CAR REVIEW: Hyundai i40 Tourer

THE SOLUTION: Hyundai i40 Tourer

The i40 Tourer is the fifth Hyundai to bear the company’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language. While the first four (ix35, i45 sedan, Accent and Elantra) are, in their individual ways, undeniably handsome, capable vehicles, with the i40 there’s a substance and solidity that finally matches the style. Plenty of car companies claim that a new arrival’s suspension has been tuned specifically for local conditions. In this case, though, it’s true. The i40 combines taut handling with an effortless ability to soak up bumps on broken blacktop or dirt. Those smart road manners are now paired with a new 2.0-litre petrol engine or terrific 1.7-litre diesel and your choice of six-speed auto or manual.

There’s also the obligatory, bewildering array of new acronyms, each being some form of electronic safety device: VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), ESC (Electronic Stability Control), TCS (Traction Control System), ABS (guessing you know that one) with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) and BAS (Brake Assist System), CBC (Cornering Brake Control) and HAC (Hill-start Assist Control). The simpler translation: if you get into trouble by overcooking it into a corner, the car’s going to help you get around safely. Likewise with emergency braking or steep hill starts. Happily, none of these electronic angels intervene too early or heavy-handedly to spoil the fun for the spirited driver. Other standard safety notables are daytime running lights and nine airbags. There are even vented, air-conditioned front seats to cool such backsides as slide into the top-of-the-line Premium variant. Or heat them, needs be.

Hyundai’s industry-best five-year warranty is matched by the i40’s five-star crash rating. But as much as anything, it’s the car’s appearance that will get people into showrooms. If it looks European, it’s because it is: the design process took place entirely in Hyundai’s German R&D headquarters. But the tapered side windows and swoopy character lines don’t sacrifice function for form. Rear seats folded down, the i40 has a very respectable 1719 litres to help mates move or swallow a mountain bike or two. The rear hatch also features a low lip for easy load lugging.

With great styling, terrific reliability, heaps of standard safety kit and now impeccable road manners, the i40 presents a compelling argument against the Japanese and entry-level European cars in its class. Even on a Euro-zone budget

- Bruce Ritchie