THIS SOUTH KOREAN car is a little slow, mated to a 1.6 diesel engine – and that’s just about all that’s wrong with it.
The New Generation Hyundai i30 is similar in size to the Audi A3 or VW Golf and its appearance is quite ‘cutting edge’. The LED running lights are very 2012 and the cabin looks as if it’s from space-age 60s cartoon – The Jetsons.
It’s all good fun and practical too. The motor is ideal for a small family of four; there’s plenty of room for two adults in the front and adequate space for a couple of passengers in the rear. Lift the hatch and the boot is big enough to gobble up your essential family items.
On the road and fully laden, the car does struggle. You have to work through the gears to make the most of it. Don’t expect the 1.6 oil-burner to effortlessly overtake either – lots of planning ahead is definitely required. The i30 is comfortable though and holds the road well. The steering is a little vague, but the Hyundai glides across our patchy British country roads well and sits on motorways perfectly happily.
Just because this car’s acceleration (0-62 mph in 10.9 seconds) doesn’t rip the skin off a rice pudding doesn’t make it a bad motor. Far from it; for £19,860 your new Hyundai i30 Style will come loaded with gear. You get dual-zone climate control, an intelligent, fuel saving stop and go system, parking sensors and hill-start assist control. Some of this kit only comes on the options list of rival marques. However, the one thing missing from the car is a sat-nav. If this was included as standard then I’d have been sold on this particular model.
But there’s more to this car than meets the eye: The New Generation i30 has been awarded ‘Best Value Hatchback’ in the annual Practical Caravan, The Camping & Caravanning Club & What Car? Towcar Awards 2012. The Hyundai, which can tow up to 1,500kg, was commended by the judges after a series of gruelling tests designed to find Britain’s Best Towcar. Tests included high-speed stability, braking, emergency lane change, hill starting and overall practicality.
The i30 has also recently been awarded ‘Car of the Year 2012’, as well as ‘Best Family Car’ by leading car review website, CarBuyer.
All Hyundai cars come with a five star triple care package, which includes a five year, unlimited mileage, manufacturer backed warranty. If that’s not enough peace of mind, you also get five years of roadside assistance and five years of annual vehicle health checks. Now that’s impressive stuff.
PROS ‘N’ CONS
- Kit √
- Economical √
- Good value √
- Practical towcar √
- Slow off the mark X
FAST FACTS
- Max speed: 117 mph
- 0-62 mph: 10.9 secs
- Combined mpg: 74.3
- Engine: 1582 cc 4 cylinder 16 valve turbo diesel
- Max. power (bhp): 126 at 4000 rpm
- Max. torque (lb/ft): 192 at 1900-2750 rpm
- CO2: 100 g/km
- Price: £19,295 on the road
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