News: Updated Kia Sorento goes on sale

The new 2013 Kia Sorento goes on sale in Ireland this  week .Powered by an improved and more economical 2.2 197bhp diesel engine both trim levels available Ireland will be fitted with All Wheel Drive as standard. The Sorento is a 7-seater with the  EX model  priced at €37,990 and the Platinum model at € 41,790. Astonishingly, given the similar looks to the model that came out in 2010, it's all-new from the ground up.

News: Is Kia going to do a Range Rover rival?

Kia could be about to launch a new range-topping 4x4 that would rival the likes of the VW Touareg, Land Rover Discovery and even the mighty Range Rover. The Cross GT (pictured above) is a concept car for the moment, but it will be shown at the Chicago Motor Show and Kia has a habit of putting its concept cars into production.

Road Test: Hyundai i30 Tourer Deluxe 1.6 Diesel

Price as tested: €24,295

+ Spacious, practical, comfy, well made, economical, handsome
– Cabin could do with a touch more flair
= As sensible as it gets


Sensible gets a bit of a bad rap. It’s never the sensible guy who gets the girl in the movies. It’s always the maverick hero, swinging in on a bullwhip, with his hard-drinking, hard-living ways who walks off with the heroine at the end. The sensible guy is left behind, with nothing but his nice suit and steady job to keep him happy. C’mon Hollywood, can’t we do a movie where, just once, sensible comes out on top?

Certainly when it comes to buying a car, sensible is what should (and largely does) take priority. We Irish tend to buy our cars on the basis of longevity and practicality, not style and sex appeal. It’s why Toyota was a top-selling brand in Ireland long before it was a big hit in the rest of Europe.

And it explains, partly anwyay, the meteoric rise of Hyundai. Solid, Korean-built reliability, backed up by a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty and usually with a sensible, practical body shape. What’s not to love? OK, not love, perhaps, but certainly sensibly appreciate.

The good thing is that, on top of that solid layer of sensible engineering and reliability, Hyundai has of late been adding just a touch more visual and tactile appeal to its cars and the i30 Tourer we’re testing here is a good example of that.

For a start, it’s better looking than the hatchback on which it’s based, with those flowing, sharply defined lines given a little more real estate on which to strut their stuff. And yes, I know, many of you still think of estates as commercial traveller’s cars, but come on; it’s time to wake up to the appeal of an estate, and this i30 is more appealing than most.

Out back, where it counts, there’s a 528-litre boot, which is more than big enough for most growing families’ needs, and easily the equal or better of most of the more fashionable compact SUVs on the market. We’d avoid the option aluminium boot divider though. It has its uses, but it eats us a crucial inch or two of loading space, which could cause some fraught scenes in the IKEA car park...

Up front, the cabin is identical to that of the i30 hatchback, so you get cleanly designed, clear instruments, comfy seats and plenty of space. Rear seat space is good too, certainly enough for any lanky teenage offspring and, as ever with Hyundai, the build quality is exceptionally good. Just one criticism; the layout and style could do with a touch more visual flair, if it’s to match the appeal of the exterior.

No arguing with the engine though, which is the latest version of Hyundai’s 1.6 diesel. With 110bhp, it’s right on the money for the class, and a combination of 109 g/km of Co2 and claimed average fuel economy of 4.1-litres per 100km (we managed around 5.5 overall) means that it’s suitably efficient for 2013 Ireland. A little more torque would be nice, as it never feels quite so fleet of foot as, say, a Focus or a Golf, but you’ll pay just €180 a year to tax it, which isn’t bad for a car this versatile.

Versatile? In a world of MPVs and SUVs? Yes, really. The trouble with SUVs and MPVs is that they’re all great ideas and very little substance. The great thing about estates is that what they lack in whizz-bang concepts, they make up for in genuine usefulness. Fold down the back seats in the i30 and you have yourself a well-upholstered van, complete with 500kg payload. Get it up on the motorway and set the cruise control and you have as refined and comfortable a car as you could wish for. Head out on a favourite back road and you have a chassis that’s both capable and entertaining, but also one which is sadly held back by Hyundai’s three-mode steering set-up. Being able to choose between Sport, Comfort and Normal steering settings looks good in the showroom, but we’d have preferred it if Hyundai just went for one setting that satisfies, rather than three that don’t.

