Hyundai i30cw wagon – 1012 kilometres on a single tank
September 13, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
Family holidays travelling in your own family chariot, have never been as cheap as they are in Hyundai’s new i30cw CRDi wagon.
Fancy being able to drive a mid-size wagon more than 1012 kilometres on a single tank of diesel, and in thoroughly real world conditions?
By real world, I mean no over inflated tyres, two robust adult passengers with plenty of luggage and supplies, liberal use of air-conditioning at all times, plenty of stop-start traffic, and maximum legal speeds throughout the entire journey from Sydney to Brisbane and then some.
While there’s no denying that we definitely thought about using those tricks of the trade, which help to achieve those much publicised and impossible distances on one tank of fuel, but we felt that would be meaningless to the average driver, so in the end, we chose to drive the car in the same conditions as anybody else would.
I suppose the only liberty we did take with this super economy challenge, was leaving the house at around 5.30am on Friday, to beat the peak hour out of Sydney, but that’s an option any driver may wish to exercise.
It’s a long drive from Sydney to Brisbane in anything but a Rolls Royce Phantom with the DVD screen in full high definition mode, the audio system on surround, and the chauffeur doing the driving.
But in a base model, manual transmission wagon, you could be excused for feeling a little down given the distance of the trip, unless of course it had an i30cw badge on the rear tailgate.
Hyundai’s i30 hatch was a runaway success from the moment the car was launched, although the real sales momentum kicked in when the motoring press unanimously stated that this was a seriously good package with superior materials and build quality to rival anything from Japan in this small car segment.
Then the word of mouth advertising machine fired up, with i30 drivers raving to family and friends how good the car was to drive, and the Korean juggernaut has never looked back.
The sales figures now speak for themselves, with Hyundai selling more than 2000 i30’s in August, and a total of 5980 cars for the month.
We stopped in at the Hyundai dealership in Coffs Harbour, and the manager said to us that the only thing slowing sales down is supply as dealers just can’t get enough vehicles.
The i30cw Wagon is simply more of a good thing, especially the diesel powered CRDi version, and especially at $23,390, which is the manufacturer list price.
It might be the base model diesel in the range, but you won’t want for anything except perhaps cruise control. That said it wouldn’t be at all helpful on the Pacific Highway, as you attempt to run the gauntlet of an impossible number of different speed signs that confront drivers on this woeful excuse for a highway.
The iPod connectivity, which allows you to control your music through what can only be described as a premium sound system, is a welcome addition on a journey such as this, although you will need to buy the special cable ($75) that connects the two media players, not much to ask really.
Sadly you don’t get remote audio function on the steering wheel, which would be nice, but for a base model I’m not complaining, just wishful thinking.
Another item in the i30 package that deserves considerable praise is the seat comfort, especially the front row pews.
It’s most unusual for a vehicle within this segment to have seating that provides this degree of side bolster and general all round comfort. The seat trim is also a quality yet durable fabric that wouldn’t feel out of place in cars costing twice this price.
It was pitch black and raining as we made our way towards the Sydney to Newcastle freeway, but not before we topped up the fuel tank and reset the trip meter in readiness for our non-stop, Sydney to Brisbane challenge.
I drew the first driving stint, but it was agreed that we would adhere to the obligatory two hour shifts, and with enough home made food and beverage supplies on board we wouldn’t need to spend more than a few minutes at each driver change point.
Its been a while since either Alborz Fallah or I have behind the wheel of an i30 CRDi, but the one thing that impresses you the moment you stab the throttle, is the immediate punch this diminutive 1.6-litre diesel engine delivers.
You can hear that ever so faint whistle from the turbocharger with the slightest of throttle inputs, but turbo lag is not something you need to worry about in any variant of the i30 diesel range.
What impresses most is how well this i30cw wagon pulls from such low revs in any of its five forward gear ratios, with third gear providing rapid in-gear acceleration, even on a steep incline.
On the highway between Sydney and Newcastle you could pretty much cruise in fifth gear for the entire leg, with the exception of a couple of long gradual climbs near Gosford that may require a shift down to fourth if you don’t have quite the revs up.
