2009 Hyundai i30 Review & Road Test
March 12, 2009 by Alborz Fallah
2009 Hyundai i30 Review & Road Test – why you should buy one
I am not one who is all that fussed about everyday cars, I’d much prefer to drive around in an M3 convertible than an A to B car. However once in a while one of those everyday cars begins to make a lot of sense.
About five years ago, I remember telling anyone who asked me about cars, to avoid buying a Hyundai. Cheap and cheerful – another way of saying cheap and dreadful.
Sometimes it’s hard to break out of your image mould. Companies such as Hyundai, Kia, Volvo and even to some extent, BMW and Mercedes-Benz suffer from a negative brand image.
On the one hand you’ve got car companies that suffer from a poor reliability image, and they range from Kia to Alfa Romeo.
On the other hand you’ve got car companies that make brilliant cars, but owners are generalised as being, as James May would say, ‘cocks’. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are prime examples.
There is no denying that brand persona takes a good deal of time to change. Volvo has suffered from its boring, old-men-in-hats stigma for decades.
So much so that in Swedish, there is an actual saying which politely translates to – ‘another old idiot in a Volvo’. This is a shame as Volvo has been building a variety of brilliant cars for some time now.
Think about it, if you were going to spend $50,000 on a European small-medium car, would you rather a German badge or a Volvo badge that comes with ‘The Stigma’? Even if the Volvo was the better car.
Unfortunately in our brand conscious world, some would rather go with less features just to have the seemingly better brand.
Cars are similar to clothes in some ways. Designer shirts that cost upwards of $300 do pretty much the same job as a shirt from Target for $20, but many of us are still happily pay the $300.
It all comes down to marketing and building a reputation. This is why, then, that I’ve decided to discuss Hyundai and more specifically, the i30 automatic diesel.
There has not been another car from a Korean manufacturer that has received so much praise worldwide. The Hyundai i30 is the sort of car you’d expect from the Japanese. It’s very likely that if you replaced the Hyundai badge with a Mazda or Honda one, not many would pick it and sales would undoubtedly increase.
In January of 2009, the Hyundai i30 sold 975, during the same period Toyota Corolla sold 2763, Mazda3 sold 3124, Ford found 1346 new Focus buyers, Honda managed 1216 sales with the Civic and even Volkswagen sold 992 Golfs.
To put that into perspective, the i30 outsold the Holden Astra (which is now nearing five years old), by just two cars.
What’s wrong with this picture? Here you’ve got possibly the best car in its class. It has won numerous awards, been heavily promoted Australia wide, has the best warranty of any of the cars listed, yet, it’s not making a significant impact?
Is it ugly? No. Is it lacking features? No. Is it the price? No. Nothing you can throw at the i30 would tell you why it’s not selling, except, the brand name.
Hyundai is an interesting brand. So much so that many analysts are predicting the Korean company to be the next Toyota in due course. Not that Toyota plans to give up the throne easily.
In Australia, Hyundai still suffers from a negative brand persona. Out of the 16,628 people who bought a small car (under $40,000) in January this year, only 7.3 per cent decided on the Hyundai (including 240 Elantras).
My aim is to tell you why the i30 alone should be near the 10 per cent mark. Firstly, I need you to forget the Hyundai badge. If you have badge prejudice, just try a mental exercise and block it out for the remainder of this article.
Let’s pretend for one minute that you had a choice between the i30, Corolla, Focus, Mazda3 and Astra. No brands, No badges. Not only does the i30 have the longest list of standard features, but it’s available in diesel, with automatic or manual transmission, has one of the best warranties in its class (second only to Mitsubishi) and has been repeatedly shown to outdo its competition in all other ways by a variety of publications and reviewers.
Remember when you were a kid and you had to buy those Nike or Adidas shoes. The Reeboks just wouldn’t cut it! Sure they were more comfortable and cheaper and would’ve probably lasted longer too, but you didn’t want to walk around in Reeboks.
Well guess what? You’re not a kid any more. Allowing brand prejudice to be a factor in your decision making is somewhat childish. Now I am not saying everyone should stop buying cars over $20, 000, but what I am saying is if you’ve got your budget set and you’d rather get less instead of more just because of a badge, it’s time to have a think!
I know what you’re thinking. You are worried your friends and family are going to ask you why you bought a Hyundai? Tell them, because it’s the best in its class, has the most features, uses the least amount of fuel, has won every award in its segment and drives and handles competently.
Let’s stop for one second. The i30 diesel with manual gearbox uses 4.7 litres of diesel per 100km (6.0L/100km for the auto), do I have to keep going? The only car in its price bracket that can match that is the upcoming Toyota Prius! That car will be around $10,000 more.
