2012 Hyundai i30 revealed at Frankfurt Motor Show

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By Alborz Fallah | September 14th, 2011

One of the more relevant releases at this year’s Frankfurt motorshow is the next-generation Hyundai i30, which will see the Korean brand revitalise the model that brought it into its current good fortune.

82,900 first-generation Hyundai i30s have been sold in Australia already and more than 360,000 in Europe, so the succes of the new model is paramount to the company’s ongoing success story.

From a design perspective Hyundai has stuck with its current ‘fluidic sculpture’ design DNA, which means the new i30 is now firmly in place amongst the i45, ix35 and the i40 wagon family. It’s also hard to miss the familiar hexagonal-shaped grille.

Europeans will have a choice of four engines with six different power options to pick for their Czech built i30s, details for Australian delivered models (likely to be soured from South Korea) are to be decided before the car’s arrival mid 2012.

The new Hyundai i30 has increased in size, now measuring 4300 mm long and 1780 mm wide, but its height has been reduced to 1470mm which sees it sit wider but with a lower centre of gravity.

The European delivered models will have the option of Hyundai’s new Flex Steer™ which provides three operating modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport – to help fine-tune your driving experience.

The system actively changes the level of steering assistance and feedback to allow for a more engaging drive (sport) when needed or for maximum usability when you’re stuck in traffic (comfort).

A 7-inch touch-screen with Satelite Navigation will be available for European markets and we suspect it will flow through in one shape or form to the Australian market as well.

Hyundai will fit all the expected active safety features (ESP, ABS, VSM) as well as Emergency Stop Signal and six airbags as standard kit. A driver’s knee airbag is available as an option. The Korean giant expects the new i30 to retain the same maximum five-star safety rating as the model it replaces.

All new Hyundai i30s will have their power delivered via a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, which is a major improvement over the current model’s five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

It’s very likely that we will see both high output 1.6-litre diesel (94kW – 260Nm) and petrol (99kW – 164 Nm) engines for the Australian market with a potential entry model powered by a 1.4-litre petrol (which is only available as a manual).

Technical specifications – 2012 Hyundai i30 (final figures for Australian-spec vehicles to be confirmed at time of launch)

Diesel engines

1.4-litre 66.0 kW
Type / capacity U-II, WGT, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1396 cc
Power / torque 66.0 kW @ 4000 rpm / 220 Nm @1500~2750 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 75 x 79
Compression ratio 17.0

1.6-litre 81.0 kW
Type / capacity U-II, VGT, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1582 cc
Power / torque 81.0 kW @ 4000 rpm / 260 Nm @ 1900~2750 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 77.2 x 84.5
Compression ratio 17.3

New 1.6-litre 94.0 kW
Type / capacity U-II, VGT, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1582 cc
Power / torque 94.0 kW @ 4000 rpm / 260 Nm @ 1900~2750 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 77.2 x 84.5
Compression ratio 17.3

Petrol engines

1.4-litre 73.2 kW
Type / capacity Gamma 1.4, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1396 cc
Power / torque 73.2 kW @ 5500 rpm / 137 Nm @ 4200 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 77 x 74.99
Compression ratio 10.5

1.6-litre 88 kW
Type / capacity Gamma 1.6 MPI, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1591 cc
Power / torque 88 kW @ 6300 rpm / 156Nm @ 4850 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 77 x 85.44
Compression ratio 10.5

1.6-litre 99 kW
Type / capacity Gamma GDI, four-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve / 1591 cc
Power / torque 99 kW @ 6300 rpm / 164 Nm @ 4850 rpm
Bore x Stroke (mm) 77×85.44
Compression ratio 11

Suspension and damping
Front Fully independent subframe-mounted MacPherson struts, with coil springs and gas-filled shock absorbers. Anti-roll stabiliser bar.
Rear Fully independent subframe-mounted multi-links, coil springs and gas-filled shock absorbers.

