If you are looking for a car to go 'from A to B', the new Hyundai i30 brings style, ability and value to the choice, writes Paddy Comyn
Much like medical doctors, motoring journalists tend to avoid revealing their profession at parties. Much like the terminally bored-looking doctors, who want a night off but are soon being shown rashes and asked to prod ailing backs, reveal that you call yourself a car expert and you are generally asked to judge between an exhaustive list of your bore's next potential purchases.
Then there are the motorists who proudly proclaim that they know nothing about cars and only want a car that will bring them "from A to B". At this point I usually mumble something about the toilet and run. Up until now, these "A to B" buyers would buy something like a Toyota Corolla or more lately, a Nissan Tiida. They would pick the drabbest colour; they would do 36,000km in three years and would wash it every Sunday.
Another car they might have bought, purely because the dealership was nearby was a Hyundai. Whether it was the Accent or the Elantra, these were cars that required the sort of effort from the potential owner to choose and indeed to run, that you would normally afford to picking curtains.
Hyundai was always good at its niche models. The Trajet, coupé, Tucson and Santa Fe have been right there at the top of the sales charts and deservedly so.
Now, Hyundai have gone and made a family hatchback that these "A to B" buyers will flock for, but this time they will be getting something different. They will be getting an excellent car. And much as I would like to disagree with the infuriating radio campaign that Hyundai is running for the new i30, owners of cars like the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf do actually need to pay attention to this new model.
Although Hyundai hates comparisons to the Kia Cee'd, the new i30 shares many mechanical components with the Kia hatchback and this puts it in good stead from the outset. And while the Kia model is aimed at the more youthful, sporty buyer, the Hyundai is aimed at a more sophisticated buyer. The truth is that underneath they are pretty much the same car, but the i30 edges it in terms of styling, with a more upmarket front-end and tall, vertical pointed rear tail lights.
The car comes with a choice of two engines for the Irish line-up. These are 1.4-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel units of 109bhp and 115bhp. The majority of sales initially are likely to be from the petrol engine, but this could change from July, when the low-emission diesel is likely to become more affordable.
Getting into the i30, the first impressions are of a really well made car. Previously you got into a Hyundai family hatchback and felt a little depressed. Now you are greeted by a cabin that would not look out of place in a Volkswagen. Even the pleasant blue instrument back lighting is similar to that used by Volkswagen and there is none of the cheap, elephant-skin plastic on show. The interior mouldings fit together well and even the areas that are out of immediate view employ high quality plastics. Even the key looks expensive.
The driving position is set quite high, which will suit older buyers. The instruments are clear and well laid-out and there is an embarrassment of equipment on show.
Our model was not even the top-spec version and it was blessed with climate control, leather-covered wheel, and a decent audio system with iPod connectivity and styling features such as 16-inch alloy wheels.
As this car has one of the longest wheelbases in its class, this means that there is really impressive legroom in the rear. The boot space is generous too, and the back seats fold flat to provide useful room.
While there are certainly a few similarities to the Cee'd under the skin, the i30 has been set up to have a softer, more compliant ride.
This is good at soaking up the bumps, and the multi-link rear suspension set-up means that it is poised going through the bends, too.
THE OVERWHELMING FEELING when driving the i30 is that you are in a car that requires little effort on the part of the driver and the quality is such that it feels like a substantially bigger and more expensive car. The visual similarities to the BMW 1-Series go some way to adding to this feeling.
The car sits very quietly on the motorway, although you do feel like the 1.4-litre petrol version could do with a sixth gear as the engine does start to roar a little at 120km/h.
On the twisty stuff, the car is very composed but there is the odd shudder through the steering on very bad road ridges.
Finding out that the i30 is such a worthy car does present a few problems. Whereas once I could have ditched the boring guy at the party by saying "buy a Focus or a Golf" with cars such as the Cee'd and i30 now deserving proper attention, I will now have to put down my vol-au-vent and explain just why a Korean manufacturer can now compete head-to-head with the best from Germany and Japan. Not only is this car much better equipped than the equivalent Focus, Golf, Astra and Auris but also it looks good, drives very well, has decent safety equipment and is unlikely to give a moment's trouble.
Hyundai is not quite there yet when it comes to image, and it is unlikely that the i30 will trouble the Golf or Astra at the top of the sales charts in 2008, but early indications are that it might just outsell the Kia Cee'd with which it shares so many genes. And you would need to think long and hard about buying an Auris or Tiida when you look at how convincingly this car puts its case forward.
The pricing of the i30 is pretty aggressive too. The Classic 1.4-litre costs €18,995 and with that you get air conditioning, alloy wheels and electric windows all round.
We drove the Deluxe which adds climate control and half leather seats as well as some other useful features for just €1,000 more. The €21,995 Premium model features cruise control and ESP. Quite why ESP, an increasingly important safety feature is reserved for "premium" customers is somewhat regrettable. ESP will save your life quicker than half leather seats and alloy wheels will and this feature is standard fit in the UK but not in Ireland.
At this price and with this much equipment as standard, the i30 is a car that deserves to cause a shift in attitude towards the Hyundai brand from one that made good niche models but tediously dull mainstream models, to a brand that can compete head-to-head with the best that Europe and Japan can offer.
FACTFILE
HYUNDAI i30 1.4 DELUXE CC: 1396 BHP: 109 0-100km/h: 11.6 secs Top speed: 187km/h Consumption (comb): 6.4L/100km (44.1 mpg) Price: €19,995
ENGINE: 1396cc four-cylinder petrol engine putting out 109bhp @ 6,200rpm and 138Nm of torque @ 5,000rpm. Five-speed manual transmission.
SPECIFICATION: Standard features include 16" alloy wheels with 205 tyres, electric windows front and rear, electric door mirrors, heated door mirrors, remote central locking with perimeter alarm and folding key, climate control, CD player with iPod/USB Port, ABS with EBD, driver passenger side and curtain airbags, multi-function leather steering wheel, leather gearshift knob, half leather seats, front fog lamps, colour-keyed bumpers front and rear.
L/100KM (MPG):
Urban: 7.6 (37.1)
Extra-urban: 5.2 (54.3)
Combined: 6.1 (46.3)
CO2 EMISSIONS:
145g/km (Band C - 20 per cent VRT post-July 1st)
ANNUAL ROAD TAX:
€320 (Since February 1st until
July 1st)
PRICE: €19,995