After a couple of hours behind the wheel, we both agreed that the i30 could benefit with a sixth gear ratio, purely for highway mode with an eye towards even greater fuel economy, but again, manufacturers can’t afford give you all the goodies in their base model cars.
Windows up, and air-conditioning on, and you can’t tell there’s a diesel under the bonnet, which makes for a more comfortable trip and frankly you’d be mad not to buy the diesel over the petrol powered variant.
Plenty of room too as this is a mid-size wagon, in every sense of the word. While there’s lots of legroom, and ample width between passengers, it’s the extra headroom that will please the taller folks among us. That became evident when I hand-washed the car as I couldn’t reach the centre of the roof, such is the height of the roofline.
Alborz made the comment more than once that he thought the ride quality in the i30cw was as good as many higher prices hatches from Europe, and he’s not wrong.
There are some nasty potholes in many sections of the Pacific Highway and not once did we ever feel any jarring through the chassis, the car just absorbs these bumps without any fuss whatsoever.
Not only that, the i30 is a fun car to drive, with well weighted steering, which is more on the sporty side, and little if any body roll into corners.
This was an economy challenge in real world conditions all right but we were nonetheless careful not to get too enthusiastic with the right pedal and quite happy to sit on the more common 100km/h speed limit, despite being continually passed by other drivers.
Naturally, we were both eye-balling the fuel gauge continuously, as it seemed to take forever for the needle to finally move off the full bar.
In fact, we had travelled just on 197 kilometres before the needle shifted, which we were both more than pleased with considering we were travelling at the legal limit at all times.
There’s something quite refreshing about travelling within the legal speeds, you never have to watch out for police cars, and we saw plenty of those on our way up north.
Although we had left at the crack of dawn hoping to make good headway all the way to Brisbane there is simply no escaping the extensive road works that had us moving at Sydney peak hour pace over many, many kilometres.
We made Coffs Harbour in good time though, as this is close enough to the half way mark, with more than half a tank of fuel remaining, so things were looking good, so far.
Problem is, you never want the needle to fall below half way point, as from there, it always seems to fall quicker than the first half.
Time wise, it looked as if we might make Brisbane at around 4.30pm although that would put us right in the middle of the Brisbane peak hour, which is every bit as bad as Sydney.
True enough, we drove past the turn off to my parents place at Terranora, just before Tweed Heads, with a quarter of a tank of diesel remaining and only 120 kilometres to go.
Sydney to Brisbane in the i30cw, was going to be a walk in the park, but what worried me, was that I then had to drive back to Tweed Heads after dinner.
We all know how the fuel gauge has a habit of dropping to empty in double quick time from the quarter full mark.
Alborz wasn’t too worried about my fate, he would be safe and sound at home, while I might be in harms way on the side of the freeway emptying our 4.1 litres of emergency diesel in the car, which I was hoping to avoid at all costs.
We hit Brisbane with 900 kilometres on the clock, and the fuel gauge was sitting between a quarter and empty, but we still had more than a few kilometres to go in peak hour, before we arrived at Alborz’s place.
Its now 11.30pm and the needle is sitting below empty, with another 56 kilometres to go and I’m now switching to extreme measures to ensure that I clock over our goal of 1000kms on one tank of diesel.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few long descents going south on this freeway, so I’ve resorted to driving at 80 just in case I wasn’t going to make it.
Nearly there, but with all the drama and focus to achieve the magic number, I have missed the shot of 1000kms on the trip metre, it has rolled over and gone back to zero.
For a minute, I panicked and uttered quite a few expletives as I think to myself, how will I prove it, will they believe me?
I head up my folk’s driveway having travelled a distance of 1012 kilometres on a single tank of diesel, in ninety-nine percent real world conditions, with more left in the tank.
I hadn’t had to use the emergency supply, but in the end, we achieved what we set out to do, so I poured the 4.1 litres into the car anyway.
Perhaps, the i30cw would have gone another 20 or so kilometres, but then again, perhaps not.
