Small Surprises

It’s taken me years of practice to properly explain to normal people why it is that I’m a car guy. And since Hyundai released the first i30, it’s taken me years to figure out how to explain to other driving enthusiasts why it’s such a great car.

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.

Leather, Price, And All Things Nice.

As I was cursing the peak-hour traffic I was so unfortunately stuck in the other day, my eye was drawn to a BMW E87 116i, glistening black in the afternoon winter sun. And it got me thinking: what defines a luxury car?

While I pondered this question, I realised that it’s far harder to demarcate than I had originally assumed.

There are cars we automatically pigeon-hole as being from a luxury automaker, and those that we assume are simply transport. In the past, it was easy. Luxury meant leather and technology. Today, both are easily accessible, available from even the entry-level Korean offerings.

Take, for example, the Hyundai i30cw. This is a small-to-mid-sized wagon that comes with leather, an optional diesel engine, along with a host of other features, all together in a well-built package that is actually a lot of fun to drive. Combined with an unparalleled warranty, and here you have what is undeniably a great car. But despite being a better vehicle than BMWs 116i, it’s not a luxury car. And the BMW is.



Forgetting the physical experience of luxury, the rest of it is defined by marketing and public relations. How you feel about Apple or Virgin or Lexus is sculpted by their PR departments over many, many years. The fact that Americans see the Infinity G37 as a luxury coupe, rather than a humble Nissan Skyline, is because of modified perception.

In Australia, Lexus is the perfect example. Perpetuated as the thinking man’s crumpet, Toyota has positioned the L badge as a genuine competitor to the Europeans. We all know that the ES300 was a Camry in a tuxedo, but to golfing grandfathers everywhere it’s a luxury sedan without the ostentatious statement of a German saloon.

Without the high quality of their engineering and craftsmanship, I suspect Lexus would have failed as a brand. They don’t have the history to back themselves up and I think only now are they starting to forge their own character.

At a recent design forum by BMW, artist Thomas Demand said that nowadays luxury is more inwardly focussed, rather than outwardly expressed. Modesty was the overriding message. This makes me think of the rise in popularity of apartments converted from warehouses all over the world as an example.

Even without being able to clearly define it, we all know what luxury is. We know it when we are immersed in it, and we know when it’s being faked. It is not just the material, but the quality of the material being used. The fit and finish of our surroundings. The character; the modesty; the heritage. And, of course, the price.