Still, when the €24,295 price tag for our Deluxe model test car includes air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connection, iPod connection and every safety system you could think of, it might be rather churlish to complain about the steering setup.

What the i30 is, in the final reckoning, is a really solid and fine family car. Spacious, comfortable, reliable and useful, it pushes all the right buttons for an all-rounder that can please both kids and parents. Sensible? Yup, and this time, sensible wins.

Facts & Figures
Hyundai i30 Tourer 1.6 Diesel Deluxe
Price as tested: €24,295
Range price: €21,995 to €27,745
Capacity: 1,582cc
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 260Nm
Top speed: 185kmh
0-100kmh: 11.8sec
Economy: 4.1l-100km (68.8mpg)
CO2 emissions: 100g/km
VRT Band: A2. €180 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 90% child, 67% pedestrian, 86% safety assist
 

News: Hyundai's going for BMW's throat (in the US only for now...)

 

It's the Detroit Motor Show next week, and you can expect to be seeing all sorts of gorgeous machinery that we just can't have on this side of the Atlantic over the next few days. 

Chief amongst them will be this; the Hyundai HCD-14 concept car, which Hyundai is teasing us with this blacked-out image of. It's a preview of the replacement for Hyundai's Genesis saloon, a US-only model that combines a rear-drive chassis with a 4.6-litre V8 engine and BMW-rivalling interior and dynamics. What a shame we don't get them here...

No word yet on drivetrains or anything else, but the Not Wanted Here sticker could be peeled off at some stage. Hyundai in Europe is keen to grab some of the US's premium halo models for itself and there's a faint chance that this big, sexy saloon could make it to this side of the water at some stage in its lifetime. Here's hoping.

Meanwhile, Hyundai's growth in the UK market looks to be stalling, not because of any problems with the cars or the sales network, but because the UK head office can't get enough cars to meet demand. According to Autocar magazine this morning, extra demand from the US, China and Asia has Hyundai's Korean and European factories working flat out and there's just not enough capacity in the system to make cars to expand sales in the UK. There are more than a few European car makers who'd love to have that problem... 

Road Test: Hyundai i30 1.6 Diesel Elite Plus

Price as tested: €22,295

+ Sharp styling, exceptional quality, refinement, comfort, equipment
– Not the cheap option anymore, engine needs more oomph
= Right up with the Focus and Golf at the top of the class

You know it’s been an interesting week, road-test-wise, when you hop straight from a €170,000 Mercedes SL and into a €22k Hyundai hatchback. Even more so, you know you are living in interesting times when the Hyundai doesn’t feel like a disappointment after the Merc...

It’s become such a cliché to point out “just how far Hyundai has come in a few short years” that I think we can officially stop doing so. The simple fact is that now, there is not a single model Hyundai builds that is not entirely competitive with its rivals from Europe and Japan. So I think we can dispense with the derisory “haven’t they done well, for Koreans?”

The first-gen Hyundai i30, which was only launched in 2007, was a very decent car that rather hid its light under a bushel of very quiet, even bland, styling. Well, the new one does away with that, taking the striking grille and lights more or less straight from the handsome i40 saloon and plonking them on the front of a neat, crisp five-door hatchback design. It looks good, very good in fact and certainly more distinctive than its main potential rival, the Toyota Auris.

Inside, the niceness continues with a chunky and good-to-hold four-spoke steering wheel, handsome, clear instruments and a level of touchy-feely quality that outstrips the likes of the Focus and Mazda 3 and only falls very slightly short of the benchmark VW Golf. The seats are comfy, the driving position sound and the space in the back on the money for the class.

