won't quote your whole review here Daz. So I will just do a copy & paste sort of thing with " " around from you post.
Very good review by the way
There is one down at the dealer when I brought mine. Had a bit of a sit in it..
"Think the N looks better in the flesh than in Photos." 100% agree. Mine looks way better in the flesh, than any photo I have seen.
Since I have had mine. I have seen a Red & Blue on the road. And even they look better in person than in photos.
" I think I prefer the feel of my SR in that department. I think Performance brakes are calibrated to need a bit more pressure before they bite. My SR ones feel more progressive"
That is where I would differ from you there. I find my SR brake are over sensitive. Trying to do heal & toe down shifts, which I was doing in my previous 2 cars was easy.
With the SR, it's very easy to brake way to much. As you don't need as much force on the pedal. So you get a lot of jerky braking..
"That crackle in the exhaust on downshifts is brilliant and I love the rev matching feature you can program in, which gives a little blip on gearchanges."
The crackle on downshifts is in the tune. Hence why the SR doesn't have it. I do get the occasional pop when downshifting. Mainly pops when you blip the throttle from idle. Which you can here in my exhaust video. The rev matching cannot be added to the SR
But the pops & crackles can with a custom tune.
"You can tell it has a performance clutch and while not as bad as when in performance mode it needs a few extra revs when pulling away from lights"
Even the clutch on my SR needs some revs to pull away. I stalled it a couple of times when I 1 got the car. And the accelerator just needs to be touched, otherwise the revs flair up pretty fast. Totally different to other manual cars I have owned.
"The 6 speed manual is notchy but acceptable." Not sure if it is the same gearbox as the SR. Doubt it. But mine is the same. It's not bad by all means. I haven't missed a gear in it at all & goes in fast.. But I find the gear shift knob a little to high for my liking.
But it does go to show that the Hyundai i30 SR is such a great car for the $$ they are asking for.. And also remember as if you compare both as manuals
The i30N is $15 grand more expensive.. Is it worth that much over the SR. Yes in some of the features that you get. As a track day car. Yes.
But as a day to day car driving on the streets going to work, shops etc. The SR can get up to any legal speed limit with ease. I find it hard to put my foot down for to long.
I hope you can find time to be able to go for a drive in a Manual SR Daz. To compare the cars as both manuals.
Would be real interesting for a difference now that you have driven a N..
Again thanks for the write up & your view.. Makes me want to go a drive one now lol