Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite 2024 Review

The 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite costs $33,500 before on-road costs are added. It’s part of the facelifted i30 sedan range that arrived in Australia in late 2023, which brought price rises, subtle new visuals and more equipment to all models.

There are various drive-away deals available on some models that come and go across the calendar year, such as for the new i30 hybrid sedan, but as it stands the conventional-engined i30 Elite sedan is slightly costlier than equivalent rivals like the Toyota Corolla SX sedan (from $32,420 plus ORCs) and Kia Cerato Sport+ sedan (from $32,210).

That said, the Mazda3 G20 Touring sedan (from $34,670 plus ORCs) is more expensive.

Servicing costs can be capped at $1625 if you choose to pre-pay up front, which provides five scheduled services over five years or 75,000km, whichever occurs first. That breaks down to roughly $325 a pop, which isn’t as cheap as the Toyota Corolla sedan, set at $245 per service, but is still reasonably competitive.

Like all Hyundai passenger vehicles, the i30 sedan is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and you get 12 months’ roadside assistance thrown in.

That roadside assist coverage will continue annually if the car is serviced through Hyundai’s dealer network and extends to regular sat-nav updates too – all which have had a positive effect on resale values.

There’s a distinctly upmarket feel to the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite, which begins when you lay eyes on it.

Stylised 17-inch alloy wheels (with a full-size spare), angular design and LED headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights make it something owners can be proud to show off.

Inside, there’s even more goodies, starting with leather-appointed seat upholstery, steering wheel and gear lever, and lots of soft-touch materials at major touchpoints like the arm rests, but if you want power-adjustable seats (with heating and cooling) you’ll need to step up to the Premium model grade.

Nevertheless, twin 10.25-inch screens, push-button engine start and USB-C ports (for front and rear seats), not to mention a wireless phone charger, bring tech-lead conveniences to bear – as does the Bluelink app that allows for remote car functions. More on that later.

Dual-zone automatic climate control, automatic rain-sensing windscreen wipers, an electric anti-glare mirror, LED interior mood lighting and inbuilt GPS-based satellite navigation are also part of the Elite package.

Optional extras like 18-inch black ‘Suwon’ alloy wheels ($395) are an absolute steal and add a bit of street cred, while an interior pack ($403) nabs you four carpeted floor mats, a dash mat and rubber boot liner, plus there’s roof racks ($372) for adventurous types.

Seven colours are available and all of them add $595 except Atlas White. White car, black wheels – still ahead on price? You’re welcome.

The 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite does not have an ANCAP safety rating. This is largely due to the brand’s reticence to provide vehicles for testing, although the independent safety authority could conduct the assessment without the manufacturer’s involvement if it chose to do so.

There have been suggestions that the i30 sedan might not receive a maximum five-star safety rating based on the latest protocols because it lacks a centre-front airbag, but that hasn’t been determined. Hyundai i30 hatch models have a five-star rating, based on testing conducted way back in 2017, when the assessment criteria was less stringent than today (that rating expires at the end of this year).

It’s worth noting that most small sedans from mainstream brands have no central airbag, and that the i30 sedan has a lot of safety equipment fitted standard, so the lack of an ANCAP rating shouldn’t be seen as a deal breaker.

Dusk-sensing automatic LED headlights with autonomous high beam dipping are part of the package, as are front and rear parking sensors, an electric park brake with auto hold function (bless) and six airbags.

Semi-autonomous driver aids that fall under the Hyundai ‘SmartSense’ umbrella include adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality.

Lane keeping and lane following assist are reasonably helpful on very mild corners, such as when cruising on freeways, while autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and rear cross traffic collision-avoidance assist are welcome inclusions.

The i30 sedan also one-ups a lot of Japanese rivals with blind spot alert coupled with active avoidance, and things like intelligent speed limit assist help the driver keep to the posted limits.

Compared to the Toyota Corolla sedan with its dated-looking 8.0-inch central touch-screen display and analogue instrument dials, the twin 10.25-inch screens on the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite look ultra-modern.

They’re not just pretty either, with a level of functionality that brought a smile to my face.

Apple CarPlay works well with the central touch-screen, and the system is compatible with Android Auto as well.

