Hyundai i30 review
by David Finlay (10 August 2007)
The i30 marks the start of two new chapters in the history of Hyundai. One is that it heralds a new system of naming the company's cars; the other is that this is the first Hyundai to be designed and built in Europe specifically for European customers.
Ten points to anyone who recognises the second half of this. Kia - which is owned by Hyundai - got there first with the cee'd, another Eurocentric product from a Korean manufacturer, and in fact the cee'd and the i30 are the same car, distinguished visually only by a few minor styling alterations which, to my mind, all work in Hyundai's favour.
It won't come as a surprise that most of the basic information about the cee'd also applies to the i30. Space for rear passengers is a headline feature in both cases (there really is a remarkable amount of room back there compared with other C-segment cars) and the boot volume is 340 litres with the rear seats in place, though Hyundai's quoted 1250 litres with the seats down is 50 litres shy of the claim for the cee'd.
Despite the detail design differences, both cars share one dreadful feature. The tiny, triangular rear side windows are almost completely useless and surrounded by so much opaque bodywork that reverse manoeuvres verge on the treacherous. After the Revolution I will ensure that this sort of thing is banned immediately.
The i30 will be sold with four engines, of which three - 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol units and a 1.6 CRDi turbo diesel - have been made available to the press so far. The one that hasn't is the range-topping 138bhp 2.0 CRDi which comes in the most expensive models.
The three I've tried all have very similar outputs - 108bhp for the 1.4, 120bhp for the 1.6 and 113bhp for the 1.6 diesel - and I must say that this amount of power sits very well with the i30. Hyundai will be doing a fine job if it can retain the same degree of balance with the 2.0 CRDi.
Of course, these engines have quite different characteristics. Hyundai reckons that the 1.6 diesel will be the most popular (in contrast to Kia's forecast that the 1.6 petrol cee'd will attract most customers) and as far as I'm concerned it's also the best. It gives similar outright performance to the petrol unit of the same size and is more relaxing to drive because so much of its potential is already being released at low engine speeds, while combined fuel economy is by far the best in the range at 60.1mpg.
In most conditions the diesel is quite refined, and it's at its best on the motorway, where the lower-geared petrol cars seem fussy by comparison. The suspension modifications required to cater for the diesel's extra weight have had a positive effect on the ride quality, though all the i30s I've driven so far can be a little bouncy at the front end on uneven surfaces.
So the diesel is the one for me . . . but I can't let the subject drop without admitting to a fondness for the 1.4 petrol engine, which is a really sturdy little performer. Combined fuel economy of 46.3mpg isn't much better than the figure for the 1.6 petrol, though I'm sure that in the real world the difference will be more noticeable. The 1.6 petrol is not a bad unit in itself, and I wouldn't spend much time arguing against it, but it doesn't have the same appeal as the other engines.
Five-speed manual transmission is standard on all models except the 2.0 CRDi, which gets six gears. Automatic transmission is available on the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel cars, and adds £1000 to their prices.
Regardless of what lies under the bonnet, the i30 is pleasant and undemanding to drive, and particularly easy in town. The only exceptions to this are when you have to reverse (see previous raspberries blown regarding rear visibility) and when you have to make a three-point turn - the turning circle seems a bit larger than the class average, though I must admit I haven't measured this.
The i30 comes in three trim levels called Comfort, Style and Premium. Style is the most widespread; it's available with all four engines, but you can't have a Premium with the 1.4-litre engine and there's no 2.0 CRDi Comfort.
All models come with six airbags, active headrests (to prevent whiplash for front passengers in the event of a rear impact), all-round electric windows, driver's-seat height adjustment, an audio systems with steering wheel controls and compatibility for MP3, WMP and iPods, tinted glass, remote central locking, air-conditioning and a Thatcham-approved immobiliser.
The entry-level Comfort also includes 15" alloy wheels and cloth trim. Style models have 16" alloys, some interior leather and a tyre pressure monitoring system, while the Premium gets 17" alloys, more leather, climate control air-conditioning, folding side mirrors, a dimming interior mirror, rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and - clever, this one - a windscreen wiper de-icer.
£10,995 buys you the 1.4 Comfort, and prices extend to £16,595 for the 2.0 CRDi Premium. Insurance is Group 4 for the 1.4 models, Group 5 or 6 for the 1.6s (depending on trim level) and Group 8 for the 2.0 CRDi. All models come with five years' bumper-to-bumper warranty (compared with seven years for the Kia cee'd) plus three years' RAC Roadside Assistance, while service intervals are 12 months or 12,500 miles across the range.
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