CAR REVIEW: Hyundai i30

THE SOLUTION: Hyundai i30

But these guys were responsible for that cheap, nasty Excel!
That was a long time ago. When Hyundai launched the first i30 some five years back, they proved they were capable of doing cheap and nice as well. With this all-new model, they’re vying for market leadership in our very competitive small-car class.

It’s that good?
Let’s tick off the boxes one by one.

Quality: Hyundai routinely tops overseas owner satisfaction and reliability surveys. Plus they offer five years’ warranty.

More reviews: Hyundai i45

Style: the i30 now sports the brand’s handsome “fluidic sculpture” lines, care of their German design studio. It looks even better in the sheet metal than in pictures.

Performance: reasonable from the 1.8L petrol engine; good from the 1.6 diesel. And they haven’t ruled out fast variants. MH imagines the Veloster’s imminent turbo engine would fit nicely under that sculpted bonnet . . .

Economy: driven quietly, that same diesel will return a crazy 4.5L/100km, less on the open road.

Ride and handling: the company nailed the local suspension tune with the i40 and this is every bit as good.

The rival: Mazda3 SP20 SKYACTIV

Refinement: even the base Active model gets Bluetooth (handsfree and audio streaming), hard drive with ripping and storage, touchscreen and keyless entry. Plus, it’s library-quiet in there, even on rough surfaces.

Safety: five stars and all the right electronic guardians, plus rear parking sensors across the range, a first for the class.

Value: all of the above, starting at $20,990 plus on-roads.

Anything not to like?
Struggling. You could argue their Flex Steer system, which changes the weighing of the steering, but not the actual responsiveness, is a gimmick. But it makes parking easy around town and, in sports mode, adds a nice amount of weight and “feel”.

There’s no station wagon planned at this stage.

More reviews: Hyundai i40 Tourer

Who’s it up against?
Hyundai took aim at VW’s Golf for benchmarking purposes. Also starring in this weight division, the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus and Holden Cruze. On paper, the i30’s price/equipment has ’em licked. On the road? This is a serious contender. Take a test drive and see for yourself.

– Bruce Ritchie