But one of the biggest new additions for the facelifted 2024 Hyundai i30 sedan is a complimentary five-year subscription to Hyundai’s clever Bluelink app.

This allows owners to remotely access and operate certain vehicle functions. For instance, you can start the engine and turn on the air-conditioning from your lounge room a few minutes before you hop in the car, as well as remotely lock or unlock it, honk the horn, flash the lights or just check fuel levels.

The digital instrument display features the usual speedo and tachometer dials that change depending on the drive mode selected, and some of the togglable extras include tyre pressure monitoring, trip computer functions and speed limit recognition.

The 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite runs a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, which certainly isn’t the newest or most innovative powerplant the Korean car-maker builds.

But if nothing else it’s diligent and seemingly reliable, and in this class those things are important.

Peak power of 110kW at 6200rpm and 180Nm of torque at 4500rpm is nothing to write home about, but coupled with the vehicle’s automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) it hustles along nicely when you’re in a hurry.

The Korean car giant reckons the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite gets away with average fuel consumption of 6.1L/100km on the combined urban and highway driving cycles, but in reality we couldn’t get below 8.2L/100km.

That figure gives the car a theoretical cruising range of 573km based on its 47-litre fuel tank.

Speaking of which, the engine can be fuelled with low-grade 91RON regular unleaded petrol, which will save you a bit of coin at the fuel pump.

There’s something gratifying about driving the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite. After a week in the saddle, it’s clear that two elements help make it a memorable vehicle to drive: the well-sorted suspension set-up and the fact it’s not an SUV.

Firstly, the suspension, which combines with the modest 17-inch tyres to deliver a comfortable and generally quiet ride.

Granted, it can feel a bit floaty at higher speeds and doesn’t settle quite as quickly over bigger, smoother bumps as some Japanese rivals, but overall it’s a great set-up for urban driving and good for highway cruising.

On turning, twisting ribbons of bitumen the i30 sedan acquits itself well, tipping into corners with enthusiasm and tracking through them with reasonable grip and not too much body roll for a 1330kg car.

Although getting in and out of the sedan requires more core strength than an SUV (which generally have an elevated body with a higher hip height, which improves ingress and egress), it’s lovely to sit much lower to the ground because it imparts a better driver-to-car connection, improved feel to what you’re doing and how the car is responding to the road surface.

We test so many SUVs that driving a car like this is refreshing and you don’t get that detached feel like in a lot of SUVs. Sure, 95 per cent of drivers won’t care about this, but those who do will be nodding sagely right now.

The steering is rather light and easy, which makes parking a cinch (as do the front and rear parking sensors and camera), and a turning circle of 10.8 metres is very tidy as well.

Not only is the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite pleasant to drive in almost any scenario, it’s a lovely place to spend your drive time.

It feels more upmarket than its arch-rival, the Toyota Corolla, not only owing to the big and beautiful dual 10.25-inch digital displays that dominate the dashboard but also the smaller touches, like the high-quality buttons and controls and materials.

Even the synthetic leather seats feel good – they’re big and welcoming – and the leather-clad steering wheel and gear lever continue the premium tactility theme.

The cabin is solid, well-finished and most of the plastics don’t feel ultra-cheap either.

A wireless phone charger and twin USB ports will get plenty of use and the Bluelink app provides a level of remote car monitoring and operation that few other brands provide.

Dual-zone climate control and native GPS sat-nav are nice touches and the car itself offers plenty of interior room. In fact, it feels more like a mid-size sedan than a small car, with loads of room for two adults up front and in the back (or three kids across the rear bench), plus a generous 474-litre boot that’s slightly bigger than the Corolla sedan’s – with a full-size spare wheel too.

The answer to this question has been partially answered by the Australian car-buying public, who made the Hyundai i30 Australia’s top-selling small car in 2023, overtaking the evergreen Toyota Corolla.

For a drive-away price of less than $40,000, the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite represents reasonably good value and is equipped as standard with bucketloads of comfort, safety, technology and convenience features.

That the i30 sedan drives nicely and is practical only add to its appeal, as does a range that now spans petrol, hybrid and hard-core high-performance models.

The exterior design may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but right now this is one of the best mainstream small sedans you can buy in Australia.

2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Elite at a glance:
Price: $33,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 110kW/180Nm
Transmission: continuously-variable automatic
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 139g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested