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