To drive 1012 kilometres in a what is a good size family wagon, with two adults, loads of luggage, and at the legal speed limit with all accessories blazing away, says a lot for diesel power.
IT says even more for the i30cw as a quality package for a bargain basement price, and what must be considered a worthy class leader.
Alborz:
To add to Anthony’s words, the car used about 55 litres of diesel to achieve the run, a little more than perhaps we were expecting, nonetheless, this was a real world test and we did everything we could to make it so, at least until Anthony started to panic with a few kilometres to go.
When I was behind the wheel, there was no coasting, taking it easy or babying it. I had no hesitation to drop to fourth or even third for hills or around bends.
As a car, the i30cw base model could really do with the trip computer, I can’t suspect it would cost much more to add it in. Then again, I suppose for such a low starting price you can’t expect that much.
During the whole trip, the music ran through my iPhone (controlled and managed entirely on the phone) and not only did that mean I didn’t need a phone charger but it also stopped the pain of having to listens to Anthony’s outdated garbage.
The i30cw has won enough awards now that it doesn’t need anymore praise, but really, for a car this cheap to be able to make it from Sydney to Brisbane on one tank and then have some spare, is quite an achievement.
Yes, 1000+km in a diesel is nothing new, infact it should be expected and you can compare it all you want to European cars, but please, find me a European diesel with all the practicality, comfort, safety and standard equipment of the i30cw in this price range?
Tags: Hyundai i30cw, Hyundai i30cw wagon
Wow, I need to get one of these little guys!
That is impressive. I am stunned.
Hyundai will go a long way with this car.
A fuel economy story without once mentioning the actual fuel economy figure. Not to mention that 1000km of highway driving from a single tank in almost any modern turbodiesel is to be entirely expected. Maybe just fly next time.
~55 litres
1012km
that’s about 5.43 l/100km
I was under the impression that engines used no fuel coasting down a hill in gear with no throttle, but use fuel in neutral..
they use fuel in both situations but less while in neutral as they dont have to burn fuel to keep the gear moving at a steady rate of RPM
LOL…NO.
If the vehicle is in gear and coasting, it is using 0 fuel. The vehicle is moving on its own due to pre-built momentum and the friction of the road is causing the driveline to function without any fuel.
In neutral, the engine is detached from the wheels by virtue of the clutch and requires fuel to keep the engine turned over.
nah Sorry cheyney, but Shak is right. fuel will keep being sucked into the engine while it is coasting downhill.
If you’ve ever had a fuelling problem, and had fuel cut while you’re coasting, then you’ll know the feeling of when there isn’t fuel going in (as happened on my motorbike on the weekend). It’s no longer coasting, its coming to a stop much more quickly than that. chug-chug-chug-chug-stop. LOL.
haha, nope, Cheyney is correct. In gear, the car doesn’t need any fuel to keep the
engine turning over as gravity does its job. In neutral it has to supply enough fuel for the motor to idle, so it uses more. Not to mention that coasting in neutral down hill is dangerous as you have no engine braking and put additional loading on your brakes. (I should have explained this to the tarago driver I followed down mount tamborine last sunday who stopped at the bottom of the hill with smoke pouring from all four brakes!)
In my Jetta TDI while coasting in-gear, the trip computer reports 0.0L/100km instantaneous fuel consumption. While coasting in neutral, it reports 0.8 to 1.2L/100km (just tried it this morning).
i hate to admit it, but I was wrong. I just did a little research and found out that modern fuel injection does cut fuel on overrun. Cutting fuel also stops backfires which occur in older carby cars (and intentionally with turbo anti-lag systems).
Doesn’t coasting in neutral use fuel? Modern injection systems shut off the fuel supply when coasting in gear.
Have to say, though, its a good little wagon.
Yes coasting in neutral still pumps fuel through, coasting in gear doesn’t. As Philthy said in laymans terms, gravity keeps the engine cranking over witrhout fuel, once you touch the accelerator again, the fuel begins pumping through again.
So how many litres did you use?
