At the launch of the new Hyundai i30, company bosses said the car is a direct rival to cars like the Volkswagen Golf, Honda Civic hatch, Toyota Auris, Mazda3 and Ford Focus hatch.
“With the i30 we’re going to bring the full weight of Hyundai’s ongoing metamorphosis to bear on the C-segment for the first time,” said Marketing Director Stanley Anderson. “The i10 and i20 have done the groundwork in the smaller segments, and this car will confirm the brand’s ability to build cars which are the equal of anything to come out of Europe.”
I was therefore surprised to find it looking a little smaller than its already-established competitors.
But at 4.2m long, 1.8m wide, 1.48m high and with a wheelbase of 2.65m, the i30 is right in the ballpark of competitors. Is it as good?
I took a short drive in the car but it was enough to form an opinion, which I’ll share later. First we need to look at the offering. The design, while modern and fresh, can’t be described as ground-breaking. Hyundai engineers appear to have won the form vs function battle as everything seems to centre around efficiency rather than looks. Where looks are prominent they appear to take the shape of some other cars on the market, names not mentioned.
But the overall style is inoffensive, preferring the middle ground rather than the innovative and edgy. Customers in the segment seem to prefer this as evidenced by the popular but boring-looking Golf and Auris.
What sets the i30 apart is the same thing that sets all Hyundai products apart from the rest; value-for-money. For starters both the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre sold in this country are fitted standard with a host of features that some aforementioned rivals sell at extra cost. That includes 6 airbags, fog lights, leather seats, air conditioning, a CD front loader, a USB connection for music and electric side mirrors. The 2.0 also has a standard sunroof and cruise control.
As previously said, two naturally aspirated engines are available for the Mzansi consumer. The entry-level is the 1.6-litre making 89kW at 6200rpm and 153Nm at 4200rpm. It’s mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and hits a top speed of 188km/h. No 0 – 100km/h times were given but from the drive it became apparent that normally aspirated engines, especially the small ones, are not ideal for the Gauteng environment where they can lose up to 17% of their power. Combined fuel consumption is claimed to be 6.2 litres per 100km from the 53 litre fuel tank, while C02 emissions are 152g/km.
Top-of-the-range is the 2.0-litre pushing out 105kW at 6000rpm and 186Nm at 4600rpm. Drive is through the front wheels for both cars and the 2.0-litre has a top speed of 195km/h. Average fuel comes to 7.1 litres per 100km and C02s are 170g/km.
Despite gunning for the Golf and the like, Hyundai currently has no plans to take on performance luminaries like the GTI and ST. Neither is a diesel derivative under consideration.
Like all Hyundai cars, the i30 comes with a 5 year/ 150 000km warranty and a 5 year/ 100 000km maintenance plan.
This is the first time these Koreans have competed in this segment but they look like they have done an above-average job of it. Now, all they have to do is to remove the badge and watch people buzz in and out of their dealerships.
Hyundai i30 Pricing
1.6-litre (R189 900)
2.0-litre (R229 900)
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