Hyundai has revealed a refreshed i40 sedan and wagon at the Geneva motor show.
Gaining new front and rear lamps, an updated Hyundai family hexagonal front grille, plus redesigned front bumpers that now integrate LED running lamps, the new visual updates will sustain the i40 for another three years until its all new replacement arrives.
There’s also new 16-inch and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, Hyundai quality has been boosted with higher-grade materials. The Korean car maker has also updated and improved the 7-inch infotainment system that’s said to have better functionality plus a new DAB radio. The standard system has also been improved and there’s now a TFT LCD dashboard display.
Other new kit to join the i40 range includes a heated steering wheel and privacy glass.
Under the bonnet there’s been some changes. In comes two versions of the revised 1.7-litre diesel, one with 85kW/280Nm, the other with 105kW/340Nm.
Whether or not the 131kW 2.0-litre petrol option will live on in the revised range was not announced.
Two transmissions will be offered with the revised diesel - a six-speed manual transmission and a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission - the latter is only available with the more powerful 105kW diesel.
Against the clock the lower power diesel sedan now reaches 100km/h in 12.4s while the wagon takes 12.6s. The more powerful 105kW, meanwhile, takes 10.3s for the sedan to hit 100km/h while the wagon gets there in 10.6s.
According to Hyundai the i40 will be better to drive thanks to the Korean firm’s new Advanced Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) system that mimics a limited-slip diff during cornering by braking the inside wheel and directing more torque to the outside wheel.
The facelifted i40’s driver mode settings have been enhanced with a new Rear Electronic Damping Control System (ECS) fitted to the i40 Tourer. Drivers will now be able to adapt the suspension, steering, throttle response and transmission settings through the drive modes.
The wagon also gains a “Smart” electric tailgate that opens when it detects the driver approaching the car from the rear.
The i40 sedan and wagon will now also be offered with optional bi-xenon headlights, high-beam assist and speed limit sign identification.
The i40 is currently the fourth best-selling medium-sized car on sale in Australia. The revised sedan and wagon should go on sale around May 2015.
Pricing for the refreshed i40 are expected closer to the launch.
As well as the new revised i40 range Hyundai announced that it will invest $5.6bn in R&D globally in the next five years and cut total CO2 emissions across its vehicle range by twenty-five per cent. This will involve seventy per cent of of all of its engines being phased out and replaced with more efficient engines and the introduction of more plug-in hybrid vehicles.