Correct, the vast majority of modern engines don’t burn fuel on over-run and haven’t for years. Even many older mechanical injection diesels would cut fuel on over-run. So Anthony, you actually did yourself a dis-service by putting it neutral and coasting, not to mention how much more dangerous that practice is! I also think the “this car went XXXX km on a tank” is misleading WRT economy. For example, 1000km from a 50L tank is more impressive than from a 90L tank. Sure, distance on a tank is good for planning purposes etc, however it is not really an indication of how economical a vehicle is without mentioning the size of the fuel tank, a fact that was not mentioned once in the final article. I know of Landcruiser Diesels for eg that can get over 1000km on a tank, however that ‘tank’ can add up to over 130-140L! Just my opinion! :-)
Ok so a quick google search told me that the capacity of the fuel tank vehicle above is 53 litres. If the tank had one litre left, that would make it 5.13 litres per 100km. Its all a bit ordinary……
Yep, 5.13L/100km is nothing special. I did 4.9L/100km on the same route over the last Christmas break in a Jetta TDI with two adults and a boot packed to almost overflowing. The Jetta is heavier, larger, more powerful and faster than the i30cw.
Don’t forget MUCH more expensive!!!!!!!!!
the jetta cost 15k~20k more?
Yep, the Jetta is quite a bit more expensive, no argument there. I was just pointing out that the i30 diesel economy was nothing groundbreaking, and maybe even a little disappointing when compared to a heavier 2.0L Jetta (with an “old-tech” Pumpe Duse unit injector TDI engine, no less).
That said, I think for the money the Hyundai is great value.
Didn’t the Peugeot 307 do this 3 years ago…
Big deal!You still arrive at your destination in a Hyundai!
Your point being…
MY point being,there are cars out there that drive and look better and achieve a comparable if not better litres/km.The IC30wagon looks woeful in my opinion.
Capish!?!
I completely agree. The i30 is obviously a great car, but I am so sick of everybody pretending that it’s the best car ever. It is true to say that there are better looking, better quality cars with better fuel economy that also fit four people comfortably if not more so for the same, less, or slightly more money depending on what you get.
As for arriving somewhere in a Hyundai? Well of course it’s still a slightly embarrassing brand to own! They may make good cars these days, but that doesn’t give them any prestige or heritage. Kia, Suzuki, Vauxhall, Subaru, Skoda, Seat and any number of other brands make great cars too and I wouldn’t want to arrive in one of them either.
Anybody who replies with “Your point being…” to a quip about arriving somewhere in a Hyundai obviously has no concept of class.
I think the whole point about the I30 diesel is value for money with respect to both initial outlay and ongoing costs.
Find me another small diesel passenger car that does as well for such a pittance.
“any number of other brands make great cars too and I wouldn’t want to arrive in one of them either”
Get over yourself! If you are that focused in what other people think of you and what you drive, you need to get a life!
Baddass, I may need to get over myself but that doesn’t make what I wrote any less true. Besides, I’m not focussed on what people think of what I drive. If I was, I wouldn’t drive what is basically one of the world’s most hated cars right now.
Hyundai is an embarrassing brand to own?
good grief
Gee there are some shallow people who post on this site!
What a snob!!!
most cars makers start from nothing… learning along the way… i
think Hyundai has come a long way and in a v short time….just to be fair that’s a great achievement
i would say some car makers still haven’t learn… e.g. small car Holden barina using 10L per 100K…
just curious wat car wd Alex arrive in?
I’m sure my Golf TDI could return the same or better and I have more torque and acceleration when I want it.
Still quite commendable
Carfanatic, the best I’ve had from my TDi is 1021 kilometres. That was Perth-Albany-Perth (880kms) with the rest made up of metro.
Sweet
Although not apples and apples, my 125KW (350Nm) Passat TDI has done 1190 Kms (70L tank).
I achieved this on a highway run but with no consideration for driving efficiently, traveling at posted speeds (+/- 10%) including lots of 110km zones. Air con on and full of tools.
That’s equivalent to 5.88L/100ks or better (tank was very light on but not empty).
Not bad considering the weight and power/torque.
The next gen VW TDIs will be even better!
Now if they could only get rid of the turbo lag…….