Steering
Type Motor-driven power steering, with Flex Steer™
Steering wheel turn 2.85 Turning circle 10.6 metres

Brakes
Front 15 / 16 inch ventilated discs
Rear 14 inch solid discs

Dimensions (mm)
Exterior

Overall length 4300
Overall width 1780 (excluding door mirrors)
Overall height 1470
Wheelbase 2650
Front overhang 880
Rear overhang 770

Interior Front Rear

Leg room 1067 880
Head room 1018 963
Shoulder room 1420 1395

Capacities (litres)

Fuel tank 53 litre
Luggage 378 with rear seats upright

davie

Assuming this goes up against Mazda3 and corolla, I’m guessing there would have to be a 1.8 or 2 litre petrol option?

Max

I can’t see why. The 1.6 diesel has as least as much performance as any of the mazda3 and corolla engines.

davie

I just visited the Hyaundai web site.

they sure sell a lot of similar models, particularly in the small car category. I wonder if there is much sales cannibalisation between similar models?

Small??
getz
accent
i20
elantra

small med?
elantra
i30

med:
i40
i45

Matty B

All Hyundai would care about is Market Share. The good thing is they all look fairly similar, so if one’s a little to big, or a little to small, customers have choices.

Daym

Yeah but you don’t gain market share by making many models in a single segment.. All that results in is cross-shopping across your own line..

That’s why companies try to diffrienate their products

Sumpguard

As hyundai Australia are in a bit of a unique position in that they have access to models intended for two different markets they are bringing in the lot.

Perhaps eventually they will look at what suits our market best and refine their lineup. In the meantime buyers are certainly spoilt for choice.

o

The issue is we have one of the most diverse markets in the world, where as other countries have a large swing to either hatch to sedan in Aus its pretty much 50/50. the i30 looks like it will grow as well while the i20 will become a getz replacement. And I like the choice.

Matty B

That’s exactly how you gain market share. Making sure no matter which model someone buys, it’s got a Hyundai badge on it.

Lars

Mazda, Peugeot?…..No it’s a new Hyundai!
Sumpguard

Looks very nice.

andronicus

Agreed it looks good….but what is with this poop colour?

Sumpguard

To be honest I actually like the color but each to their own.

fo1

Hate to say it, but it already looks a bit dated from when i first saw it last week lol..

i45 for example, when it was out it looked so different, but now it has aged terribly.. Accord, Camry, Accord Euro have aged better..

JK

All the Japanese Models looks so bland that they can’t age… compared to the Japanese counterpart, the i45 (and most Hyundai vehicles in general) looks much more sleek, modern, and “classic”.

Cherry

Jk ;

Then I suppose you think the PASSAT, S-class, 7 series are all bland? You probably haven’t heard of understated elegance and subtle design.. Timeless designs..

Hyundai are 15min of fame cars, look good and everything at the start, but die out very quickly and become a mess very quickly..

And they’re quite expensive for what they are, hence the utter failure of the i45 etc.. All they have going for them are i30 & Getz which are no frills products..

Ben 10

The only reason that the i45 has ‘failed’ is because it is in the same class as the camry. If you take out the camry, it is actually on par with the likes of Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6

col

This looks so good in that colour, makes me want one.

Yonny

You’re joking, right? That has to be the worst car colour I’ve seen since the late 1970′s.

I wonder if Hyundai are going to come up with a bigger petrol motor for the Oz market – or does this car, along with the new Ford Focus (base model) signal the start of a general round of engine downsizing by various manufacturers?

