer is unique and has varying requirements when it comes to buying a new car, but equally, there’s also a loyal subset of Drive audience that loves entertaining enthusiast content.
Tom holds a deep respect for all things automotive no matter the model, priding himself on noticing the subtle things that make each car tick. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t learn something new in an everchanging industry, which is then imparted to the Drive reader base.