“Yadda yadda yadda”
Yes I know – many will be thinking “morons with no life” when people speak about efficiency. The best thing about modern oilers is they can work so efficiently and still be fun to drive.
Find a curvy mountainous road and watch me grin, especially when pushing on boost.
The bucket load of torque just causes the car to surge, all without ringing it’s neck. It’s never going to be on par with a petrol turbo, but the trade off is acceptable given how infrequently you visit the servo.
Absolutely, my Golf holds the road nicely, can’t wait to put Michelins on so I can push it a little more on the corners
I want to buy a diesel i30 CW SLX manual. Hyundai makes a diesel i30 CW SX manual but not an SLX. Why not?
Same here. I would buy a manual i30 cw SLX diesel immediately. I am only considering alternatives because this particular specification is not available.
My VW,My Peugeot, My My My My.
The I30 CW rides on 2700mm of wheelbase, providing enough room for Four 185cm+ adults for under $25000.
The best part of all; I can pull up anywhere without attracting comment from people I would never associate with.
Never associate with? I hate to think where you live if you have people around you would never associate with!
What’s that meant to mean? I think you’ll find that Golf drivers would normally keep to themselves, as with Peugeot drivers. I’ve actually seen two i30 owners conversing about value for money in a car park in Adelaide. Is that who you want to associate with?
You will know the difference between the Hyundai and a VW/Peugeot when it has a 150,000+ on the clock. Give me euro engineering any day!!
Euro engineering is great, but I will never buy another VW again. It’s built very poorly. I guess their quality control is lacking, and they aren’t as anal as Toyota or Lexus or even dare I say, Hyundai nowadays. VW diesels, in my experience are quite unrefined too, and have significant turbo lag which was disconcerting.
Which incarnation of the Golf did you have, Mk 1, 2,3,4 or 5. I’m pretty sure you aren’t talking about Mk6.
wait till u need to change the timing belt for a PUG.. and the high maintenance cost associated with euro engineering
I haven’t heard VW and Peugeot make reliable cars. In the US, VW are usually regarded as problem boxes with expensive maintenance. If you wanna talk about reliability you’d better to talk Japanese engineering. I think Hyundai is more reliable than VW.
After 150,000km I’d be putting my money on the current Hyundais. I know that about 4 years ago Hyundai benchmarked Toyota for engineering quality and reliability (not the same thing as the quality smell of the leather, I know).
It appears they’ve achieved their benchmark.
If what people here are writing is true and this car used 5.13 litres per 100kms on this journey, then the Peugeot 308 has already trounced that. The Peugeot 308 holds the economy record. On a journey like this, the 308 beat this i30 by two litres per 100kms. That’s significant. Especially considering that the 308’s a much better car than this. The 308 still has a big boot, it has a better looking and better quality interior and much more style. Not much more initial outlay either.
The i30 is a great car, but once you start pitting it against the competitors it doesn’t always add up.
I bet the economy record that you speak of was not done with the air on or at 110KPH……..the i30 hatch used 3.9 Litres per 100 K’s on an economy drive from Adelaide to Sydney a couple of years back!!!!
Along with a Sportage and Sorento diesels.
Devil,
You beat me to every single word I had on the tip of my tongue.
A vehicle out of gear is dangerous,
A vehicle out of gear actually uses more fuel,
And no mention of the fuel tank size or even a L/100k reference makes the write up totally incomplete.
If as others say the size is 53L, then this achieved nothing really flash, well certainly not ground breaking.
The only area where Hyundai deserve a wrap is for offering great value motoring, nothing more IMO.
And anyway, what you save on initial purchase you lose many times over with Hyundais terrible resale.
I was honestly disappointed with my “meeting” with the i30 when shopping around, and I personally think it is over hyped
Alborz, looks like you could do with some coffee mate!
Oh yeah!
“You will know the difference between the Hyundai and a VW/Peugeot when it has a 150,000+ on the clock. Give me euro engineering any day!!”