I sat inside the i30, plugged in my USB stick, adjusted the stereo and driving position, and for the entire week, I travelled more than 650km on the one single tank – and there was still some fuel left when I handed it back.
If you’re thinking the Mazda3 diesel can match it, think again. Sure, it does 6.0L/100km as well but that’s in manual! The Mazda3 diesel is not available in auto.
I am not going to keep telling you why the i30 is a great car. We have reviewed the car numerous times:
- 2008 Hyundai i30 CRDi Auto First Steer
- 2008 Hyundai i30 Comparo – Petrol vs. Diesel
- 2008 Hyundai i30 SLX Review
- 2008 Hyundai i30 First Steer
What I am going to tell you is why it’s so important, especially in these trying times, we must be able to overcome what I like to call “brand-ego”.
If you’re looking at buying a similar car to the i30, it will do you a world of good to summon the courage to visit a Hyundai dealer. In fact you should read a review on every car you’re interested in, all it’s rivals and then go out and drive every single one of them before making a choice.
Even if you don’t end up buying an i30, at least you can be more satisfied with your purchase of another car. Ignorance may be bliss for some time, but it’s not a form of satisfaction.
As I said some time ago when I reviewed the Volkswagen Eos, giving praise to a car is significantly more difficult than giving criticism.
Sure, the i30 has its faults. Some don’t like the rear, some don’t like the heavy steering, some find the seats a little uncomfortable, but, as a package, the little Hyundai is hard to beat.
The reason I am writing this story is because in the week that I had the i30 diesel two friends who had recently bought two of the other cars already mentioned, were taken for a drive in the Hyundai and were a little surprised by the i30 package.
To save face they both still held on to the “well, at least mine’s Japanese” mentality, but I could tell, deep inside, they were wondering if they’d made the wrong choice. You don’t have to wonder, just go and test drive one.
Print it: 
Simon said – “Your ignorance beggars belief! If you can’t tell the difference between a kia and a hyundai, your comments and opinions are obviously invalid.”
Oh, I knew what I was driving (Getz, if you really have to know). I said it that way to express the lack of excitement and passion in that vehicle, but also the cheapness, low quality and lack of class as well. I guess it took me from a to b. But not much else.
u realise that he is referring to the i30 which is a very very different car to the getz if you think that they are both in the same league than your stupider than you though
Simon said – “But how many other $15000 cars (new) that are over 10 years old do you see on the road?”
I see plenty. Most don’t even have rust yet, for which same can’t be said about the Xcel. Not to mention that they’re falling apart.
But it isn’t best in class is it? That would be the Focus. Why does the Focus get so overlooked in Australia? It has good build quality, good reliability, it’s great fun and it’s about as cheap as the rest. It’s no beauty but it is a great car.
Alex, What makes the Focus best in class??
Got to say, the i30 looks like a decent package, and quite a few of my mates are thinking of getting one..
Nice work Alborz…but people who suffer from brand-prejudice, will not have read this article….! because this article’s title says “Hyundai i30 Review”.
Instead, CarAdvice.com.au should do a comparison review: Corolla v i30 v Swift v Focus. So those thinking of buying a Corolla can see how good the i30 really is!
No doubt this is a great car, and Hyundai should be credited for advancing as much as they have. However, there is something about the i30 that screams derivative. It’s the thing about most Asian brands; when they employ some Europeans in their design studios they can really be on the ball in terms of styling, but left to their own devices they produce designs that could only be described as ridiculous (take a tour through Tokyo and Seoul if you don’t believe me). So whilst the i30 is not a bad looking car, it’s hardly ground-breaking, and if you look at some Hyundai models available only in the Asian markets you will soon see where this brand’s soul (pardon the pun) really is.
Frontman said/ “I laughed when a print magazine bagged a Daewoo’s 2.2l 4cyl yet waxed lyrically about the same motor in a Vectra, Same motor built on the same line in Australia using same ECU & gearbox somehow deteriorated between Melbourne & Ulsan?”
That’s really good point..Well done…
Do you guys know that Daewoo cars have induced much fewer warranty claims than Holden cars such as Commodore?
That means Aussie made car is even worse than Daewoo in terms of quality…I will never buy Holden car..They are rubbish!!
Just out of curiosity, if the i30 shares the same platform as the Elantra then why isn’t the Elantra winning all these awards as the i30?
Alborz, I thought the base model had side/curtain airbags. However, that could be ordered.
Having no cruise control really affected me. It can only be added as \’after-market\’ dealer fitted option (not the original factory fitted). But I am talking about Petrol models SX.
Other than that, i30 was great to drive, and even my 4 y.o daughter appreciated nice ride!!
Simon/ Because it has soft suspension…Most motor journalists hates soft suspension but I hate firm suspension. That is, I prefer comfortable ride over good handling..
In don’t judge brands, I either like a car or I don’t. I like this car. I like Renaults. I think I needn’t have to say more.
