Hyundai i30 CRDi : AYES TO THE RIGHT

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Once in every few years a Korean car arrives that further closes the gap between South East Asia and the best of Europe. The Hyundai i30 is the latest such car and it's at its best in CRDi diesel form. Andy Enright reports

"It offers a lot of metal for the money." There in one simple, slightly hackneyed phrase, is the historical justification for buying a Korean car. Put rather more cynically, quantity over quality. Well forget about all of that. The Hyundai i30 just changed the ground rules. It's still competitively priced but its manufacturer has realised that there's only so far a stack `em high, sell `em cheap mentality will get you. Building brand equity is a tough job and probably the best way to do so is by building consistently excellent products.

The i30 is but one step in a very long path towards what Hyundai hopes will be a place at the very top table of car makers. When it was first revealed at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, most thought of this car as a rebadged and soon to be overpriced version of the Kia cee'd and missed its true significance. Spark up the Hyundai i30 CRDi diesel and you'll be pleasantly surprised at its lack of diesel clatter at idle. There are two versions of the 1.6 engine, the mainstream one generating 113bhp from its 1.6-litres and the larger 128bhp 2.0-litre diesel to top off the range. The 1.6-litre diesel I tried is a very well-mannered unit with no nasty lag and lunge effects, instead delivering a linear stream of power. The manual five-speed gearchange is a little clunky and there's a fair amount of wind and tyre noise at motorway speeds but other than that, it generates a very favourable report card. The steering is very good, body control through corners is exemplary and the pedals are nicely weighted.

"It offers a lot of metal for the money." There in one simple, slightly hackneyed phrase, is the historical justification for buying a Korean car. Put rather more cynically, quantity over quality. Well forget about all of that. The Hyundai i30 just changed the ground rules. It's still competitively priced but its manufacturer has realised that there's only so far a stack `em high, sell `em cheap mentality will get you. Building brand equity is a tough job and probably the best way to do so is by building consistently excellent products.

Two bodystyles are available - five-door hatch and Estate, the station wagon doing without the top 2.0-litre CRDi diesel engine. As well as ABS braking with brakeforce distribution, all i30 models feature ESP stability control which is a laudable inclusion and emblematic of Hyundai's intention for the car to compete in the upper reaches of the family hatchback segment. Further safety provision comes in the form of twin front and side airbags plus full length curtain airbags. If there's one area where the i30 comes up conspicuously short of the top family hatchbacks, it's styling. The car is neat and inoffensive on the eye but there's little to excite about its shape or detailing. A certain measured blandness never hindered the MK2 Ford Focus or the most recent Toyota Corolla however, and inside the i30 fares better. It's still hardly what you would call avant garde design-wise but the quality of the materials and the construction is convincing. Nice touches include blue illumination for the dials that also extends to steering wheel controls and ignition key slot so you won't be fumbling around at night. Dim the illumination and the wheel-mounted controls dim too, which is very slick. Space is plentiful for the rear seat occupants and the huge boot suggested by the car's bulging rear end is only a mild disappointment. It's a good size for the class rather than enormous, with 340 litres available. Fold the rear bench and this rises to 1,250 litres. The i30 has been designed specifically for the European market and benchmarked against class leaders like the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. Like those two cars but unlike many of the other established names in the sector, the i30 has fully-independent suspension all round or at least a version of it. In fact, the rear suspension is a kind of independently suspended torsion beam, a kind of halfway house solution between proper independently sprung models and those that settle for an old fashioned torsion beam. The diesel engined range comprises most of the i30 line-up with trim levels starting with Comfort and rising through Style to Premium. Both Comfort and Premium models can also be had with an automatic gearbox for an additional sum, while Estate variants cost £700 extra (and can't be ordered with 2.0 CRDi power). You could also go for the full-power 1.6-litre CRDi engine. Even the entry-level Comfort trim isn't too badly appointed with air conditioning, alloy wheels and integrated steering wheel audio controls as standard. You'll also find a single CD stereo with six speakers and MP3 compatibility as well as USB/iPod and auxiliary connections in the centre console. Spend a little more on the Style variant, and you can expect to see a sportier focus with the addition of safety features that includes Hyundai's Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). The top end Premium model adds reversing sensors and climate controlled air conditioning. The Hyundai i30 diesel is a winner when it comes to cost of ownership, the 114bhp 1.6-litre unit managing 60.1mpg on the combined cycle with the 2.0-litre faring only slightly worse at 51.4mpg. Carbon dioxide emissions for these two engines are rated at 125 and 145g/km respectively. The burgeoning reputation for quality that Hyundai is developing, and which the i30 is an integral aspect of, will doubtless boost residual values far in excess of that which the old Accent ever enjoyed but that process will take time and early adopters will need to bear that in mind. The i30 is a landmark car for Hyundai in the same way the old Coupe and the second generation Santa Fe have proved. Each has progressed common perceptions of the Korean company and with every incremental ratcheting up of its brand equity, Hyundai gets closer to its goal. Drive an i30 back to back with the European rivals - cars like the Renault Megane, Ford Focus, Peugeot 308 and Vauxhall Astra - and you'd have to say that on talent alone it's near the head of that pack, especially in CRDi diesel form. It's left behind the sort of budget fare we've come to expect from Chevrolet and Chrysler and move into a new realm of sophistication. It doesn't receive a wholly favourable scorecard though. The manual gearchanges are clunky, refinement at speed isn't as good as the best Europeans and there remain some residual concerns, despite obfuscating the respective trim and engine choices, about whether the i30 is better value than its Kia cee'd sister car. These sticking points aside, it's a formidable achievement and one that looks set to sell extremely well.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Hyundai i30 CRDi range
PRICES: £13,120-£16,640 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 125-145g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0 CRDi] 0-60mph 10s / Max Speed 127mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 CRDi] (urban) 39.8mpg / (extra urban) 62.8mpg / (combined) 51.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS with EBD, ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr hatch] Length/Width/Height 4245/1775/1480mm