150,000km from a Peugeot? Only if the eletrics don’t screw up and set the car on fire. Peugeots aren’t exactly known for their dependability and reliability. I’d trust an i30 over an equivalent Peugeot HDi anyday.
definitely know the difference after 150k…or maybe 50k……or 30k…i’ll stick to Jappo or Korean make… no worries… :D
This year Hyundai-Kia has overtook Ford and has become no.4 selling car maker in the world. Plus, in Australia, last month Hyundai became no.4 biggest seller just after Toyota, Holden and Ford. It means lots of people already own or are interested in buying them. Therefore, I think nothing wrong with CA talking about products that many people want to know and buy. Some people might think car blogs should deal with fabulous performing cars for motor enthusiasts, otherwise it’s boring. However, also there are tons of people who wanna have something economical and reliable rather than fun to drive. As a Toyota owner who values practical cars, this review is very informative and not boring at all.
Hyundai is not only cheaper but also has better warranty then the others.
Ive owned my i30 SLX CRDI for just over 6 months and done over 10,000 kms. Traded ‘down’ from a VW Caddy.
The i30 has great showroom instant appeal. Though it has been reliable, its nothing special. The quality of the plastics – apart from the dash top and facia are unfortunately very hard, brittle and cheap – and already showing signs of wear!
Also one major flaw with the SLX – the steering is lumpy & nowhere near as good as the basic SX that I test drove (the dealer had no SLX models for a test drive). The dealer later admitted that this was due to the larger wheels & tyres on the SLX.
In summary, though im happy with my purchase, Spending an extra 5k or so on a Golf wouldve been well worth every cent….
wtf did you not let it rev over 2000 rpm?
Well, my low fuel light came in on my i30 hatch last night, at 1071km (I saw it come on as I glanced down at the speedo). Filled it up a few km later, for a consumption figure of 5.07 L/100km. I didnt baby it at all, have driven a mixture of highway & town running, and have had some quite spirited driving around the streets :)
This time last year, coming back from Qld down the Newell from a fillup at Goondiwindi, I got almost to the Victorian border & chicked out due to the distance to the next bowser, and the (ahem) excessive speed that I had done in the first section of freeway, otherwise I would have easily crossed the entire state of NSW without a refill :)
And I must mention that I an now up to 42,000km in it, without a single niggle apart from the tyre wear on the front – but now I’ve replaced the Hankooks with decent Michelin’s, the grip/handling is even better!
Michelins are great, putting them on my golf when the Goodyears wear down. Also in regard to the PUG’s. The diesels are very strong, but I would touch their petrol cars for quids, nothing but problems and as I’ve said before, the Rental car company I worked for in the UK dropped Citroen and Peugeot after only three months. The Mark 4 Golfs were okay but the Mark 5’s were much better, so people bagging out the VW should stop looking at past vehicles.
OH and I would buy a Hyundai i30 Diesel, especially if they brought out a torquier 2.0. This is one reason I opted for the Golf, loads of pull.
Alex, you may think that Hyundai is a slightly embarrasing brand of car to be seen in. However, not everyone can afford the Range Rover you drive (based on your comments in the 2010 RR Vogue review).
Did you guys deliberately put all that dust everywhere?
Oh, and I wonder who used the on camera flash with a wide angle lens :)
Most of the cars’ speedometer/odometer are up to 10% optimistic. The fuel consumption figure could be up to 10% too good. Use a GPS to track the distance.
BTW, I did Adelaide to Melbourne with less than a tank in an auto Camry (less than 7L/100km). 1012km and 55 litres (5.43 L/100km) in a small car with a small diesel motor and manual transmission isn’t bad at all.
i30 SLX HATCH (not wagon) CRDi Manual owner, 10months old 36,000km on the clock (I drive a bit)
I’ve found that the odo in the i30 is out by about 50m per 5km (using the highway odo check) so if you want to be precise that means it was 10.12km less which still equates to 1002.5km, so for those trying to find technicalities that’s out.
