Does the Hyundai i20N have a rev-hang problem?

There have been questions over the i20N’s rev-hang issue.

Rev-hang is when you dip the clutch but the revs don’t really drop, and it’s engineered to some degree or another into modern cars for emissions reasons. I didn’t notice a problem with any N car including the i20N, but then again, I only drove the car on track in N-Mode, and it’s possible the rev-hang changes according to the mode.

I have made the video below so you can get an idea for yourself; look at the speed of the changes and the engine note. If you were racing, then you’d want to smash gearchanges as quickly as possible; that can mean tenths down a straight – I was surprised to see a data trace when I was racing of speed/distance, and the difference my shift vs another driver who shifted quicker. My exit speed was slightly greater, but their quicker shift meant on the long straight they were just ahead by the next corner. It’s also why the autos are quicker than the manuals – 0.5sec to 100km/h which is a lot.

So for racing I’d pay attention to lightning quick shifts (and not ‘feel’, or satisfaction), but for the i20N I’m looking at fun as opposed to outright pace – the two are very different, you can have a very quick car that’s not much fun, and a slower car that is fun. I wish more people would get this rather than fixate on laptimes – if you drive a 1.45 car vs a 1.43 then 2 seconds is a huge gap in laptime, but the sensation of speed is the same and the fun factor is something again, not something that can be measured…but us humans love to put numbers on things for comparison.

So for the i20N ; what I’m looking for is a quick, precise shift that feels satisyfing, and I think the car delivers that. Your view may differ, I offer the video below to help you decide if you can’t drive one yourself.