Hyundai i30 N vs Honda Civic Type R vs Cupra Born comparison review

Go back a few years and it looked like the world’s focus on carbon dioxide emissions might spell an end to performance cars. But, as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and manufacturers found ways to meet stringent emissions standards while still producing cars that could elevate heart rates. 

In this comparison, the Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai i30 N fly the turbocharging flag, wringing stupendous power and torque from relatively frugal four-cylinder engines. Meanwhile, the Cupra Born EV represents the push towards employing an electric motor’s naturally torquey characteristics to propel the next generation of sports cars. 

Based on a mild-mannered suburban runabout, the Honda Civic Type R has been around more than a quarter of a century and become one of the quintessential hot hatches. Its basic recipe hasn’t changed much: put a beefed-up 2.0-litre engine under the bonnet, upgrade the brakes and suspension, add some styling flair, and watch it go. 

If one thing has changed over the years it’s the styling, and not always for the better. The current edition retains its slightly silly triad exhaust tips, but everything else has been toned down since the 2017 model turned heads for the wrong reasons. You’d go so far as to say that it’s handsome in its latest guise, especially with our test car’s glossy black paint and contrasting red brake callipers.  

The red and black scheme continues inside. Black suede covers the steering wheel, while the seat upholstery, seatbelts and carpets are bright (one might say lurid) red. The armrest and door handles have black suede with red stitching and the aluminium gearshift knob is with inscribed with a red shift pattern. Aluminium fascia on the centre console and a honeycomb grille concealing the air conditioning vents finish off the distinctive cabin.

 

Honda’s interiors haven’t always led the way in functionality, especially on the digital front, but the Type R’s instrumentation is compact and common sense while also presenting well. The digital speedo sits top and centre of the driver’s information screen and the iconography on the main infotainment screen is comprehensible at a glance. The sports seats feel secure with reasonable bolstering and an ergonomic shape, although adjustment is limited to forward and aft sliding, seat base height and angle of the back rest. The toggles to move the air vents are a cute touch and also functional, while the air-con controls are three large knobs and buttons – no touchscreen malarkey here. 

In the rear, one finds a decent amount of leg room, although the height between the floor and the front seat base leaves minimal room for feet. The Type R only seats four, with the centre rear seat given over to rudimentary cup holders. Back seat passengers have no air vents and nowhere to plug in devices, although each person does get two speakers and the sound system is phenomenal. The surprisingly capacious boot makes the Type R genuinely practical, with room for a space saver spare under the floor, but Honda Australia has opted for a tyre repair kit, which is rather disappointing. 

Refined is the word that comes to mind when getting underway in the Type R. The engine is smooth and quiet and there’s a silky snick to each gear change. Put your foot down and there’s a well of power that only seems to grow as the 2.0-litre turbo climbs up the rev range. But it’s in the corners where the Type R’s prowess has always come to the fore and nothing has changed. No matter whether it’s a long sweeper or a hairpin bend, the chassis and tight steering axis keep everything flat and stable, while grip from the foot-wide tyres is prodigious. Only if you really give it the beans in a corner does torque  
steer kick in, but it’s easily controllable and most of the time the Type R feels like it has four-wheel drive.  

Over our drive loop, which incorporated plenty of vigorous uphill driving, it returned 7.6L/100km – more than satisfactory for a car that can put out 235kW and 420Nm, although urban-biased driving would see that figure skyrocket. Another stratospheric figure is the Type R’s price. Available in just one specification, it retails for $74,100, making it by far the most expensive car in this comparison. 

When it made its debut in 2017, the Hyundai i30 N was subject to a lot of sneering and badge snobbery. Such attitudes weren’t without merit – the brand’s first effort at a hot hatch, the Veloster, looked the goods but had some quirks (such as three doors) and didn’t deliver the driving dynamics its sleek silhouette promised. It soon became clear the i30 N was another prospect entirely. To drive it was to love it, and over the years even the “but it’s a Hyundai” crowd had to concede it deserved its place at the hot hatch table. 

Back in August, Hyundai unveiled a refreshed i30 N with cosmetic and technology updates. Matte grey forged alloy wheels, a new radiator grille and red inserts on the side skirts and front bumper add some road presence, while new-design seats (on the N Premium) and some glossy black finishes spruce up the inside. The most notable tech addition is the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, which brings the i30 N well and truly into 2025. More charging ports, rain-sensing wipers and an electro-chromatic mirror join the standard features list, while forward collision avoidance, rear occupant alert and speed limit assistance (i.e., Hyundai’s notorious bongs) are added to the safety kit. It starts at $50,000 for the i30 N and $53,500 for the N Premium, with premium paint an extra $595 and the sunroof on our test vehicle costing $2000.  