Mitch

Independent rear suspension in the i30? Mmmmm I thought they were torsion beam

ryan bane

nope, current i30 has fully independant multi-link rear suspension – hence why even near the end of it’s model life, it still has better dynamics than the new Elantra (which is torsion beam)

Old Dog

I was just thinking the other day that there were not enough brown cars on the market. thanks hyundai.
Troy Splann

that looks FANTASTIC, love the colour too!!

hyundai sure have come a loooooong way!
http://www.facebook.com/peter.zaharis Peter Zaharis

When I first saw some of the pics of the new i30 I wasn’t sold. But looking at these now this is looking really good. Really really good. Both inside and out. I sincerely hope the touch screen makes it here. It really adds to the look of the inside making it feel a lot more classy.
Add to that things like the Flex Steer system and Hyundai are lifting the bar once again for cars in their price bracket.
I can’t wait to see what the new i30 wagon looks like.
And can’t help wondering what sort of trade in I could get on my current i30.
http://www.3dtvworld.com.au rob

Hyundai have finally gotten the styling right with a nice balance of european conservative aggression with contemporary asian style. The interior also looks more modern rather then furistic and the over look seems like it will age a lot better than what they have have had recently. The rear design language is a marked improvement over the current designs as well. Also makes me want one over a mazda.
Phil

I agree, this is one of most cohesive Hyundai design to date
NICK

Ding Dong this car is super cool i want won better than a nissan x-trail but not as good as the 200 series

don draper

What has the 200 series got to do with the i30?!?

Mike

Very nice looking car. Am in the market now but will definitely hold off now until this is released.
Jacob

What happened to their LPG-Hybrid car?

It would have been so cheap to run!
Peter Stone

Needs a turbo 1.4 or 1.6, then I’d consider it, otherwise its pretty damn nice
lko

Not a huge fan of the interior.
HJP

Well done Hyundai!
HJP

Well done Hyundai! They improved it a lot!
Μr Gaspo

If I can pick up a top of the range diesel auto for around 30k on the road… Sign me up!
Steve

On looks better than the new focus hatch. Huge achievement. Well done
http://CarAdvice The Salesman

It really looks like Hyundai took the best bits of Mazda (side on front), Volvo (headlights and bonnet) and even new Rio (tail lights) and mashed it into a really good looking car.
Mike

Wish we had specs for Oz. I’m splitting hairs but whats with the 1.6 petrol having 99kW when the new kia rio with the same engine gets 103kw and will be lighter? Also the torque is down on current models. Surely Hyundai wont dowgrade the performance. Great looking car though

Phil

Have you seen some of the acceleration times for the 103KW Rio? It’s been posting slower times than heavier 77KW cars!

Mike

I guess that is because the gear ratios are aimed at fuel efficiency, however 77kW cars are just as good as the rio here. What does this mean for the i30 then if its going to get the same engine?

Vwr32

Hyundai=Lexus.
Kia=toyota
In the near future!
Henry

I think the wont use those engines in the aus model, we might get the 18. petrol like the elantra and the 1.6 diesel witch we already have…Great car though!!!!!
Jeans

Looks similar to volvo s60. But then most of the cars of this company are about the same story.
http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

Interior looks a bit cheap compared with Golf, but otherwise a very cohesive design, very impressive considering the current i30 design!
drbubo

Hyundai took the wrong turn. Good look is not enough. Their cars getting bigger and heavier All the latest releases from Hyundai is under powered and laks low range torque they are unable to work out the best gear ratios even if they use 6. Engine downsizeing works only with small turbos, see Volkwagen. Watch out for slow taking off Hyundais at green light.
Jeff

New one looks good, I’ll bet though it still has that terrible function with the Auto model, when you touch the brake pedal whilst touching the throttle in a forward motion, the vehicle suddenly stops & takes precious seconds to go again. Very dangerous when you are negotiating an intersection or roundabout, although you can touch the brake as much as you like in reverse, it doesn’t stop then! I brake with left foot & have been for thirty odd years, this is the only car I have had this problem with & it is dangerous to say the least. Please Hyundai fix this most dangerous problem with your otherwise wonderful car.
Jeff Irvine.

Mecho

Most modern cars do that, Jeff. It’s not a Hyundai-specific issue, it’s related to the ABS. They’re not designed to be two-footed anymore.

Your car hasn’t got a “most dangerous” problem, as isn’t malfunctioning specifically.