HYUNDAI i30
Even amongst major players in the car market, the Hyundai i30 manages to stand out from the crowd.
When Hyundai first began to think about moving heavily into the European market, the firm knew that it had to pull out all the stops to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. To do that, it needed a European base of operations from which to operate and give its firm a true European flavour.
Aside from the Hyundai i30, the Rüsselsheim plant that Hyundai built in Germany for its new line-up of cars was responsible for a string of hugely successful products in Europe. Since the i30’s launch back in 2007, 3 generations have been produced, the latest car being released in 2017. The i30 is now available as a hatchback, estate and ‘fastback’ with a choice of engines and features.
Hyundai still offers diesel power in the i30, with the 1.6-litre 4-cylinder ‘CRDi’ turbocharged engine pushing out 108bhp and available with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic gearbox. There are also petrol options – a 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre ‘T-GDi’ with either 118bhp or 138bhp. The petrol engines have the same gearbox options are the diesel. Synergy customers seeking serious performance need look no further than the I30 N, Hyundai’s first hot hatchback, packing around 275bhp from its 2.0-litre turbo petrol in its most potent ‘N Performance’ version.
Like many other brands, Hyundai offers the ‘N’ look without the power and associated running costs with its ‘N-Line’ models. These are well equipped, sporty looking cars with the running costs of a standard i30. As for other specifications, with all Hyundai models the top-spec ‘Premium SE’ looks particularly tempting with a great price and excellent selection of equipment including heated seating and a heated steering wheel, Hyundai’s 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone integration, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind spot detection and much more to list here.
As with all Hyundai’s, equipment is generous across the range and the i30 is a seriously tempting rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Honda Civic. Hyundai has established an excellent reputation over the last decade or so, and by continuing to build excellent machines like the i30, the South Korean company will surely continue to flourish.