I’ve found to the very top of the neck of the tank = 60lts as most I’ve fitted in was 58.3lt’s, and I didn’t push it to the servo ;-)
Best I’ve done so far from a tank was 1226km (1214km adjusted) giving 4.6l/100km (according to the car trip meter, can’t remember the maths I did) driving from the Avalon airshow (west of Melbourne) in March this year to Newcastle, which gave about 1100km the rest was city driving in Newcastle. Detrimental to these figures were: My girlfriends nanna bladder requiring a stop every hr or so, roadworks on the Hume, air con on for most of the trip, traffic and a weeks worth of luggage for 2 adults plus shopping my GF had done in Melbourne. Without these I would have been in the low 4’s
These figures show about 5.5l/100km which isn’t bad for the wagon version considering it’s heavier plus the constant use of a/c.
My only question is why the need to drop a gear up hills? I drive up and down the F3 and never have to drop out of 5th…….
In terms of driving for economy I hope you didn’t take it much over 2750rpm, there’s no point, that’s when peak torque ends. 3k is the max you ever really need to take the engine to with the exception of giving the engine a stretch/clean the lungs out.
I’m not saying you guys have/do or will, but some reviewers seem to think that you need to rev the engine to 4-5k, aka they have no idea how to drive a diesel.
Out of curiosity how far did you drive after the low fuel light came on?
I’ll be driving from Newcastle to Townsville and back at the end of the month for the airshow up there, hoping to get low 4’s.
Also there are owners who have chip tuned their hatches (don’t know about wagons) to get over 1400km per tank. I haven’t because I’m to worried about voiding warranties and insurance.
All in all there’s no point comparing the i30 to cars 5-15k more saying this is so much better than an i30. Go figure, the i30 gives an awesome package in all of it’s spec levels for the price that’s charged.
Of vourse I do have gripes for Hyundai AUS, everybody has them for every brand and these are more just in general not for me personally (so please don’t use this to attack me), most of them if fixed would lead to even more sales and long term income: 1) no 2.0 CRDi (there is in other countries), 2) no 6th gear for the highway, 3) no top of the line CRDi (have a look at Mazda with their 6, the diesel is the top of the line) in hatch or wagon, 4) no Manual for SLX wagon, 5) a #$%& auto, Please, please, please for better sales get a 5 or the new 6 speed auto into this and get the economy close to the manual, 6l/100km for the auto and (from what I’ve been told) it can only just handle the torque is not acceptable.
Good effort overall guys thanks for showing the world what the i30 can do!
Regards
Whitbomb07
Well said and from my experience most cars are out by 50 metres. Your comment was very informative and your gripes are similar to ones I would have about this car, it does need a 2.0 and a six speed manual.
As for AAA, where the hell do you get 10% from? This is an urban legend ( probably created by someone trying to get off a speeding ticket) and even on older cars the error was truly no more than 5%
The difference between the digital speedo and the speedo dial on my Gen VI 118TSI golf is exactly 5% different up to 100klm, then the difference becomes 10%. The digital speedo seems to be the correct one. The digital speedo is slower then the dial.
Yep I agree that the i30 needs a sixth gear desperately! Many’s the time I thought the engine was revving too high on the highway and I’ve automatically gone to pull it down to 6th!
You have done well, given that this was done in the cw (wagon, not the smaller & lighter hatch).
Around town my i30 cw crdi SX consistently gets around 6.2 l/100k, and not much better than 6 l/100k on the highway with weekend luggage for 2 people. That is a mixture of mostly sedate driving with enjoyment of the acceleration when needed.
Never be caught in any gear below 1,500 rpm (or you can make a cuppa before it responds to acceleration), and it runs out of breath by 4,000 rpm. But learn to drive in its strong rpm zone and it is a joy (more oomph around 2,000 rpm than my turbo 1.8 GSR lancer).
A great vehicle for its purpose: On price, warranty, operating cost, versatility and driving enjoyment (on public roads – not wannabe racers) it is hard to beat in “bang for the buck”.
RGB, most diesel passenger cars are like that to drive. I’m not taking anything away fromthe i30 in saying this though, it’s a great car. I do find alot of people are dubious about diesels when they drive them, simply because you have to learn how to drive one effectively to see just how enjoyable they are. I wouldn’t change from a Diesel unless the offering were that much more spectacular to drive. Infact given money was not a factor I would still have in my stable of desireable cars, an Audi A8 V8 TDI. This is the one diesel I would love to own having driven several of them.
