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Hyundai i30 SR Premium 07
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Hyundai i30 SR Premium 09
Sam Charlwood5 May 2017
REVIEW

Hyundai i30 2017 Review

The popular i30 hatch now offers more style and greater dynamics
Model Tested
Review Type
Local Launch
Review Location
Sydney, Australia

The 2017 Hyundai i30 has landed. More than a bulk-selling hatch with a price to match, the newest iteration sets itself apart with excellent equipment levels, safety tech, cabin refinement and driving dynamics. The i30 is available across three grades – Active, Elite and Premium – and with three engine choices. The first impression is strong.

Raising the stakes
Remember this point in time. In fact, bookmark it as a step change in Hyundai’s Australian transformation.

The new, third-generation i30 has arrived in local showrooms, and it promises the beginning of another paradigm shift for the South Korean brand.

Priced from $20,950 (plus on-road costs) – $500 less than before – the i30 offers equal parts value and quasi-European levels of polish. Available across three model grades and three engine types, the i30 range is more appealing from a specification viewpoint, too, thanks in part to a $2000-$5000 injection of added equipment, according to Hyundai.

Hyundai i30 Active Petrol 16

Importantly, as Hyundai looks to strengthen its foothold in the Australian market (it is currently rallying in third behind Toyota and Mazda), the i30 no longer feels as though it’s built to a budget. Given the Korean-built hatch is in the running to become Australia’s best-selling passenger car, that is no mean feat.

Genuinely thoughtful interior
Stepping into the base model i30 is impressive. It doesn’t feel like a ‘bog-stocker’ made to do battle with similarly Spartan fit outs from the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 – both marginally cheaper in price. It feels well considered and comfortable, much closer to the Volkswagen Golf.

The outlook from the driver’s seat is open, with the exception of a narrow rear window. This is partly offset by large side mirrors. A digital instrument cluster, including a digital speedo streamlines the driving process.

A swish 8-inch touch screen sits atop the dashboard of every model, conveying key functions including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, a reversing camera, sat-nav and digital radio. It is surrounded by stylish LCD displays for the climate control, and an assortment of dashboard materials, along with contact points that are soft to touch.

New front seats are likewise soft and well-padded, comfortable for longer journeys and accessed via generously-sized door apertures, which make ingress and egress a cinch.

Storage is equally well considered; there are three bottle holders in either of the front doors, two central cupholders, a glovebox and a small cubby area for odds and ends.

Cabin room is par for the course given the i30’s 4.3-metre length and 1.79-metre width, 40mm longer and 15mm wider than before. Front-seaters have decent head, shoulder and leg room, and the rear is equally amenable to passengers, with a decent array of storage and enough room for two full-sized adults. A lack of toe room under the front seats tops the criticisms.

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Boot space is rated at 395 litres – middle of the road for this segment – with a full-size spare wheel underneath the floor.

On the tech connectivity front, the i30 offers a lone USB point and two 12-volt outlets as standard. That’s before you go delving into wireless phone charging available standard on certain models.

And in terms of safety, all models get seven airbags and have a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Three child tether points and two ISOFIX points are fitted.

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Those features are bolstered by automated emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind spot detection, lane change assist and active cruise control on SR automatic, Elite and Premium models. Hyundai eventually plans to make the safety suite optional on other variants.

A five-year unlimited kilometre warranty is offered across the range, as is a lifetime service plan and up to 10 years roadside support and a dedicated customer care website exclusive to owners.

There are some outstanding omissions: some mismatched plastics, the occasional lashing of Tupperware-plastic inlay and the absence of rear air vents on base model cars. Step into higher-spec cars and some of these issues are further curtailed with premium materials and the addition of leather seats.

All in all, the i30 doesn’t subscribe to the bulk-seller assembly recipe in the same manner as most rivals.

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Pricing and Features

Under the bonnet
Entry-level Active models come with a more powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine than before, replacing the previous 1.8. The new engine pumps out 120kW and 203Nm, increases of 13kW and 28Nm, while fuel economy is rated at 7.4L/100km for the auto, 7.3 for the manual.

