Kris Meeke has tested Hyundai’s latest specification i20 N Rally2 in Finland.
The Northern Irishman was running the car on roads around Jämsä on Monday, ahead of his outing on European Rally Championship-concluding Rally of Six Cities North of Portugal, where he will drive a Toyota.
The five-time World Rally winner remained tight-lipped on his return to the Korean squad, having dominated the Portuguese domestic series aboard a Team Hyundai Portugal i20 in 2023 and 2024.
Sources close to the test told DirtFish: “The car looks very similar to this year’s [Rally2] and it’s run without any stops (problems). If you are listening from the trees, maybe you can hear something a little bit different – or maybe this is the trees.”
While Hyundai has publicly stated it doesn’t intend to homologate a WRC Kit to up-spec its Rally2 to a Rally1, there remains speculation that the firm could be running to the revised 2027 regulations.
Hyundai’s participation in next year’s WRC remains up in the air, with the official works team expected to be replaced by a satellite factory outfit.
DirtFish has sought comment on the test from Hyundai.