Standard equipment is very good, including Bluetooth phone and media player, aircon, ESP, adjustable steering, cruise control with speed limiter, voice control for the audio system and LED daytime running lights. Mind you, equipment would want to be good, as Hyundai has taken the decision that it’s no longer going to offer its cars at bargain bucket prices. True, you can get a 1.4 petrol i30 for just €17,995 but this diesel model is right on the class average for price; a signal that Hyundai is selling on its own merits, not just price anymore.

To drive, it’s also right on the class average, which is to say that it lacks the outright sharpness of a Focus, or the beautiful fluidity of a Golf, but feels more positive to drive than an Auris, Citroen C4 or Renault Megane. It’s not really a drivers’ car, but there is a very pleasing sense of decorum in the way it rides, the way it controls its body during cornering and the obvious levels of inherent grip and stability. The adjustable steering, which lets you toggle the weight of the steering between Sport, Comfort and Normal modes is a bit of a gimmick, and doesn’t turn the i30 into a GTI when you hit Sport, but the essentials of the steering’s accuracy and feel are pretty good to begin with.

A shame that the 1.6 diesel engine never quite feels like it’s giving of its all. The on-paper figures of 110bhp, 260Nm and 0-100kmh in 11.5secs are all par for the class, but on the road, it just never feels like it’s puffing quite as hard as it should be. It’s not actively slow, but neither is there a nice, low-down hit of torque. Still, 109g/km Co2 emissions and combined fuel consumption of 4.1-litres per 100km (we managed a creditable 5.9l/100km average) are some compensation for that, as are the very good refinement levels. Not to mention the five-year warranty.

We’ve become accustomed now to Hyundai making cars that are at least class competitive and usually better again than that. That the i30 proves to be at least as good, overall, as the class leaders should therefore come as no surprise, but it’s pleasing all the same.



Facts & Figures

Hyundai i30 1.6 Diesel Elite Plus
Price: €22,295
Range price: €17,995 to €25,495
Capacity: 1,582cc
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 260Nm
Top speed: 185kmh
0-100kmh: 11.5sec
Economy: 4.1-100km (64mpg)
CO2 emissions: 109g/km
Tax Band: A. €160 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 LS

Price as tested: €15,495

+ Decent dynamics, lengthy equipment list, sweet petrol engine
– Pricey for a budget brand, tyre noise, unremarkable styling
= A decent small car, but not outstanding



Would it surprise you to hear that Chevrolet is currently one of the fastest-growing brands in Europe? It just might do, so little publicity has the American brand had here in Ireland. We tend to still think of Chevys as being reconstituted Daewoos, mostly because a disinterested Irish importer wasn’t making much of a song and dance about any of the newer, more sophisticated Chevrolets that followed the subsuming of Daewoo into General Motors’ global affordable brand. But now, with a new importer (and arm of Chevrolet’s UK operation) it’s full steam ahead in Ireland for a brand that we still more readily associate with its big V8 American roots.

Well, put that image out of your head for a start, for this Aveo (a rival to the likes of the Kia Rio, Hyundai i20 and Skoda Fabia) is a very European-ised small hatchback with a dinky little 1.2-litre petrol engine. Or 73-cubic inches, if you prefer.

It’s built in Korea, in the old Daewoo factory that now churns out compact Chevrolets for the global market, and it’s actually based on the new small car platform that will also underpin the next-generation Opel Corsa. In fact, the Aveo feels very much like a Corsa; hardly surprising when the Opel side of the GM family shares so many interior and mechanical parts. It’s also worth pointing out that this new Aveo shares nothing with, and feels a world away from, the dreadfully cheap (and EuroNCAP 2-star rated) old-shape Aveo.

Climb aboard and you’re met with a decent cabin that has comfy seats, good space front and rear but which lacks the final sheen of quality that you’d get in a Fiesta or a Polo. Or for that matter, a Fabia or a Rio. The ‘motornike-inspired’ instrument pod atop the steering column, which houses warning lights, an analogue rev counter and a digital speedo, will likely divide opinion. It’s either really cheap looking or kind of funky, and to be honest, we can’t decide which just yet. The rest of the cabin is fine, but does feel a little lo-rent in its plastic choices, relative to the likes of the Rio.