The middle-tier offering is the i30 SR, which gets a 150kW and 265Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine. It uses fuel at a rate of 7.5L/100km for both auto and manual variants.
The third engine is a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel that generates 100kW and 280Nm with the manual gearbox, with fuel consumption of 4.5L/100km. The auto boosts torque up to 300Nm, but the side effect is worse fuel economy, claimed at 4.7L/100km.

Hyundai i30 Active Petrol 21

We drove all three engine variants during a pre-launch event in Sydney this month.
Refreshingly, all three powertrains offer decent fuel economy, adequate shove and enough mumbo for the occasional spritely pursuit.

The entry-level low-down torque lacks the urge of more modern turbocharged rivals; however, the deficiency is offset by a quick-shifting seven-speed automatic. It builds steadily to a meaty mid-range, before arriving somewhat noisily at a peaky top end.

The mid-range SR offers more thrills – not surprising given it is borrowed from the very capable Elantra SR. Low down torque is plentiful and there is a spirited rush to redline as the SR lays down its power through the front wheels. It lacks the synthetic pop and bang of other warm hatches, but its rorty exhaust note still lends it a sporting edge.

The top-spec diesel is equally enamouring. There is barely any audible clutter, the power delivery is effortless and excellent fuel economy is assured thanks to a decisive and competent automatic transmission. Only an enthusiastic prod of the accelerator from a standstill manages to trip up any turbo lag.

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Driver’s delight
The i30 is the recipient of one of the most thorough local tuning programs ever undertaken by Hyundai Australia.

Engineers spent the better part of five months calibrating the car’s suspension, steering and stability control suite – and the results shine.

A torsion-beam rear axle is fitted to all i30 variants save for the SR and SR Premium, which get an upgraded multi-link rear suspension promising a more athletic experience.

Hyundai i30 Active Petrol 09

In honesty, it was the base model car that impressed most, simply in the way that it suppressed bumps, yet harnessed a fun and playful dynamic experience.

The 1400kg hatch feels neutral and composed even as it approaches the limits of its low rolling resistance Kuhmo Ecowind rubber.

Riding on 16-inch wheels, the Elite’s cabin remains well isolated from imperfections over different roads around Sydney. Supremely quiet on all surface types, only the occasional road join, cat’s eye or break-away section of road tends to upset the ambience.

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Those characteristics – including bump suppression – were amplified in models higher on the food chain, which ride on bigger wheels and better tyres. The SR and SR Premium’s multilink suspension took things further again, bringing excellent road holding and grip levels, while still pertaining to the comfort brief.

Across all models, the i30’s steering tends towards heavy at low-speeds, making the coffee cup in one hand manoeuvre a little tricky. It also feels unevenly weighted at points, but is accurate, fast and immune to mid-corner kickback nonetheless.

These traits can be tailored using Hyundai’s Drive Mode select suite, available across Normal, Eco and Sport parameters. Once the novelty had worn off, we found normal a decent halfway point.

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The upshot
The i30 is a seriously good car, and deserves its place among Japanese and German contemporaries.

Time will tell whether the i30 can mix it as Australia’s best-selling passenger car. What’s already clear is that this “DNA” vehicle has set the performance for a new wave of sophisticated and refined products.

It paves the way for a promising chapter in the Hyundai story.

2017 Make Model Type pricing and specifications:
Price: $20,950-$33,950 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol/ 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol / 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 120kW/203Nm, 150kW/265Nm, 100kW/280Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual/six-speed automatic, six-speed manual, seven-speed dual clutch automatic, six-speed manual/seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.3-7.4L/100km, 7.5L/100km , 4.5-4.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 124-176g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
83/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
16/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
18/20
Safety & Technology
18/20
Behind The Wheel
16/20
X-Factor
15/20
Pros
  • Cabin fit and finish
  • Refinement
  • Standard equipment
Cons
  • No rear air vents on base model cars
  • Some mismatched cabin plastics
  • Rear tow room non-existent
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