Bitauto Original I still remember when I attended an internal communication meeting for a new car of a self-owned brand last year, the manufacturer arranged for us to drive the new car and the benchmark models they were developing. One of them was the Beijing Hyundai Festa. Today, what I want to show you is Festa's mid-term facelift model - Festa N Line. When you read this test drive article, it has been officially launched, priced at 138,800-154,800 yuan. After incorporating the high-performance sports elements of Hyundai Motor's "N" series, can it return to the mainstream market in a highly competitive market environment?
Fine-tuned exterior design to create a sporty atmosphere
As a mid-term facelift model, my first impression of the Festa N Line was, "Is this really not a replacement?" After careful comparison, I found that although its appearance has been adjusted, it is not a drastic change. It's all through fine-tuning of details, but it gives us a sense of freshness like a new generation.
Festa N Line introduces Hyundai Motor's "Sensuous Sportiness" design language and is equipped with N Line exclusive sports packages. The curved lines of the grille have been straightened, and the slightly greasy chrome trim on the old model has been replaced with black trim, making the grille and headlights more integrated. With the N Line package, the appearance has been improved. A little bit.
The Festa N Line has canceled the strip daytime running lights on the old model. The new daytime running lights are four hexagonal LED lamp beads embedded on both sides of the grille. Paired with sharp LED headlights, the visual effect is great.
Both sides of the front bumper have also been redesigned, and the fang-like shape is very combat-like. There are also air guide grooves designed on both sides leading to the front wheels, which can not only effectively reduce wind resistance, but also cool down the tires and braking system.
There are not many adjustments to the side of the car body, and the penetrating double waist lines on the back outline the sporty atmosphere of the vehicle. The black high-gloss side skirts in the N Line package have a great texture and visually reduce the ground clearance of the body. The length, width and height of the new car are 4690mm/1790mm/1425mm respectively, and the wheelbase is still 2700mm, which is not much different from the current model.
The shape of the tail is more radical than the current model. The chrome trim strip under the through-type taillight is replaced with a black high-gloss trim strip, and the overall visual effect is better. The rear bumper has been redesigned with richer layers and details. Genuine bilateral exhaust outlets with a total of four exhaust outlets enhance the sporty atmosphere.
The Festa N Line is still equipped with an exaggerated fixed spoiler, but the shape is different from the current model, and the horsepower can be increased by 10 horses.
The triangle area next to the reversing radar is very coincidentalThree LED width lights are cleverly embedded, which not only echoes the daytime running lights on the front face, but also improves the recognition of Festa N Line.
The test car used 18-inch double five-spoke wheels, and the tires were MAXXIS VICTRA SPORT 5 tires with a tire specification of 225/40 R18. In addition, the brake calipers are also painted red to provide better "brain braking" effect.
The interior has been completely renovated and the dual screens trigger a sense of technology
Compared with the "fine-tuning" of the exterior, the interior of Festa N Line has been completely renovated. The large-size dual screen is more biased towards the driver's side, fitting its sporty attributes. The air-conditioning control area and gear lever area have also been redesigned, with a stronger sense of technology.
The front passenger side has also been redesigned, with a variety of materials used to create a richer sense of hierarchy. The Festa English nameplate embellished here also adds to the sense of sophistication.
The multi-function steering wheel adopts a new four-spoke flat-bottom design, and there is an N Line exclusive logo below. In terms of functions, the left side mainly controls the driving computer, multimedia system, etc.; the right side controls the vehicle's assisted driving functions. The test car was also equipped with paddle shifters, which felt good.
The 10.25-inch full LCD instrument panel has a relatively high screen quality and excellent display effect, and can switch the corresponding theme style according to the driving mode.
The 10.25-inch central control screen is equipped with Baidu Internet 3.0 system, supports S-OTA upgrade, and is also very complete in terms of functions. The voice assistant has a high recognition rate, fast response speed, and has a variety of wake-up commands. There are also shortcut buttons and knobs for various commonly used functions designed below, but the storage operation does not improve convenience much. What I am most dissatisfied with about this system is that the UI design is a bit old-fashioned, and I hope it can be optimized in the future.
