Hyundai i30 2012 Review - International

Hyundai i30

When the original Hyundai i30 hatch was launched in 2007 it was a game changer for the Korean brand. It showed off a stylish new face for the company at a time when Hyundai was shrugging off the last vestiges of its ‘cheap and cheerful’ stigma.

Almost five years later and the second generation i30 is upon us, boasting a distinctly modern new design inside and out. It will arrive in Australia from early June this year and is being touted as larger, safer and more frugal than its predecessor, and the good news is it's a better car to drive.

Hyundai's small car has not made a quantum leap in terms of execution -- it's still a sensible small car -- but neither has it made any huge mistakes.

It's roomy inside, has a good infotainment system with intuitive controls and an appealing interior design, while the ride and handling characteristics have been sharpened ever so slightly.

The new model faces stiff competition in the small car segment however, and was the fourth most popular small car for the first four months of 2012, behind the Mazda Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, and Holden Cruze.

We'd love to talk about the engine choices, trim levels and price of the new Korean small car, all of which will be crucial in its bid to leapfrog a couple of competitors, but Hyundai is keeping a lid on the particulars until closer to its June 1 launch.

What we can talk about is what the new car feels like to sit in and drive, and from go to woah the car was uncomplicated and pleasant to operate.

Indeed, the second gen Hyundai takes the original i30 recipe and improves on it, delivering a much-needed new design, which was pencilled at its German design studio.

The first car we drove was a petrol manual mid-spec model with 15-inch alloy wheels and cloth seats. It exhibited decent ride quality on less than perfect city streets and navigated peak hour traffic with ease, the light steering well suited to such duties.

This second generation Hyundai i30 was surprisingly agile through bends too, displaying a flat attitude through corners, even when shoved around ungracefully. Though the steering was vague and didn't communicated what the wheels were doing when pushing on, it tipped into corners nicely and was satisfying car to drive both fast and slow.

As an aside, there were three steering modes as part of the 'Flex Steer' system, switchable at the touch of a button. Comfort, normal and sports modes were offered and the latter did at least add a bit of weight to the tiller.

It's also a quieter car than its precursor and, apart from tyre roar on a couple of rough sections of freeway, the cabin was a quiet place to be.

Like all Hyundai models, the ride, handling and steering characteristic will be modified for Australian conditions, but in this case we hope it's simply 'fine-tuning' rather than significant adjustments.

The (110kW/178Nm) 1.8-litre petrol engine we tested was not direct injected but was a smooth, quiet unit. Hooked up to a smooth shifting six-speed manual gearbox it had very long legs in top gear, which helps achieve the company's goal of reduced fuel economy.

Also on test was the 1.6-litre CRDi mated to a well-sorted six-speed automatic transmission with semi-manual override. I recently experienced this 94kW/260Nm engine (paired with a manual gearbox) in the Hyundai Accent and it was a surprisingly fun car to drive, but the new i30 with the same engine felt sluggish in comparison. Was it due to the i30s heavier weight? Or its pairing with a six-speed automatic gearbox? It's not clear, but the diesel i30 didn't deliver the effortless propulsion we often associate with modern diesel mills.

The interior felt roomy but not what you'd call expansive for front seat occupants. And though leg room was sufficient in the rear for taller persons, head room was not. The seats were nicely cushioned however and comfort levels were impressive, and boot space has improved by around 10 per cent to 378 litres

Like the exterior, the interior design has evolved and everything looks very pretty. The centre stack and infotainment system is tastefully styled but not at the cost of practicality, with well labelled, easy to use controls and giant high-res touch screen sat nav system.

Pairing an iPhone with the Bluetooth stereo took about 20 seconds and soft touch dash plastics on the upper dash added a tactile edge to proceedings.

Hyundai's new i30 delivers a radically different aesthetic to its predecessor, and though much of the car is new the Korean company's tried-and-tested recipe remains tweaked, as opposed to overhauled.

It's true that major rivals will take the form of Japanese cars, yet the i30 is edging ever closer to the quality of European small cars, particularly the Volkswagen Golf. The new i30 makes subtle improvements in many areas and adds a touch more elegance to a well-liked formula, but will that be enough to elevate the car to a top three spot in the small car class?

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