For weeks it‘s been storming. I was so antsy I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. There was going to be scattered showers all day which I thought would make it way more fun to drive to the Byron Lighthouse in the new Hyundai i30N and I was hoping to be lucky enough to spot a whale from the headland.
The clouds were threatening and it showered most of the way but I remained optimistic that it would turn out to be a beautiful day.
The nimble i30N proved it easily transitions from track car to sturdy daily driver even with all the wild weather we faced on the way. It‘s beautifully focused in corners. When I put my foot down it had more power to offer in every gear. There’s a lovely little crackle through the gear changes too!
The i30N doesn’t feel make me feel like I’m driving a laptop even though it features 1944 tuning options. Having these options means there’s no need to take the car into a shop to tune it before taking out to a track.
Hyundai have such faith in the i30N’s aptitude they even cover track days and car meets under their warranty. In N mode the suspension stiffens up and you have more control but the ride is not as smooth.
Driving the i30N can be fun and loud in or you can cruise under the radar depending on which drive mode you choose. There’s five individual drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, N or N Custom settings, activated by two buttons on the steering wheel.
The i30N features high-performance sport seats that are stable and comfortable for the driver and front passenger. The interior is sporty, convenient, crafted solidly and very comfortable. I love the look and feel of everything.
It was still pouring when we were close to the headland so we stopped in town to get a delicious breakfast smoothie and explore. Byron is home to some of the most amazing art, food, clothes and jewellery you can find anywhere! There’s still no unhealthy fast food chains, most of the locals look sunkissed and the beach is second to none. Byron’s busy now but is still recognisable and just as beautiful as it was when I was a child because they have preserved almost all the vegetation there.
Not long after arriving in town there was a break in the rain so we headed up to the lighthouse. Sadly, I didn’t get to see a whale but the sky cleared, we had sun for the first time in weeks and it was glorious! We took the risk it would be awful weather but it ended up being stunning.
To be honest I wouldn’t have cared if the weather was good, it was just an added bonus to an already beautiful drive and day.