Fire up the engine and the 1.2 petrol, which makes a healthy 85bhp, settles down to a smooth tickover, and when you rev it, it does so happily and smoothly. It’s a nice little engine this, with a flat spot in the power delivery below 2,000rpm, but which flings the Aveo along nicely if you keep it boiling above that mark. Engine refinement is actually excellent, so it’s all the bigger shame that the overriding interior noise is one of constant tyre roar and boom. Maybe it was just the roads we were driving on, but this seems to be an area the Aveo needs to improve on.

There’s nothing much wrong with the chassis though, which both rides and handles with excellent deportment. The ride in particular; firm, but well damped and sophisticated in feel, comes in for the highest praise, only occasionally getting caught out by a sharp ridge and letting a thump into the cabin, but the well-weighted, accurate steering must be given its dues too.

There is a bit of a serious issue when it comes to price though. This LS model, the cheapest Aveo currently available, lists at €15,495. Now, it does come with air conditioning, cruise control, stability control and traction control, but that does seem like a very high figure for a car purporting to come from a value brand. It may lack some (actually pretty much all) of the Chevy’s standard equipment, but a basic Skoda Fabia is a full €3,000 cheaper. Will the extra kit be enough to convince buyers that the extra cash up front is worth it?

For that matter, will Irish buyers, unfamiliar en masse with Chevrolet as a brand, come flocking to its dealers, in search of value. There’s  no doubt that that Aveo is a good enough car to deserve some attention, but the low-price-high-equipment-long-warranty playground is already a crowded one and Chevy will have its work cut out getting its message heard.

Facts & Figures

Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 LS
Price as tested: €15,495
Range price: €15,495 to €18,995
Capacity: 1,229cc
Power: 85bhp
Torque: 115Nm
Top speed: 172kmh
0-100kmh: 13.6secs
Economy: 4.7l/100km (60.1mpg)
CO2 emissions: 111g/km
Tax Band: A. €160 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 95% adult, 87% child, 54% pedestrian, 93% safety assist

Road Test: Kia Optima 1.7 CRDI 136bhp

Price as tested: €27,595

Fab styling, drives nicely, high quality, spacious cabin
– Ride and refinement need polishing
= Another slick, well-judged product from Kia

I can pretty much guarantee that, if you buy a Kia Optima, at some point in the first few weeks of ownership, someone is going to accost you in a supermarket car park and ask “Wow, what is that?”

Their response to your answer may well depend on just how clued up they are about modern cars and the technology behind them. It could well waver between “Aaah, a Kia...” and “Ugh, a Kia?” simply because not everyone has heard about the rise and rise of Korea’s fastest performing automotive star.

In fact, since 2006, in the face of Lehman Brothers, the credit crunch, the Euro Crisis and Merkosy-nomics, Kia has managed to double its worldwide sales and dramatically increase its European market share. And now, for the first time with a truly competitive vehicle, it’s entering the closely fought D-segment of family saloon cars.

There is no question but that the Optima is striking. And it’s far better looking, and more coherent in the flesh (so to speak) than it is in photographs. In fact, to these eyes, it has more than a hint of the current Jaguar XJ about it. Not in the details, but in the overall stance and body language. And that truly sets it apart from the class norm. The Optima’s rivals, the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Peugeot 508, all play relatively safe, even staid, styling cards. The Optima is rakishly upping the ante though, and it may well scoop sales on the basis of its looks alone.

Inside, it’s got the best interior that Kia has done yet. There are a lot of buttons, depending on the spec though. In fact, we counted more than thirty between the door panel and the edge of the steering wheel alone, so expect to spend some time scouring the owners’ manual for answers. The cabin designers have obviously been boning up on eighties BMWs too, as the centre console, with its optional touch screen, is angled sharply towards the driver in the manner of an old E30 3 Series. Space is excellent, with stretching room in the back for adults (helped by a class-leading 2.8-metre wheelbase) and quality levels are most certainly on the high side of good. It looks good in there too, with sharp instruments and eye-catching design flourishes.

