The first time I drove the original i30 it was a turning point for me. I’d never thought of a Hyundai as anything more than budget transport. But driving this zippy little hatch, I couldn’t keep the damn thing within the speed limit, and it remains the most fun I’ve had getting to and from a funeral. A few years later I took a diesel i30cw wagon down to Phillip Island for a weekend. It was bigger, better looking, and what it lacked in ‘zip’ it made up for with decent torque and amazing fuel economy. On the road the i30cw CRDi felt like a nose-heavy dart. With the weighty diesel engine at the front, the suspension felt like it struggled a little bit over road undulations, thumping and bouncing at its worst. Which wasn’t often.
Hyundai kindly loaned us their brand-spanking i30 diesel hatch as an evaluation vehicle for a time. My unabashed love for the previous model notwithstanding, I snatched the keys to see how this new model compares. It’s clear that their engineers have focused on the dynamics, playing with the suspension, moving the engine, and getting rid of that nose-heavy-dart feeling almost completely. The buttons, knobs, and all of the switchgear look as if they’ve been lifted straight out of the old model; which is no bad thing. Besides a redesigned interior with better quality plastics, it’s the ergonomics that impressed me. I really appreciate good ergonomics. The stereo also now comes with a built-in hard-drive so that you can transfer your favourite tracks so they’re always at hand. As a gift to my friends in the office, I’ve loaded up the stereo with a bunch of songs from a selection of genres.
The small capacity diesel, though not a powerhouse, is no slouch, either. Producing almost 100kw and 260nm, it’s more like a petrol engine in character. It’s mated to a traditional six-speed automatic transmission. For daily driving, the gearbox is damn-near perfect. It has the same feel of low-geared BMWs, taking off with purpose and no fanfare. For spirited driving, however, it’s not quite as capable. In manual mode, stuck next to that small oil-burning donk, it’s certainly got enough there to create some fun on twisty roads, but you’ll be wanting for more if you do any serious driving. The highway is where this car really shines, though. For the first time in a long time, I was actually enjoying driving down to the Peninsula and back. With a combined economy rating of 5.6L/100km, I almost ran out of fuel simply because I’d stopped remembering to look at the gauge.
It’s comfortable, practical, and one of the best all-rounders I’ve driven. In my mind, this model has overtaken the benchmark Toyota Corolla and market-favourite Mazda3, and now sits on par with the Honda Civic in terms of build quality. Hyundai have also introduced capped price servicing for the first three services, and are now offering 0.9% interest. But the kicker for me is the five year, unlimited kilometre warranty.
I’m clearly not the target market for this car. I’m a car guy that prefers manual, rear-wheel-drive cars with big engines that I can abuse all day long and generally break down on me all of the time. The idea of me owning an automatic Korean diesel hatch is absurd. But for a split second there, the thought did cross my mind. And that says a lot about this car.
