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Review: Hyundai i30 2015

Image of James Fossdyke
Author: | Updated: 13 Jul 2015 12:42

Facelifting the i30 has promoted the Golf rival from 'also-ran' status. A more aggressive exterior and practical cabin make the hatch more desirable than ever, but that new-found refinement has dented its affordability.

We have long been aware of Hyundai’s emergence as a mainstream brand, and while we weren’t sorry to wave goodbye to the likes of the Getz and the Amica as they were replaced by the competitive, competent range we know today, there has been a trade-off: cost.

As the quality has crept up, so have the ticket prices, and when personal leasing deals for petrol-powered, mid-range versions of this – the Focus-rivalling i30 – stretch beyond £200, it needs to be more than just an also-ran.

An also-ran is precisely what the pre-facelift i30 was, but after a flock of updates were made for 2015 we decided to see whether the Korean brand has managed to improve its family hatchback.

Hyundai i30 Front Static

Much more confident

Things get off to a good start, because at first glance you would be forgiven for thinking that the new i30 is a completely new car. The fussy double-grille at the front has been replaced by a shouty, gaping mouth and that new, more aggressive theme has been carried all the way back to the tail lights.

Where before there were subtle undulations on the panels, there are now deep creases, and where once you found shy, retiring headlights almost recessed into the bodywork, there are now sharply styled, protruding lenses. It’s almost like the car has been to the gym and come out feeling much more confident.

Inside, however, it’s still a little awkward when it comes to interacting with people. The plastics are still rock hard in places and much of the switchgear feels slack and loose, even on a test car that has only done a couple of thousand miles.

To be fair, many of the Japanese manufacturers have been practicing a similar brand of ‘just good enough’ engineering for years. You can bet good money that the switches will all work ten years and 100,000 miles later, even if they look and feel like they’ll part company with the dash tomorrow.

Hyundai i30 Interior Cabin

Switches and iffy plastic aside though, everything feels well nailed down, and you can be pretty sure that squeaks and rattles will be few and far between.

As well as being put together competently, the i30’s also pretty competitive when it comes to practicality, with a 378-litre boot making the Hyundai more spacious than a Ford Focus and only two litres down on a Volkswagen Golf.

It’s roomy inside too, with plenty of space for four six-foot adults to travel in comfort and enough girth for three children to share the rear bench without needing to be too friendly.

All that cabin space helps when the time comes to fold the rear seats down. Then the luggage bay expands to a very decent 1,318 litres – almost 50 litres more than a Golf in the same two-seat configuration and more than 100 litres more than a Focus.

Hyundai i30 Interior Boot

Led by common sense

If you thought there was something of a mixed message coming across through the sporty styling and practical cabin, there’s no such problem when you look at the engine range.

Even the ‘hot’ version of the i30, the Turbo, isn’t that quick, squeezing just 184bhp from the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine to hit 62mph in eight seconds, and that sets the tone for the rest of the powerplants on offer.

The basic engine is a 1.4-litre petrol with 99bhp, while there’s also a 1.6-litre petrol with 118bhp and two versions of the 1.6-litre diesel found under the bonnet of our test car.

It’s the most efficient engine of the bunch, hitting an impressive 78.5mpg and 94g/km CO2 emissions in its most parsimonious 109bhp Blue Drive guise. Performance is less remarkable (the sprint to 62mph takes 10.6 seconds) and the engine isn’t especially punchy, but it’ll do for most and those in search of more power can have the 134bhp unit offered with the top-spec Premium model, which hits 62mph in 10.2 seconds.

Hyundai i30 Front Dynamic

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Business / Personal

Things were made much less competitive, however, by our test car’s gearbox. It was Hyundai’s new seven-speed double-clutch transmission, which is designed to be much more efficient than the six-speed unit it replaces, but it can only manage 67.3mpg and 109g/km emissions and extends the 0-62mph time to 11.8 seconds.

As for the petrols, the most efficient is the less powerful 1.4, which returns 47mpg and emits 138g of CO2 for every kilometre it travels. It’s slow though, taking almost 13 seconds to hit 62mph.

It’s a range led by common sense, rather than excitement, then, but that’s no bad thing and if you need a bit more pep, go for the Turbo [full review]. It’s a little disappointing when compared with its rivals but definitely the most lively i30 on offer.

Reasonably cushy

The driving dynamics are well-suited to the engines, with a comfort and ease-of-use taking precedence over sportiness.

A combination of fairly soft springs and comparatively small alloys shod in chunky, high-profile tyres makes the car reasonably cushy, even over the torn tarmac of rural England, while a light and highly assisted steering rack helps with manoeuvring in town.

Hyundai i30 Front Dynamic Cornering

The numb steering does become an issue on country roads, giving you little warning of the approaching limit, even in the ‘Sport’ mode, but that’s a problem unlikely to faze the average potential i30 customer.

Much more important is the car’s refinement, which is decent, if not quite up to the levels expected of the best in the segment. The diesel engine is fairly subdued at lower revs and there isn’t too much tyre roar and air rush intruding into the cabin.

Find out how the i30 performed against Citroen’s C4 in our hatchback cross test

Trailing on value

As we alluded to at the top of this piece, the high standards set by the competition are an issue for Hyundai, because prices are creeping above the £20,000 mark and mediocre residuals are leaving the i30 trailing when it comes to value – the very thing Hyundai is known for.

Leasing rates for a mid-range 1.6-litre diesel average out at £189 a month for business deals on a 6+35, 10,000-mile agreement, while similar personal agreements average £226 a month.

In contrast, a comparable Golf would average a monthly fee of £188 on a business deal and £223 on a personal deal.

Hyundai i30 Rear Dynamic

The verdict

When the prices are that close, the Hyundai has to be just as good as, if not better than, the Golf, but the Volkswagen is better built, better to drive, similarly efficient and similarly spacious.

The i30 isn’t without its merits, but now it has been stripped of its price advantage there’s no compelling reason to move away from the established European brands.

Hyundai i30 at a glance

Length: 4,300mm
Width: 1,780mm
Height: 1,470mm
Wheelbase: 2,650mm
Boot space: 378 / 1,318 litres
Petrol engines: 1.4 100 (99bhp), 1.6 120 (118bhp)
Diesel engines: 1.6 CRDi 110 (109bhp), 1.6 CRDi 136 (134bhp)
Trim levels: S, SE, SE Nav, Premium
Fastest: Premium 1.6 CRDi 136 (0-62mph 10.2s, 122mph)
Greenest: Blue Drive S 1.6 CRDi 110 (78.5mpg, 94g/km)
Cheapest: S 1.4 100 (£15,195)
Priciest: Premium 1.6 CRDi 136 Auto (£23,540)
Key rivals: Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Peugeot 308, Kia Cee’d

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