Engine-wise, the Optima sticks to the same script as its close cousin, the Hyundai i40. The primary engine for Ireland will be the 236bhp 1.7-litre CRDI diesel, which emits 128g/km of Co2 and returns, claims Kia, 4.9-litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle (as long as it’s fitted with Kia’s ISG stop-start, which isn’t standard on all models). Our test car was the more profligate 155g/km, 6.0-litres per 100km automatic, but those are still reasonable figures for an old-school torque convertor gearbox. Oddly, Kia Ireland hasn’t yet confirmed that it will be bringing in Optimas fitted with the lower-emissions (113g/km) 116bhp version of the same 1.7 diesel engine, as fitted to the i40. Only the 129g/km (or 133g/km if you don’t spec it with ISG stop-start) 136bhp engine is available for the moment.

Definitely don’t spec the automatic gearbox though; it just doesn’t suit the engine. Refinement is an issue, even on the manual gearbox models, but the auto’s habit of holding onto a ratio for longer than is ideal allows the engine to growl, grumble and moo far too much for our liking. Certainly, rivals from Ford, VW and Peugeot have the legs on the Optima for quietness, and by a surprisingly broad margin.

The ride quality may be an issue too. Now, these are conclusions drawn from a drive on unfamiliar French tarmac in cars fitted with large (and drop-dead-gorgeous) 18” alloy wheels, so hold your breath for a full drive in Irish conditions for a definitive verdict but... it jiggles.

Large obstacles are brushed off with a nicely damped shrug of the body, but smaller, sharper bumps (of the type that Irish tarmac specialises in) make themselves both felt and heard with too much abruptness. Would smaller wheels help? Possibly, but a damper or spring tweak would probably also help.

Other than that, the Optima’s dynamic performance is pretty good. The steering is light, but pleasantly so and while you cannot feel anything of the front tyres through the rim, after a while, you realise that the Optima will go where you want it, if you show just a little faith. Grip is plentiful and body control good, so you won’t be upsetting your passengers with lurching direction changes.

All that remains to settle are price and equipment levels. Kia Ireland is still deciding exactly how to pitch the Optima, but it seems safe to bet that it will meet the likes of Mondeo and Avensis head on in price terms, but out-do them with extra equipment and Kia’s lengthy seven year warranty. Kia Europe is talking of items like heated seats, self-parking and more as standard, which seems like a lot, but we’ll certainly get daytime LED lights, electronic parking brake and six airbags as standards at a minimum.

A little more dynamic polish would make the Optima a very serious player, but even without the fluidity of the likes of the Peugeot 508, it’s already looking like a very tempting prospect. With a circa €25k price tag, lots of standard kit, that warranty and those looks, it should provoke a lot more Ahhhs than Ughs.



Facts & Figures

Kia Optima 1.7 CRDI 136bhp
Price as tested: €25,900 (approx)
Range price: €TBC
Capacity: 1,685cc
Power: 136bhp
Torque: 325Nm
Top speed: TBA kmh
0-100kmh: TBA sec
Economy: 4.9l-100km (57.6mpg)
CO2 emissions: 128g/km
VRT Band: B. €225 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Kia Rio 1.25 EX

Price as tested: €16,495

+ Sharp looks, capable chassis, spacious, well made, excellent Co2
– Ummmm... nothing much really
= A massive thorn in the side of the European and Japanese Grandees

It has become a terrible old cliche, even in the short span during which it has been done, to say that Kia has ‘come a long way.’ But it’s true, Kia’s journey from bargain-bucket dreck to pukka performance has been rapid, steep and successful.

And no one model illustrates that better than the Rio. The first-gen, 2001, Rio was, frankly, awful. Pinched and narrow looking, with a horrid interior and a chassis of rare incompetence. It was utterly awful.

But then came the second-gen Rio and, suddenly, there was a sense of something good happening. OK, so it still looked a bit plain, but the chassis was decent (surprisingly good steering) and the cabin was airy, spacious and well made. It was good.

And now comes the all-new Rio and there can be no finer encapsulation of just how far Kia has come.