Keep these Diesel marvels coming, they can only get better and better
Your right there Carfanatic, so many people in Australia have the ‘fear what you don’t understand syndrome’ when it comes to diesel. There are so many misconceptions and ignorance out there it amazes me.
Guy at work was looking at the Subie Liberty GT wagon (or similar) and saying it puts out 350nm torque and 9.something l/100km, I replied saying have a look at the Mazda 6 diesel wagon, 400nm and 6.0 l/100km, and his response was ‘Yeah, but it’s a diesel’
WTF?
People get over it! Diesel is not the devils fuel/witchcraft etc etc, it’s is not something that just belongs in tractors. It’s is great for everyday driving. All that torque helps.
Here in Australia if you are going to drive legally power does not matter whatsoever, at best you’ve got bragging rights at the pub (woop dee doo I couldn’t careless how many killer wasps you have) TORQUE is what matters!
Regards
Whitbomb07
Simply outstanding post! Here in the States, our Elantra Touring wagon (what you call the i30cw 2.0L Petrol), gets all the features you missed – steering wheel audio controls, trip computer, body color door handles, heated seats, and sunroof – but alas only goes 640 km on one tank (and that’s with coasting on a dated 4-speed automatic transmission). The value of the CRDi is quite evident. We know from the specs that the CRDi’s torque is slightly better than the petrol. And from this review, it seems that the reduced horsepower of the CRDi is not an issue. Well done!
having recently arrived from UK I can’t believe the lack of sophistication in Australian motoring. Just because fuel is cheap (compared with Europe) you don’ t need too drive around in large displacement lumps that actually underperform particularly in terms of efficiency (performance against cost to run). The diesel versions of all of the non Australian cars avaiable in Australia provide greater real world performance than their petrol direct comparables.
Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda and Subaru all have great diesels available in Europe but here, for the most part, you have to put up with under performing four cylinder petrols when buying each of these brands mid size vehicles or SUVs. The diesels will use two thirds of the fuel and have significantly better mid range (real world) performance.
The diesels also emit less CO2 so are better for the environment.
Go on Australia do yourself and the planet a favour and adopt diesel power with vigour!
I can add that a recent test over about 100 km of city driving plus 700 km on the highway including substantial sections around the 110 km limit my crdi cw averaged 5.4 l/100 km. That was with a fuel brand that includes some biodiesel, so consumption would perhaps be slightly better (lower l / km) with straight fossil diesel. Economy seems to have improved since my last long highway test (maybe because the vehicle has barely 4000km driven in total). I would love to see the specified 5 l/100 km when it is ‘fully run in’.
Diesel is frothy, so tank volume depends a lot how much you are willing to (over) fill after the first automatic click-off of the fuel nozzle. It is at least 58 litres, so 1,000 km on the highway with weekend gear for two is achievable if you do not mind the risk of getting air into the diesel fuel lines (against which Hyundai warns because it will be harder to fix than just running out of petrol).
Thanks for the details about trap, i’m looking for a new i30SW in Ankara, price is about yours and mode type. But SW is not strong at used (second hand). ithink to take a Corolla :)
Dual tanks in a 4cyl car of similar size to this? Goodbye bootspace! Goodbye torque aswell. I know what I would prefer.
In terms of diesel fuel prices for some reason people have the misconception that it’s very expensive atm, it isn’t. With the exception of some Mondays and Tuesdays (when petrol is at the low end of the cycle) diesel has been cheaper here in Newcastle (and in Sydney/Blue mountains when I’ve been down). The odd place here and there charges ridiculously high for some reason. For someone like me who drives alot not having to worry what day of the week it is to have to fill up without getting ripped off (as much) is great, diesel fuel prices are very stable and at best change once a week.
Actually the figures are there 55lts used 1002km travelled = 5.5l/100km.
If you desperately need a trip computer, buy a Scangauge II, great toy to play with or go up a spec.
Regards
Whitbomb07