The new air conditioning control area still uses the knob + button operation method. The buttons adopt the classic aircraft button design, supplemented by red decorations, which can be said to be very outstanding. The test car also came with a heated steering wheel and heated seats.
The tray below the air-conditioning control area has a built-in unlimited charging board. The board also adopts a perforated design, which can alleviate the hot phenomenon of wireless charging of mobile phones to a certain extent, which is very considerate.
Driving space meets daily use
The seat shape of Festa N Line is basically the same as that of the old model, but the material of the backrest and seat cushion is replaced with deerskin-like material, which has a more delicate touch and better anti-slip and sweat-absorbing effects. In terms of configuration, in addition to the heated front seats mentioned above, both the main and passenger seats support electric adjustment.
The height of the experiencer is 170cmcm, when the front seat is adjusted to the lowest position and the backrest is adjusted to the appropriate position, there is a fistful of remaining space for the head.
The front seats remain unchanged, and the same experiencer moves to the back row. The remaining head space is still one punch, and the remaining leg room is two punches. The overall performance is sufficient for daily life.
Due to the use of electronic shifting, a large storage space can be carved out under the gear handle area. It is worth mentioning that Festa N Line has three USB interfaces and a 12V power interface here. . However, according to the current popularity of Type C, I think it will be more practical to replace one of the ports with a Type C port.
The trunk opening is large, the bottom is very flat, and the volume performance is basically the same as that of the old model. The volume can be expanded by folding down the rear seats.
Powerful heels and European training with excellent texture
The Festa N Line is equipped with a 1.5T engine code-named G4FS, with a maximum power of 147kW (200 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 253N·m. The engine uses Hyundai Motor’s world-first CVVD continuously variable valve duration technology to improve performance and economy. The official data is that the 0-100km/h acceleration is 8.2 seconds, and the WLTC comprehensive fuel consumption is 6.15L/100km.
The new car adopts the brand-new SBW push-button electronic shifting, which has an excellent sense of technology. Driving mode switching is controlled by the red lever on the right, with four driving modes: Sport+, Comfort, Eco and smart.
In terms of suspension, the new car still uses a combination of front MacPherson + rear multi-link independent suspension.
Although the new 1.5T engine has sufficient power reserves, the acceleration performance at the initial throttle is basically the same as that of family cars in the same class. The brisk start and smooth acceleration allow people to adapt quickly.
In Comfort mode, the mid- and rear-end acceleration of Festa N Line is still not impressive, but the dynamic response enough to follow the foot still reveals a trace of sporty attributes.
After switching to the Sport+ mode, this car is truly awakened. The accelerator pedal becomes more sensitive, and the power is fully unleashed after 2200rpm. The specially adjusted sound is also always touching your driving passion. But unfortunately, due to the short test drive route this time, we were not able to experience more of its features in depth. We can only explain it in detail after we get the test drive in the future.
The steering assist of Festa N Line is a little heavier than that of ordinary family cars. The response speed, directivity and tracking of the front of the car are not picky. Personally, I am very satisfied with this setting.Like it.
The European-style chassis tuning of the old model left a very good impression on me, and it has continued on the Festa N Line. Whether it is changing lines at high speed or cornering, sports shock absorbers with stronger damping give the body stronger support. When driving over speed bumps at low speeds, the crisp performance will also make people realize that this is a sports car.
Finally, let’s talk about NVH. The old model gave up on sound insulation in order to emphasize the sense of sportiness, while the Festa N Line picked it up again. Although there is still a slight gap compared with Sagitar and other models, compared with Models such as Corolla and Sylphy are stronger.
Editor's comment: As a mid-term facelift model, Festa N Line's performance in all aspects can be said to be full of sincerity. Its rich configuration and excellent driving control are enough to gain a firm foothold in the market. However, compared to 2018, when the Festa was launched, today’s compact sports sedan market has become more involuntarily described as terrifying. Models such as Civic, Lingdu, Lynk & Co 03, and UNI-V have already eliminated this relatively small market. There is a sense of mass market division. So let us wait and see whether Festa N Line can break through the encirclement!