Peter Schreyer must take a solid chunk of the credit for this. The former Audi designer has done great work with Kia, but the Rio is possibly his best effort yet. It looks crisp and clean, with the combination of ‘Tiger Grille’ and big headlights adding a whiff of aggression. Certainly, it makes shrinking violets like the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai i20 look pretty ordinary, and even the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Swift will be glancing, anxiously, over their shoulders.

Ever more anxiously once the driving experience has been tried out. Kia’s 1.25-litre petrol engine packs a reasonable 83bhp and Nm of torque, and returns a very impressive claimed 5.1-litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle and 119g/km of Co2. So far, so economical, and we managed to get 6.0l/100km out of our test car on a briskly driven run, so the figures look realistic.

Better yet, it’s no sluggard. Neither is it a GTI, and you do need to keep the engine spinning above 2,000rpm to get any meaningful shove, but you can hustle the Rio along quite nicely and the 1.25 is sweet, revvy and enjoyable to stretch out to the redline, the snappy, easy gearchange working nicely.

And the chassis is up to the job too. Again, you won’t mistake it for a hot hatch, but there’s a very Ford-like feeling in the way the Rio deals with the road. It’s quite firmly sprung; never harsh or bouncy, but with a tautness that you could, on a dark night, mistake for sportiness. The steering feels well weighted and nicely balanced, and is pleasingly brisk across its locks. Front grip is excellent, with the economy-minded tyres only washing into understeer when really pressed. Best of all is a feeling of fluidity and competence about the way the Rio drives. There’s no nervousness, nothing waiting at the edges of adhesion to bite you, but instead a calm and assured feeling of, well, excellence frankly. It is, quite simply, very enjoyable to drive.

Inside the cabin, refinement is pretty good, although it does suffer a bit from the standard small car bugbear of road noise. The main dials are clear and neat, the seats comfy and the driving position good. All the major surfaces feel well made and screwed together and there’s a pleasing lack of cheap, nasty plastics. Space in the back is pretty good too, albeit behind the class leader, the Honda Jazz. The 288-litre boot is right on the class average, and can be expanded to 923-litres if you fold the seats.

This being a Kia, you’d expect the standard equipment list to be long,  and you’re not wrong. In €16k EX form, you get “ alloys, electric folding mirrors, Pod connection, Bluetooth phone, steering wheel audio controls, a full bevvy of airbags plus ESP stability control, hill start, air conditioning and a gear shift indicator. Most of which is also standard on the cheaper €15,295 LX version. Frankly, if Ford, VW, Toyota and Renault aren’t seriously looking to their laurels reading that list then shame on them.

It used to be that such major European and Japanese manufacturers could wave off comparison with Kia, pointing out that the lengthy equipment list was a smokescreen to hide drab styling, underwhelming driving experiences and poor safety records behind. No longer. The Rio isn not just every bit as good as a Fiesta, Yaris or Polo, it is in quite a few ways even better. The fact that it’s sensibly priced, munificently equipped and comes with a seven year warranty... well, frankly if that doesn’t put it at the top of your shopping list, I don’t know what will.




Facts & Figures

Kia Rio 1.25 EX
Price as tested: €16,495
Range price: €15,295 to €17,895
Capacity: 1,248cc
Power: 83bhp
Torque: 121Nm
Top speed: 168kmh
0-100kmh: 13.1sec
Economy: 5.1l-100km (55.3mpg)
CO2 emissions: 119g/km
VRT Band: A. €104 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDI Executive saloon

+ Handsome looks, genuine classiness, comfort, frugality, value
– Cabin still lags a little behind the best, less than sharp steering
= Estate version is still the best, but four-door i40 is a very rounded product



It has struck me, just recently. My daily schlep is up and down the length of the M6 and M4 motorways from Galway to Dublin and back, and thanks to the straightness of the road and the (generally) lack of heavy traffic, there are always some interesting car-spotting opportunities. Ireland is lacking in the point-and-stare car spotting oppos of the UK or Europe, but still you see the occasional Aston Martin or Bentley, still hanging around post-bust, and I twigged a rare Porsche-tweaked Subaru Legacy B4 the other day. And I see a lot of Hyundai i40s.

