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NEWS
Hotter Hyundai SR hatches near
Hyundai i30 SR Turbo hot-hatch could follow SR-badged Accent and i30 warm-hatches, based on next month's new three-doorHyundai’s upcoming SR warm-hatch family could be topped by a cracking new i30 SR Turbo hot-hatch, based on the new three-door version the Korean giant will launch next month.
As we revealed in February, Hyundai Australia is about to launch its first i30 three-door ‘coupe’, powered by a smaller 98kW 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine matched with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and priced below the cheapest i30 in the five-door hatch range released a year ago ($20,990 plus on-road costs).
The sub-$20,000 i30 three-door, which will be sourced from the same European factory as the i30 Tourer, will give Hyundai a direct rival to a range of cut-price small car families, including the Toyota Corolla, Holden Cruze, Nissan Pulsar, Kia Cerato and Mitsubishi Lancer.
However, the i30 three-door to be launched in June could also form the basis of Hyundai’s first hot-hatch, powered by the same 150kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine as the Veloster SR Turbo coupe and fitted with independent rear suspension.
Hyundai will not confirm the existence of such as model, which would provide it with a challenger to sister company Kia’s three-door pro_cee’d GT, which is fitted with the same engine, as well as Nissan’s upcoming Pulsar SSS hatch, which goes on sale this month powered by a 140kW 1.6 turbo-four and priced from $29,240.
“Hyundai has not produced an i30 three-door with a 150kW engine from the Veloster Turbo, but if it did we’d love to have it,” was all the company’s Australian spokesman Bill Thomas would say on the matter.
Thomas did, however, confirm the local release of a five-door i30 ‘warm-hatch’ in August, alongside a higher-output Accent hatch that, together, will form the basis of Hyundai’s new SR performance model family in Australia.
Hyundai previewed its first two SR models at the Sydney motor show last October in the form of lightly disguised i30 SR and Accent SR concept cars designed to gauge customer reaction to the warmed-over Korean hatchbacks.
Hyundai has always said that any SR-badged models would deliver increased performance, improved handling and, like all of its Australian models, a locally tuned suspension and steering package – in this case unique to both SR models.
As previewed by the show car, the i30 SR will be powered by the mid-size i40’s naturally aspirated 2.0-litre GDi (direct-injected petrol) engine rated at 130kW and 213Nm, representing 18 per cent more power and 20 per cent more torque than the 110kW/178Nm 1.8-litre engine found in the standard i30.
The Accent SR hatch, meantime, will hit showrooms with the concept’s 103kW/167Nm 1.6-litre GDI engine from the regular Veloster, adding 13 per cent more power and seven per cent more torque to the non-GDI engine seen in the regular Accent hatch and sedan.
Expect the chassis and equipment upgrades fitted to the motor show concepts to also feature on this year’s production models, including 17-inch alloy wheels, a bespoke bodykit and sportier cabin trims for the i30 SR, and 16-inch alloys, a larger rear spoiler and special paint and interior equipment changes for the Accent SR.
The latter should cost somewhere between the entry-level Accent Active hatch (from $16,990) and the flagship Accent Premium hatch (from $20,990).
In addition to injecting a more sporting flavour to its Accent and i30 hatchback ranges, the second half of this year will also see Hyundai Australia launch facelifted versions of its ix35 compact SUV (as previewed at the Geneva show in March) and the Elantra small sedan, which is yet to be revealed.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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