Hyundai i20 N

It’s small, inexpensive and not especially powerful, but when I look at the Hyundai i20 N I see one of the most important new performance cars of 2021. Yet barely a ripple of applause will greet its arrival. Meanwhile, the latest Porsche 911 GT3 and new McLaren Artura have been or will be received to the sound of marching bands as ticker tape bellows in the breeze and confetti rains slowly down to the ground. 

The Maserati MC20, Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm, Audi RS3, BMW M240i xDrive and plenty more besides will all cause more of a stir than this. But for me and of all the new cars we will drive this year, very few are more significant than the i20 N. Why? Because it’s small and inexpensive and not especially powerful, and that should mean the fullness of its performance will actually be within reach on the road.