G’day!
These are all very interesting comments I have been reading.
I am an ex Motor Mechanic. At my apprentice time, work was mainly on diesel powered trucks, farming machinery and fishing trawlers. After finishing my greasy apprenticeship in a small coutry town on the North Sea coast in Germany.
I worked for several GM dealers around Germany, Switzerland and Australia. I have been a GM men ever since and driven GM vehicles for 52 years.
A couple of months ago I purchased a new Hyundai i30 SX.CRDI.( After testing several other diesels in this class and more expensive) The i30 got my vote.
I am no GM men anymore. I must say I have fallen in love with this vehicle.
I have to congratulate the Koreans; they are on a winner here.
The only problem I have found with the i30 is that the front passenger seat is very uncomfortable, there is no lumber support and the seat is too hard. My Wife and I travel quite long distances too and from Work and it is becomming quite a problem.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Thanks for the reviews and comments. ended up buying the i30 for my wife and she absolutely loves it. this is a great car and value for money
I was like many with the typical Australian brand prejudice. Fortunately I had a look at the i30 (manual slx) as a means of comparison as I was thinking of buying one of the competitor cars. For me the i30 seems to be a really well thought out car. The list of features is longer than any of its competitors covering the most important categories like safety, value and economy, however what I liked most about the car was the little things once inside. The display looks great, the chilled glove box is a really cool feature (no pun intended) and the storage compartments are really convenient. Furthermore the ipod conectivity tucked neatly away in the centre console and the fully adjustable steering wheel are features that not abailable without paying a chunk more.
Needless to say I chose the i30, ordered it yesterday, now I’m waiting to find out availability so I can get my hands on my new car.
Hi to you all,
I have read all the reviws and customers’/peoples’s comments on the automatic Hyundai i30 SX CRDI.
Yesterday I took a test drive on this vehicle and was very impressed.
The final advice that convinced me was the comments from the KAYAL above, an experienced diesel mechanic.
I literally said to to salesman: “I want what KAYAL has bought” for my wife.
Great reviews by your writers/reviewers!
I literally had to shake off my “badge ego”.
Hi,
I want to make a correction.
The diesel mechanic’s name referred to should have read KAYAK, not KAYAL.
My apologies.
We did exactly what Alborz suggested. Last year when looking for a small/medium automatic for the wife we tested all of the cars we could think of in the class. Initially my wife liked the look of the Lancer but after driving it we weren’t impressed. Other cars that we looked at were Focus, Astra, Civic, Corolla and others. we bought the diesel SLX i30 as it stood out above all the others for value and features. I always hated Hyundai but the i30 has definately changed my opinion.
is the negative brand image of hyundai cars going to impact on the resale value of the i30 when it is 3 years old?
^ Is that a rhetorical question?
I bought a Hyundai i30 SLX Manual Diesel what a brilliant little car “all it took was for myself to get over wanting a large car or ute” The i30 is smooth quite goes well and unreal on fuel saving over 2.5 X the cost of my previous Vehicle. This car continues to convince myself I have made the right decision and car choice.
yes hal
As good as this i30 is, for mine the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportsback gives you superior Japanese built quality, more car etc for hardly any more coin.
Forgot all about the Lancer!
Cheers
F-0
Advertorial on the i30?
I took possession of my i30 SX AUTOMATIC a week ago and so far I’m very happy with my choice. I bought it in WHITE with tinted windows, headlight protectors and mudflaps as extras, so with the black handles on the SX it looks very smart, simple and well designed. I found the black carpet showed up specks and leaf litter big time, so I’ve already invested in four universal-fit rubber mats which improve the look at floor level. The engine is very quiet and the ride very smooth. I particularly like the way the windscreen wipers tuck away out of view. At this early stage my only complaint is the outsize key/transmitter which seems to have been designed by someone who is oblivious to the fact that I also have to carry a batch of other keys to get through life.
i thought the flip-out key design was really cool…
test drive i30 manual CRDi…..best car in it’s class! put prius to shame!
The i30 and Kia Ceed is basically the same car underneath the body work. The Ceed looks like a ten year old model which has been put together with no thought for style and using spare parts left over from another model. ItS obvious Hyundai have used a design company to give the i30 a superior appearance. I think the i30 looks better than a Focus.
My young lady needed a car to replace her aging Fiesta and after testing driving the i30 we decided it was the car for us. The build quality is excellent and the standard spec is amazing. We went for the 1.4 comfort on the scrappage scheme and with the saving we made it enabled us to replace our second car.
We looked at City Cars and the one that came out top for price, space, spec and design was the i10. Forget the name you can’t go wrong with Hyundai. On the scrappage scheme you can buy two cars for the price of one. Two of our friends have ordered i10’s.