Get settled inside and it’s clear the i30 N has the firmest seats of the three vehicles tested, although they’re far from uncomfortable. The suede upholstery certainly helps the N Premium live up to its moniker and drivers who prefer a more subtle approach to aesthetics will appreciate the calm and tasteful way Hyundai’s designers have gone about their business.

 

The turbo 2.0-litre engine doesn’t give up much to the Honda’s in the beef department and, with the quick-shifting DCT automatic attached to our test vehicle, its acceleration proved brisk indeed. Turbo lag is almost non-existent and the paddle shifters give a real sense of control in manual mode. The i30 N has grip to spare in the corners, too, although it doesn’t quite match the Type R’s planted feel, with the ride becoming twitchier on bumpy surfaces and the steering a touch less direct on turn-in. Overall, though, the i30 N is a cracker and even seven years after its debut it’s plain to see why it remains a dark horse favourite among driving enthusiasts. 

The turbo 2.0-litre returned right on 8.0L/100km on our economy drive – not what you’d call frugal in the age of hybrids and turbocharging, but acceptable given the level of performance and responsiveness.  

For a while there was a sense of homogeneity across the Volkswagen Group, but in recent years its various brands have begun to differentiate themselves through styling – none more so than Spanish marque Cupra. The Cupra Born EV runs on the same platform as Volkswagen’s ID.3, sporting a 77kWh battery with an electric motor (170kW/310Nm) driving the rear wheels.  

The Born is offered in a single specification starting at $59,990, although optional add-ons include a $2900 interior package (heated and electrically adjustable Aurora Blue front seats, a premium sound system, heated washing jets and four seats rather than five) and a performance package for $2600 that cuts the range to 475km but adds dynamic chassis control, 20-inch Firestorm alloy wheels, wider tyres, and four seats.  

Standard kit includes 19-inch alloys, metallic paint, dusk-sensing headlights, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ radio, keyless entry and start, sports suspension, dual zone climate control and a raft of active and passive safety equipment.  

The Born doesn’t want for road appeal, with its low nose, triangular headlamps and swept-back windscreen giving it an aerodynamic look. The tail, while not so sleek, does allow for a 385-litre boot. Cupra’s signature bronze badging and accoutrements are certainly unique, although the hue doesn’t pair well with certain colours, and against the Glacial White on our press vehicle the bronze just looked… brown. Metallic silver, grey and red are all no-cost paint options and Aurora Blue is an extra $475.  

There’s no such equivocation about the interior, which is resplendent with Cupra’s sharp and geometric styling cues and fixed quarter windows that give the cabin a light and airy feeling. It has soft-touch surfaces in all the right places and the steering wheel, wrapped in artificial leather, fills the driver’s hands nicely. The front seats are designed to look like the racing article but are in fact the cushiest here and the least restrictive for those of ample frame.  

The driver’s information screen is visible through the steering wheel, with the digital speedo at the top so the driver’s eye has a minimal distance to travel. It doesn’t take long to grow accustomed to turning the Born’s ‘gear shifter’ forwards (drive) or backwards (reverse), which protrudes off the right of the driver’s information screen. Thanks to its logical placement, it frees up room for drink holders and centre console storage. 

The main infotainment screen is the least intuitive in this comparison, however, and within it reside the air conditioning controls – at best inconvenient, at worst downright dangerous to use while the car is in motion. Deleting analogue climate instruments is completely impractical, yet more and more carmakers seem to be heading down this path.

 

The Born looks every bit the hot hatch and its instant off-the-line acceleration lends it sporty air, but that’s where the heat ends. It has a much taller profile than the other two and most of its stability comes courtesy of gigantic wheels (which add to its turning circle) and next to no front and rear overhang. Wobbling is the typical response to any abrupt steering input. The ‘sports’ and ‘Cupra’ drive modes do rein in the lateral movement to a degree, but the ultimate impression is more ‘warm’ than ‘hot’ hatch, appealing less to drivers who like to chase perfect lines through a series of country bends. That said, the Born has all the characteristics that make EV driving so pleasurable: smoothness, quietness, and immediate torque even at highway speeds. It makes its case in the looks and straight-line speed departments, while being the best suited to suburban and city driving thanks to its softer ride. 

Over our test drive loop it averaged 17.8kWh/100km without regenerative braking activated and, while conditions would need to be ideal to reach its claimed range of 510km, nudging 450km per charge seems achievable in real-world use.