Not surprising really, given that Hyundai, both in Ireland and Europe, seems able to shrug off any market weakness and charge ahead with growing sales. And I suppose you’d have to assume that any car company, built on a legacy of offering cars at bargain prices and with a five-year warranty, would be doing well at the moment. But I think a crucial Rubicon has been crossed. Hyundais, and specifically the i40, have become properly desirable.

Not in the you-had-a-poster-of-one-on-the-wall way of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, nor in the badge-snobbery-top-trumps fashion of a BMW or Audi, but in a more simple, attainable, I could see myself in one of those ways.

Now, I’ve driven the i40 Tourer estate plenty, but it’s only recently that I managed to squeeze a test of the four door saloon into the schedule. Now, I love estates, and I do realise that puts me at odds with the bulk of the Irish car buying public (you’re all wrong and I’m right, by the way; estates are great) so I may as well admit now that I still prefer the wagon to the four door, but hasten to add that’s not down to any specific shortcoming on the part of the saloon.

The test car came in a classy shade of metallic grey, and in Executive trim brought such niceties as dual zone climate, cruise control, Bluetooth phone and media player connection and a bevy of airbags and electronic safety systems, all for a very reasonable €26,995 asking price. That price tells you all you need to know about Hyundai’s plan for the future. No more bargain-bucket pricing, but matching the mainstream brands on price, technology and quality while beating them soundly in the equipment and warranty arenas.

Does the i40 match the best of the rest in terms of quality though? Well, pretty much. I don’t think there’s any doubt of the actual quality of construction in terms of its likely reliability and longevity(and let’s face it, Hyundai is hardly going to hang its financial future on the line with that five year warranty if its suspected the car wasn’t worth the risk in that sense), and there’s nary a rattle or a squeak inside. But the cabin, handsome, spacious and comfortable though it is, still can’t 100% match the likes of the Ford Mondeo or VW Passat for the touchy-feely nature of its surfaces. It’s agonisingly close, but just misses the cigar. Of course, you have to weigh that against what it would cost you in optional extras to spec either rival up the the i40’s equipment level...

The i40 can certainly meet its rivals head-on in engine terms though, and the 1.7 CRDI diesel boasts both class-leading emissions of 113g/km and admirable combinations of punch and quietness. If you had to pick one aspect of the i40 to single out as a star, the engine would be it. Claimed fuel consumption is a remarkable 4.3-litres per 100km (better than 62mpg) and you should be able to average 5.3-litres per 100km (53mpg) without breaking a sweat.

Combine that frugal nature with the i40’s comfy seats and well set-up driving position, and you have a terrific long-distance ground coverer.

Out the back, the boot can haul 525-litres of whatever it is you need to carry around and, while the estate trumps that (slightly) with a 533-litre load, I suppose I’ll (grudgingly) grant you that anything placed in the boot of the saloon is that bit more secure.

To drive, the i40 majors on comfort, thanks to a chassis set up for bump absorption but you do lose out in terms of steering sharpness (annoying dead patch at the straight-ahead) and cornering fun (just not sharp enough to compete in enthusiasts’ terms with the Mondeo).

But genuinely, properly desirable? Yes, I reckon so. It’s the kind of car you have to only spend a few minutes with before realising that it would slot so neatly and easily into your life. It’s spacious, comfy, well made, relaxing, frugal and more than a little handsome. Prefer it to the estate? No, I don’t, but you might.

Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDI Executive saloon
Price as tested:€26,995
Range price: €24,995 to €31,995
Cubic capacity: 1,685cc
Power: 115bhp
Torque: 260Nm
Maximum speed: 190kmh
0-100kmh: 12.3secs
Fuel consumption: 4.3l/100km (65.6mpg)
Co2 emissions: 113g/km
Tax band: A (€160)
EuroNCAP rating: 5-star; 92% adult, 86% child, 43% pedestrian, 86% safety assist